Frequently Asked Questions

You count the day on which he is born: if he's born on Monday, the Bris is the following Monday. If he's born on Monday after sundown, the Bris is the following Tuesday. The day changes at sundown and not at midnight.

Jewish law states that, baby's health permitting, we make every effort to do the Bris on the eighth day. You are allowed to do a Bris on Shabbat if the baby was born on Shabbat (unless it was a C-section). There are modifications that may need to take place to have a Bris on Shabbat or a holiday. When a Bris can NOT be performed on Shabbat or a holiday, we do the Bris on the next available day or as soon as possible afterwards.

No. Doing a Bris on the eighth day is a Torah ordained law and the minyan is rabbinic in origin. The Bris, therefore is done on the eighth day with or without a minyan.

The procedure, from clamp to cut, takes less than a minute. The service, which includes the baby naming, takes 15-18 minutes.

Research shows that the technique a Mohel uses causes less distress than the technique used by most physicians. Distress is measured in change of heart rate, etc. Naturally, the difference for the baby of 60 seconds using the Mogen clamp compared to 8-10 minutes with the Gomco or the Plastibel clamps that physicians use is going to make a big difference for the baby.

Yes, I personally use a topical ointment that gets applied 30-45 minutes prior to the procedure followed by an anesthetic ointment immediately afterwards. There are babies that don't cry at all. Most will cry but over 95% of them will stop crying as soon as they are diapered and picked up. In my opinion, most of the distress is caused by the position the baby is in, and must be in, for the procedure and the slight pinch when I take hold of the foreskin to begin. When that is over quickly, the babies do fine.

Yes, I provide an ongoing explanation that most people find educational and enlightening. This is a simcha (a joyous occasion) and so it must be kept light but respectful of the oldest rite of our religion. I try to find that balance.

The entire list of what you need and ways to acquire them is printed above under the heading What You Need. You can copy it now and get a head start if you wish. 

The largest room in the house is usually the best choice. Those that don't want to be near the procedure - won't! The truth is, the way I set the table, no one can see the procedure unless they make a particular effort to do so. Believe it or not, most people are more relaxed when the procedure is not in another room, sequestered away. The 'unknown' is always more stressful than the 'known'.

Of the 15 minutes or so for the whole service, the procedure is about 2-3 minutes in total (undressing to dressing) in the middle. We usher the baby in, do the procedure and then finish with the naming ceremony. It would add time and stress to all concerned, especially the baby, to take him from the room for the 60 seconds of the procedure.

It's a beautiful tradition to name a child after a relative (grandparent, great-grandparent, close relative, even a dear friend). The Ashkenazic Jews name after the deceased whereas the Sephardic Jews name after the living. The name should be chosen based on the person's Hebrew name. If the relative was female, we choose a male name that is related either phonetically or by meaning. If the name was Yiddish or Ladino, it is common practice to alter the name slightly back to its original Hebrew (e.g., Yankel again becomes Ya'akov). I will be glad to help you with this selection.

Of course! After the Bris, I will meet with the parents and change the baby with them (and anyone else who will be helping out - such as a nurse, grandparents, etc.) I will also go over the written instructions with you. If those instructions should be misplaced, you will always have immediate access to me and to the instructions online.