Cut. It. Out! The Bris Drop
Originally published on The Shabbat Drop by Miranda Lapides on May 24, 2024.
Shabbat Drop-In
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“And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations.” (Genesis 17:12)
From my first Shiva to my first bris, I’ve recently covered the lifecycle of Judaism (Anyone getting divorced soon? Would love to attend.) The baby of the hour was the newborn son of my friend. The ceremony was right down the road from Columbia University, the morning after the student arrests, so the tradition felt even more meaningful amidst antisemitism so close to home. I’ll take a celebration of life over public support for terrorism, harassment of Jewish students and faculty, and backwards Hebrew any day!
To prepare, I Googled how to dress (casual was fine since it was in someone’s home) and if I should bring anything (nah but after the bris is a nice gesture). Shoutout to Rabbi Barry who explained what was going on and answered my questions, like does a bris still happen if it falls on Shabbat? Oh yes, you bet it does. But it was a Wednesday, so it was no skin off my back.
Once the mohel arrived and set up his kit, the baby was passed down by family members over to him. I felt like a pervy weirdo because I wanted to get a good view - it was my first bris after all! - and kept craning my neck to get a peep at the snip. It was all so new to me, yet felt familiar at the same time.
After a few brachot and some crying (from the baby, not me), the parents announced the name of the newest member to the Jewish nation: Raphael, Hebrew for ‘G-d has healed’, a name to express a hope for healing now and always. What a joy it was to experience a simcha during this time, especially one of a dear friend. Also, the post-bris bagels and lox were delicious!
Ask a Rabbi: What happens to the foreskin after a bris?
“You should bury it somewhere in the ground anywhere of your choosing. It is ruled in the Shulchan Aruch that the foreskin is to be buried in sand or earth, and practically the custom is to place it immediately after the circumcision within a vessel which contains earth or sand and bury it there. Now, the question is raised as to what one is to do with this cup after the Bris. So while some Mohalim are accustomed to save the foreskins until they pass away and then bury it with them, the more widespread custom is to then bury it in the ground.” —Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein
Well now I’m left with more questions than answers. Anyone else?
Bris from the Past
While rummaging through her parents belongings, my mom found this amazingly disturbing business card from the 1920s that belonged to a mohel.
“Why my dad would keep this, G-d only knows.” The question is: why wouldn’t Pipa keep this?
Front of a mohel’s business card, circa 1920
Back of the card. This gem truly belongs in a museum.
Shabbat Shalom. Stay curious, and watch out for the scissors,
