My daughter texted me last Friday and invited me to come to Logan's (my new grandson) Bris. The ceremony was going to be held at my son-in-law's parents' house. What was odd was that it was going to be on Tuesday evening. I sighed at this. I live in San Diego and they live in Ventura (which is about a two and a half hour drive is there is no traffic). I asked why Tuesday (I am not Jewish so I do not know the traditions)? Nikki (my daughter tells me it is because the ceremony must be held eight days after his birth.
Ugh! I had to go. It is a huge ceremony, I know. Much like Baptism is huge for us Christians. But I know nothing about it. So It was time to find out what a Bris is and share it.
A Bris (also known as a Brit Milah) is when I Jewish child enters into a covenant with God. He does this by being circumcised and given a Jewish name. Girls also have a name day at the synagogue after the father of the child reads a blessing from the Torah (aliyah). The ritual occurs eight days after the birth before sundown. The reason it occurs after eight days is because that is how much time it took Abraham to circumcise his son (Gen. 17:10-14 and Lev. 12:3).
The ceremony took place with an introduction by the Rabbi. He said something in Hebrew which turned out to mean “blessed is the one who has arrived" (Baruch Ha-Ba). He explained what a Bris was and explained the procedure. He set two pillows on a chair and Russell, the other grandfather, sat on the chair and was handed Logan. It is believed that the goodness of those who hold Logan will pass to Logan. And holding the baby during the Bris is a high honor (though I think he was a little nervous. He kept looking up). At that point, the circumcision took place. I was recording it but I stopped by accident so I did not get the whole Bris. When done, the Rabbi dipped a cloth into some wine and put it in Logan's mouth. Logan cried for about a minute then fell back asleep.
At this point, I was called up to hold Logan. He was out like a light. He looked so peaceful, sucking on that wine soaked cloth. I think the procedure was more stressful on all of us than it was on him (I cannot be sure but I think Nikki, my daughter, was crying. She definitely was not watching). I could not stop looking at him. I had forgotten the absolute joy at holding a new life that I was directly related to. Though it was not my baby, it was my baby's baby. This is when Logan received his Jewish name (I felt honored to be holding him at this moment). The name he was given is Ze'ev Elkanah. Ze'ev is the name of Josh's grandfather of his mother's side. Elkanah is the masculine version of Josh's grandmother's name on his father's side. I did not know anything about the name and hardly heard when the Rabbi explained. I just looked at this peaceful little stranger in my arms. And was happy that he was content with me.
The ceremony was coming to a close. The Rabbi invited all the witnesses to gather together. Josh took Logan. He held him so tenderly. Though I always loved Josh, that sight reminded me of why my daughter fell in love with him. The Rabbi advised us to touch a person who was touching Logan, so that the goodness of all of us could flow into him. A prayer in Hebrew was recited. I repeated the best I could (had no idea what was being said though).
It was a wonderful night.
Just as an afterward: I never mentioned that Josie came with me. She did. I was very happy about that. She thought he was beautiful too. Also, sorry about the blurry pictures. I pulled them from a video and had to enlarge them. They did not come out that well.
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References:
http://www.jewfaq.org/birth.htm
http://www.kveller.com/article/the-bris-ceremony/