SUPPLIES

• Kosher sweet grape wine (no Blackberry or Cherry or Mogen David) or kosher grape juice, not chilled.
• Kiddush cup or wine glass
• 2 disposable diapers
• 1 cloth diaper (or burp cloth)
• tube of white petroletum jelly ointment
• 2-3 dozen 4"x 4" sterile gauze pads
• 1 pillow — standard size
• 1 standard size pillowcase (any color; no satin, please)
• Yarmulkas (kipot) for the participants & Jewish male guests; a tallis for the father & sandek, yarmulka (kipah) for the baby not necessary (optional)
• For the bris set up, a small table (waist height) and two chairs are needed.

IN ADDITION

1. The Hebrew/Jewish (Yiddish, Ladino, etc.) names of the father, mother and baby are needed for the ceremony. Also, is the father or mother of the baby descended paternally from a Kohen or Levi? (A naming ceremony is part of the Brit Milah ceremony.)
2. Please do not feed the baby about one and half-hours before the brit milah. The baby can be fed right after the ceremony.
3. To reduce the baby's discomfort, he may suck on a gauze pad dipped in wine or sugar water before (if needed) and after the Brit Milah ceremony.
4. A Brit Milah takes place on the eighth day during the daylight hours only. The day of birth counts as day one. Please confirm the date, time and location of the Brit Milah with the mohel before informing your guests. Also, please make sure no one else in the family is making arrangements with another mohel.
5. A Brit Milah can be postponed at any time (including the day of the ceremony) if there is any question about the health of the baby. Normal physiological jaundice is normal and does not delay the Brit Milah.
6. Dress the baby simply for the ceremony. A gown, stretchy or kimono is fine; please avoid outfits with many small buttons.
7. A minyan (quorum of ten) is preferred, but not required. Godparents are optional.
8. It is suggested that kosher food (not kosher-style) be ordered so all of the guests may partake of the seudat mitsvah (festive meal). The food is served after the ceremony.
9. Please, no photography or videotaping is permitted if the Brit Milah occurs on a Shabbat or Jewish holiday.

HONORS

The five main honors, in order of appearance are:

1. (Kvater and/or Kvaterin) — someone to bring the baby into the room where the ceremony is taking place.
2. (Kisay shel Eliyahu) — someone to place the baby on the Chair of Elijah and to take him from the Chair of Elijah.
3. (Sandek) — Adult Jewish male to hold the baby during the circumcision, usually a grandfather.
4. (Amidah le-berachot) — someone to hold him during the Blessings & Naming.
5. (Kvater and /or Kvaterin) — someone to take the baby out of the room.

Traditionally, it is the parents of the baby who give out the honors at the bris. Both men and women are included in the ceremony. I recommend that parents distribute select honors in a meaningful way, rather than pass the baby around just to include a lot of people.

The honor of bringing the baby into the room at the beginning of the ceremony and/or taking him out at the end is given traditionally to a couple who do not yet have children, or the grandmothers of the baby can be given this honor — both together or one at a time. If this is the first boy for the parents, the paternal grandfather of the baby holds for the bris and the maternal grandfather of the baby holds for the Naming portion of the ceremony. (If one grandfather has already served as a sandak previously, he can defer to the other grandfather.) Placing the baby on the Chair of Elijah and carrying him from Elijah's chair are honors that can be given to other relatives. There are many more permutations and possibilities (older siblings, stepparents, great-grandparents, etc.), so the best thing to do is prepare a list of those people whom you would like to include in the ceremony. The mohel can help you decide the best way to distribute the honors.

BERACHOT (BLESSINGS)

• Father (after the mohel performs the Brit Milah): "Baruch Attah Adonai Elohenu melech ha-olam, asher kideshanu be- mitsvotav ve-tsivanu le-hachniso bivrito shel Avraham ovinu."
• "Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to enter him [the baby] into the covenant of Avraham our forefather."
• Mother (on the occasion of coming through childbirth safely): "Baruch Attah Adonai Elohenu melech ha-olam, ha- gomel le-chayavim tovot sheh-gemalani kol tov."
• "Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, who bestows good and who has shown me every kindness."

POST-CIRCUMCISION CARE

1. Prepare for a fussy baby. Primary healing time is 24-48 hours.
2. There are potential risks, benefits and alternatives to this or any other surgical procedure. The risks are bleeding and infection to the penis or cosmetic imperfections.
3. There may be some swelling of the area (on one side or both) and you may notice a thickness on the underside of the penis where the skin was bunched together. Over time, this will decrease in size.
4. After each diaper change, apply a sterile gauze pad treated with a healthy amount of vaseline ointment for 3-5 days. If the gauze pad sticks, leave it alone until it comes off by itself. Put the new gauze pad with ointment on top of the old one, and after a few diaper changes, both should come off. If the gauze pad sticks, soak the baby in a shallow tub of warm water to remove it.
5. Any bleeding will stain the gauze pad and the diaper. The size and intensity of the stain will decrease after each diaper change. If bleeding persists, apply direct pressure with a sterile gauze pad for 3 minutes. This should stop the bleeding. Call the mohel or pediatrician immediately.
6. If there is a bandage (which is not the same as the gauze pad--the gauze pad covers the bandaged penis), the nurse or the parents may remove it after 24 hours. If it comes off by itself at anytime — great; if you accidentally remove it, don't worry. If the bandage unravels, you may re-wrap it. If the bandage sticks, soak the baby in a shallow tub of warm water to remove it. After the bandage comes off, continue applying gauze pad and ointment for a few more days. Your baby should have a wet diaper within a few hours of the circumcision.
7. If there is no bandage (not to be confused with the gauze pad), no follow-up visit is needed. Parents may wish to schedule the first pediatrician's visit within a week of the circumcision. A follow-up visit by the mohel may be requested at any time.
8. Following the circumcision, resume the baby's regular routine and treat him normally.
9. Sponge bathe the baby until the penis is healed. When the penis is sufficiently healed (about one week) you may immerse the baby in the bath (assuming the umbilical cord is healed, as well).

LONGER TERM CARE:

No further bandaging is necessary. One may continue to apply ointment as needed to enhance further healing. Each child is unique and the techniques of performing circumcisions vary. Cosmetic results will vary from child to child and are not guaranteed. During the healing process, the head of the penis (glans and corona) should remain completely revealed. The following may occur during the healing process: (a) The redness will last for about two weeks. (b) Sometimes a whitish or yellowish waxy-like coating (granulation) will occur on some babies. This is normal and part of the healing process; it is not an infection. (c) During the healing process, the tip of the penis may turn a bluish/ purple color or (d) a water blister may develop along the circumcision line — this, too, is normal. For babies who gain weight quickly, the fat of the thighs and abdominal fat pad may cover the circumcision (i.e. the penis "disappears"). Retract the penis and use ointment to avoid adhesions. If there is any question about the healing process or appearance of the penis, DO NOT WAIT — call the mohel and arrangements will be made to see the baby immediately.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. Once again — please read and follow all instructions.
2. In the event of an emergency, call me immediately at (913) 649-6296 or (913) 484-6296 and leave a voice message. For all other non-emergency questions regarding the Brit Milah ceremony, please call me at (913) 642-1880 ext. 211.
3. If a question or emergency arises on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday, you will not be able to reach me. Please call your pediatrician immediately. After the Shabbat or holiday has concluded, please call to apprise me of the situation. If I am unavailable at any other time, and you need assistance, please call your pediatrician. I look forward to sharing your simcha. As your son enters the covenant, so may he enter the world of Torah, the Jewish wedding canopy, and a life of good deeds.