Bris/Brit Milah

Jewish Ritual Circumcision
In Judaism, a baby's circumcision is much more than surgery. A Jewish baby's circumcision marks his entrance into the covenant (brit) with God.

In addition, during the circumcision ceremony, baby boys are given their names. Naming a Jewish baby is a significant lifecycle event. When we give our children Jewish names, we give them a link to previous generations and we express our hope for future generations.

What happens at the ceremony?

The baby is brought in to the room, carried by the kvatter and kvatterin, considered by many to be the Godparents.

Two chairs are prepared for the Brit. The first is for the Sandek, the individual who holds the baby on his or her knees during the actual circumcision. The lap of the Sandek is considered analogous to the altar of the Temple itself. It is considered a great honour to be the Sandek because there is a Kabbalistic tradition that links the soul of the Sandek with the child. In this way, the Sandek is considered the spiritual mentor of the child. In many instances, one of the grandfathers serves as the Sandek.

The second chair is set aside for the spirit of Elijah the Prophet, the "Angel of the Covenant". According to Jewish tradition, Elijah comes to every circumcision to testify before the Almighty to the commitment of the Jewish people to this great mitzvah throughout the generations.

After the Mohel has performed the brit, a special blessing is recited upon a cup of wine, and the baby is given his Hebrew name. It is customary to serve a meal after the brit, and this is considered a seudat mitzvah, the meal of the mitzvah.

Ideally, a minyan should be present for a Brit, although this is not a pre-requisite.