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The
Bris Ceremony
The Bris ceremony begins with bringing
the newborn into the room. |
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When the Kvatterin
passes the baby to the Kvatter all present say: |
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Blessed is the one arriving!...
Blessed is the one arriving! Happy is the man You choose and bring near to
dwell in Your courtyards; we will be satiated with the goodness of Your
House, Your Holy Temple. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Pinchas, the son
of Elazar, the son of Aaron the Kohen, has turned My wrath away from the
children of Israel when he displayed
anger among them in My behalf, so that I did not wipe out the children
of Israel in My anger. Therefore say: I grant him My covenant of peace.
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The Kvatter passes the
baby to the person who will place the baby on The Chair of Elijah (Kisay
Shel Eliyahu). Once the child is placed on the chair, the Mohel recites
the following: |
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This
is the Seat of Elijah the Prophet, may he be remembered for good. For Your
deliverance
I hope, O Lord. I have hoped for Your deliverance, Lord, and I have performed
Your commandments. Elijah, angel of the Covenant, here is yours before you;
stand at my right and support me. I rejoice in Your word, like one who
finds great spoil. Those who love Your Torah have abounding peace, and
there is no stumbling for them. Happy is the man You choose and bring near
to dwell in Your courtyards; we will be
satiated with the goodness
of Your House, Your Holy Temple.
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The person who takes
the child from the Chair of Elijah lifts the baby and passes him to the
father. The Sandek is summoned to sit on the chair. Then the father places
the baby on the lap of the Sandek. The Mohel then recites the following
blessing: |
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Blessed
are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with
His commandments and commanded us concerning circumcision. |
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Following the
circumcision the father recites the following blessing while the Mohel
proceeds through the Priah: |
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Blessed
are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with
His commandments and commanded us to enter him into the Covenant of
Abraham our father |
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Just
as he has entered into the Covenant, so may he enter into Torah, into marriage,
and into good deeds. |
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The Mohel completes
the Bris and the baby is taken from the Sandek's lap and given to the
standing Sandek. The person honored with making the blessings takes the
cup of wine in his right hand and says:
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Blessed
are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. |
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Blessed
are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctified the beloved
one from the womb, set His statute in his flesh, and sealed his
descendants with the sign of the holy Covenant. Therefore, as a reward of
this (circumcision), the living God, our Portion, our Rock, has ordained
that the beloved of our flesh be saved
from the abyss, for the sake of the Covenant which He has set in our
flesh. Blessed are You Lord, who makes the Covenant. |
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The person honored
with the giving of the name recites the following: |
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Our
God and God of our fathers, preserve this child for his father and mother,
and his
name in Israel shall be called
(say his Hebrew name)
the son of (say the
father's Hebrew name).
May the father rejoice in his offspring, and his
mother be glad with the fruit of her womb, as it is written: "May
your father and mother rejoice, and she who bore you be glad." And it
is said: "I passed by you and saw you weltering in your blood, and I
said to you: You shall live through your blood; and I said to you: 'You
shall live through your blood.'" And it is said: "He has
remembered His Covenant forever, the word which He has commanded to a
thousand generations; the Covenant which He made with Abraham, and His
oath to Isaac; He established it for Jacob as a statute, for Israel as an
everlasting Covenant." And it is said: "Abraham
circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded
him." Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,
for His kindness is everlasting. May this little infant (say his name)
become great. Just as he has
entered the Covenant, so may he enter into Torah, into marriage, and into good
deeds. |
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After naming the
child, the person who recited the blessings drinks the wine. If the Bris
is performed on a fast day the wine is given to a child under the age of
thirteen to drink. After the naming, the Mohel and the father recite the
following prayer: |
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Sovereign
of the universe, may it be Your will that this (circumcision) be regarded and
accepted by You as if l had offered him before the Throne of Your Glory.
And You, in Your abounding mercy, send through Your holy angels a holy and
pure soul to
(name) the
son of (name)
who has now been circumcised for the sake of Your great Name. May his
heart be open as the portal of the Great Hall in the Temple in Your holy
Torah, to learn and to teach, to observe and to practice; grant him long
life, a life imbued with the fear of sin, a life of wealth and honor; and
fulfill the desires of his heart for good. Amen, and so may it be
Your will. |
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The Model then recites
the following: |
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May
He who blessed our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and Aaron,
David and Solomon, bless this tender infant
(name)
the son of (name)
because
(name) the
son of (name)
pledged charity for his sake for Bikkur cholim. In this merit, may the
Holy One, blessed be He, hasten to send a complete recovery to all his two
hundred forty-eight bodily parts and three hundred sixty-five veins, and
raise him to Torah, to marriage, and to good deeds; and let us say, Amen. |
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If there is a Kohein
present, it is customary to have him recite the Priestly Blessing: |
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And
the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to Aaron and to his sons,
saying, Thus
shall you bless the children of Israel, say to them: "The Lord
bless you and guard
you. The Lord make His countenance shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace." And
they shall set My name upon the children of Israel, and I shall bless
them.'" |
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The Kvatter takes the
infant from the Standing Sandek and delivers him to the Kvatterin, who in
turn gives the child to his mother. At this point it is customary to
recite the Alelnu prayer. Following the circumcision a festive meal is
served. |
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