THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION: BRIT MILAH

Orthodox:

This is My covenant which you shall keep...every male among you shall be circumcised ...at the age of eight days.....throughout the generations. (Genesis 17: 10-14).

Halakha makes incumbent upon every father to fulfill the Biblical command of the Covenant of blood. The father usually delegates this task to an expert, called a Mohel, who should be a pious Jew, well versed on the laws and details of this rite, plus well trained in advance techniques of surgical hygiene.

According to Jewish Law, the new practice to have a M.D. or a surgeon perform the operation, while a rabbi standing near him recites the benedictions, is NOT valid, which means that it makes the Bris't non-kosher or invalid. This is so, because the covenant is the operation itself i.e., the circumcision itself, not some prayers. Jewish law specifies that rabbinical prayers do NOT validate a religiously improper circumcision.

The Bris't has been performed more than 2,000 years under the most trying circumstances, even confronting life threatening anti-Semitic prohibitions. But Jews believe that, as it is written: "The uncircumcised male shall be cut-off from his people..." (Genesis 17:14). So they carry on the ritual of the eternal covenant, the Bris't Mileh, between Jew and G’d, which continues and will continue until the end of the days, according to the Orthodox view.

The Bris't is performed on the eighth day, even if it is Shabbat (day of rest) or Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement and fast). Only when the infant is sick, weak, or premature, may the Bris't be postponed, until a doctor says it is no longer dangerous for the newborn.

During the ceremony, the person holding the baby is called the Sandek. Since ancient times , it has been an honorary role. The diverse Jewish communities have created other honorary roles (as customs) .

Although it is preferable to perform this ceremony in the presence of a Minyan, --10 males, older than 13 years --when circumstances do not permit, the Bris't may be performed by the Mohel in the presence of only the father.

It is also customary to celebrate the event with a feast ,called Seudat Mitzvah.

When a child has been circumcised before the eighth day, it is still necessary to have a symbolic circumcision, and draw blood, also called, Hatafas Dom bris. This involves a pinprick, letting a spot of blood be drawn from under the corona of the penis. Bris't is a blood pact or covenant.

Reform:

In the covenant of the circumcision, the removal of the foreskin takes place within religious ceremony as a physical token signifying the unique relationship between a Jewish boy and God. In America the Ashkenazic Yiddish term, bris, is probably the most familiar name for the ritual circumcision. Brit Milah, is also called the "covenant of Abraham" because he was the first to practice circumcision as a Jewish ritual.

The importance of circumcision as a mark of people hood is a recurring theme in the Bible, and in every generation this covenant has been renewed. During periods of persecution when it singled Jewish men out of execution, circumcision became an act of defiance and courage. In the 20th century, stories from the Holocaust and from the Soviet Union testify to the steadfastness of Jewish practice of brit milah, no matter the consequences. Brit milah, takes place on the eight day of life, even on Shabbat (Sabbath) or a holiday. However if the baby is ill or weak, Jewish law requires that the rite be postponed until it is completely safe for the baby.

A bris may be held anywhere though today most take place at home. A father is responsible for his son's brit milah, and technically he performs the circumcision; the mohel (ritual circumciser), acts as his representative, The only people who absolutely must be present at the bris are the baby, the mohel, and one honored assistant called the sandek.

The liturgy of brit milah is ancient and, as with most Jewish life cycles rituals, the ceremony is very brief, no more than five or ten minutes long. A bris consist of three parts. The first is as normative and universal as any part of Jewish religious life: a blessing is recited, the circumcision is performed and another blessing follows. The second part begins with kiddush (blessing over the wine), and includes a longer prayer that gives the baby his name. The third section required by Jewish law, is the seudat mitzvah (ritual meal of celebration).

There is also renewed interest in the old custom of distributing kibudim (honors), to the family members and friends during the ceremony. The most important of these is the role of the sandek (patron), he assist the mohel (ritual circumciser) by holding the baby during the circumcision. The other traditional ceremonial roles are that kvatterin (Godmother), who carries the baby from the mother to the room where the bris is taking place, and kvatter (Godfather), who in turn brings the baby to the chair of Elijah (Prophet who is associated with the coming of the messiah).