Bris Jewish Ceremony – Circumcision & Naming

By Author: Sohini Bagchi
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In the Jewish tradition, the circumcision ceremony of a Jewish baby boy performed on the eighth day after his birth by a mohel is called Bris ceremony. The word Bris literally means covenant and Milah means “to cut”. The Jewish circumcision or Bris Milah is believed to be the covenant God has established with the Jewish community through the commandment of circumcision.
In the Jewish faith, the body and soul are believed to be the holy partners who are supposed to serve God together. Therefore, the Bris is performed on the body part that is considered to be the most holy before the creator.
The significance of 8th day
As per the Kabalistic writings, the seventh days represent the physical world of creation. Therefore, on the eighth day, a child is said to have transcended from the physical to the metaphysical. He is now considered part of the physical and spiritual covenant. As a result, a Bris cannot be celebrated before the eighth day.
The Bris ceremony
Bris is a joyous ceremony that commemorates the birth of a Jewish baby boy in the family with great pride. Friends, relatives and close associates ...
... are invited to commemorate the birth and circumcision of the child through religious ritual followed by a celebratory meal. The Bris ceremony has two parts. The first part is about the actual circumcision, which is followed by the naming ceremony and celebration.
The Circumcision
During the circumcision process, the sandek, usually one of the grandparent’s is supposed to hold the baby and the ritual is performed. The mohel recites a prayer that commands to purify the child through the rite of circumcision. After the circumcision is over, the Mohel recites a special blessing upon a cup of wine. The baby is then given his Hebrew name that was decided by the parents or a senior family member.
The naming of the child
This is the most exciting part of the bris jewish ceremony. A child may have one or more names, in accordance with the parents' desires or that of the elderly family members. The Jewish baby boy is given a Hebrew or a Yiddish name as part of the Bris Ceremony. The name holds a lot of significance in the Jewish tradition, as it is supposed to connect you to the self. The spelling and numerology of these names are considered significant.
Once the rites of the Jewish Brit Milah ceremony is over, a seudat mitzvah (a sacred meal) is served after to the guests, followed by celebration, song and dance

Sohini Bagchi is a search engine optimization (SEO) content specialist based in India. She is writing for Asha Infotech. Asha Infotech is a Creative Digital Agency providing seo service india.