Bris vs. Circumcision: What Is the Difference Between a Bris and a Medical Circumcision?
10/14/20267 min read
Bris vs. Circumcision: What Is the Difference Between a Bris and a Medical Circumcision?
If you are expecting a baby boy, you may be wondering about the difference between a Bris and circumcision. Is a Bris the same thing as circumcision? What makes a Jewish circumcision different from a medical circumcision? And what exactly happens at a Bris Milah?
A Bris, also called a Brit Milah, is a Jewish circumcision ceremony and religious mitzvah. Circumcision refers to the physical procedure of removing the foreskin. While the circumcision itself is an important part of a Bris, a Bris Milah involves much more than the physical procedure.
The Bris includes religious traditions, blessings, the baby's Hebrew naming, and other elements that make it an important Jewish ceremony.
What Is a Bris?
A Bris is the traditional Jewish circumcision ceremony for a baby boy. The Hebrew term is Brit Milah, which means "covenant of circumcision." The word "Bris" is commonly used among Ashkenazi Jews, while "Brit Milah" is the Hebrew term.
A Bris Milah traditionally takes place on the eighth day of a baby's life, as long as the baby is healthy enough for the procedure. It represents the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people and has been an important Jewish tradition for thousands of years.
The circumcision is the central physical part of the Bris, but the ceremony also includes Jewish prayers, blessings, traditions, and the giving of the baby's Hebrew name.
A Bris may include:
The baby being brought into the ceremony
The Kisei Shel Eliyahu, or Chair of Elijah
The Sandek holding the baby
The circumcision performed by a Mohel
Traditional blessings and prayers
The baby's Hebrew name
Other Bris honors, known as kibudim
A Seudat Mitzvah or festive meal
The exact customs can vary between families and Jewish communities.
What Is Circumcision?
Circumcision is the physical procedure in which the foreskin covering the head of the penis is removed.
Circumcision may be performed for religious, cultural, medical, or personal reasons. Newborn circumcision is commonly performed in hospitals in the United States, but circumcision can also be performed later in infancy, childhood, or adulthood.
A medical circumcision generally focuses on the physical procedure. It does not necessarily include a religious ceremony, Jewish prayers, blessings, a Hebrew naming, or the other traditions associated with a Bris.
This is the basic distinction between a Bris and a medical circumcision:
Circumcision is the physical procedure. A Bris Milah is the Jewish religious ceremony and mitzvah that includes circumcision.
Is a Bris the Same as Circumcision?
A Bris and circumcision are closely related, but they are not exactly the same thing.
A circumcision describes the removal of the foreskin.
A Bris Milah is the Jewish covenant of circumcision and the ceremony surrounding it.
In other words, a Bris includes circumcision, but not every circumcision is a Bris.
A baby may undergo a medical circumcision in a hospital without having a traditional Bris ceremony. A Jewish baby having a traditional Bris, however, undergoes circumcision as part of the religious observance of Brit Milah.
What Is the Difference Between a Bris and a Medical Circumcision?
The main difference between a Bris and a medical circumcision is the purpose and setting of the procedure.
A medical circumcision is a surgical procedure. A Bris Milah is a Jewish religious ceremony and mitzvah that includes the circumcision.
Some of the major differences include:
Bris Milah
Medical Circumcision
Jewish religious ceremony
Medical or nonreligious procedure
Traditionally performed on the eighth day
Timing varies
Performed by a Mohel
Usually performed by a physician or medical professional
Includes Jewish blessings and prayers
Does not normally include Jewish prayers
Baby receives his Hebrew name during the ceremony
Hebrew naming is not part of the procedure
Includes traditional Bris customs and honors
Does not normally include Bris customs
Represents the Jewish covenant
May be performed for medical, cultural, religious, or personal reasons
The exact details of a Bris can vary according to the family's Jewish traditions and customs.
Why Is a Bris Performed on the Eighth Day?
One of the most distinctive differences between a Bris and a typical medical circumcision is the timing.
A traditional Bris Milah is performed on the eighth day after birth when the baby is medically ready.
The eighth day is significant because the mitzvah of circumcision is specifically associated with that day in the Torah. The timing of a Bris is therefore not simply a matter of convenience or scheduling.
If a baby is not healthy enough to undergo the procedure on the eighth day, the Bris may be delayed until the baby is medically ready.
Because the timing of a Bris involves both Jewish law and the baby's health, parents should discuss any medical concerns with their pediatrician and Mohel.
Who Performs a Bris?
A Bris is performed by a Mohel, a person specifically trained to perform a Jewish circumcision according to the requirements of Jewish law.
A Mohel's role involves more than performing the physical circumcision. The Mohel also guides the family through the Bris ceremony, explains the various traditions and honors, and provides instructions for preparing for and caring for the baby after the Bris.
When choosing a Mohel, parents may want to consider training, certification, experience, references, and the Mohel's approach to safety and newborn care.
Who Performs a Medical Circumcision?
A medical circumcision is generally performed by a physician or another qualified medical professional.
For newborns, circumcision is often performed in a hospital shortly after birth. The timing and method depend on the hospital, medical professional, baby's health, and circumstances.
A medical professional performing circumcision does not necessarily have training in the Jewish laws and traditions of Brit Milah.
Likewise, a Mohel's role is specifically connected to performing the Jewish covenant of circumcision and conducting the Bris ceremony.
What Happens at a Bris?
A Bris is both a circumcision and a Jewish ceremony.
The ceremony usually includes several traditional elements. The baby is brought into the room and passed to individuals who have been given various honors.
One of the most well-known honors is the Sandek, who holds the baby during the circumcision.
The Mohel performs the circumcision and recites the appropriate blessings. Following the circumcision, additional prayers and blessings are recited, and the baby's Hebrew name is announced.
Many families then celebrate with a festive meal known as a Seudat Mitzvah.
The specific order of the Bris ceremony and the customs used can vary depending on the family's traditions. Ashkenazi and Sephardi families, for example, may have different customs surrounding the Bris.
Does a Baby Receive His Hebrew Name at a Bris?
Traditionally, a Jewish baby boy receives his Hebrew name during the Bris Milah ceremony.
The naming is an important part of the Bris and is one of the major differences between a traditional Jewish Bris and a routine medical circumcision.
At the appropriate point in the ceremony, the baby's Hebrew name is announced as part of the traditional prayers and blessings.
For many Jewish families, the Bris therefore serves two purposes at the same time: it fulfills the mitzvah of Brit Milah and formally introduces the baby by his Hebrew name.
Can a Bris Be Performed in a Hospital?
A Bris does not have to take place in a hospital.
Many families choose to have their Bris at home, in a synagogue, or at another appropriate location. The best location depends on the family's circumstances, the baby's health, the family's preferences, and other practical considerations.
A hospital circumcision and a Bris can therefore be very different experiences even though both involve circumcision.
A hospital circumcision may be a short medical procedure performed shortly after birth. A Bris is typically planned as a Jewish ceremony involving family members, guests, religious traditions, and the baby's Hebrew naming.
Can a Hospital Circumcision Replace a Bris?
Parents sometimes wonder whether having their son circumcised in the hospital means that they no longer need to have a Bris.
This is a question that should be addressed with a qualified Rabbi and Mohel because the answer depends on the circumstances and the requirements of Jewish law.
A medical circumcision performed in a hospital is not automatically the same as a Bris Milah performed according to Jewish law.
If parents are considering hospital circumcision for their Jewish son, it is best to speak with a Rabbi or Mohel before the procedure whenever possible.
What Is a Brit Milah?
Brit Milah is the Hebrew name for the Jewish covenant of circumcision.
You may see the terms Bris, Brit Milah, and Bris Milah used when searching for information about Jewish circumcision.
These terms are closely related:
Bris – Common Ashkenazi term for the Jewish circumcision ceremony
Brit Milah – Hebrew term meaning covenant of circumcision
Bris Milah – Common English spelling combining the Ashkenazi pronunciation with the Hebrew word
Jewish circumcision – General English term for the practice
Jewish circumcision ceremony – A description of the Bris Milah ceremony
All of these terms may be used when discussing the traditional Jewish circumcision of a baby boy.
Is a Bris Only About Circumcision?
No. Circumcision is the central physical act of the Bris, but a Bris Milah is much more than a surgical procedure.
The Bris represents the Jewish covenant and is an important religious and family milestone.
The ceremony can bring together parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives, friends, and members of the community. It may include traditional honors, prayers, blessings, the baby's Hebrew name, and a celebratory meal.
This is why referring to a Bris simply as "Jewish circumcision" does not tell the whole story. The circumcision is an essential part of the Bris, but the Bris encompasses the religious ceremony surrounding it as well.
Bris vs. Circumcision: Which One Is Right for a Jewish Baby?
For Jewish parents planning a traditional Brit Milah, the goal is not simply to have their baby circumcised. The goal is to fulfill the mitzvah of Bris Milah according to Jewish law and tradition.
Parents should therefore contact a qualified Mohel when planning their son's Bris.
A Mohel can help parents understand:
When the Bris should take place
Whether the baby is medically ready
Where the Bris can be held
What parents need to prepare
Which family members can receive Bris honors
What happens during the Bris ceremony
How to care for the baby afterward
If there are medical concerns, parents should also consult their baby's pediatrician or other appropriate medical professional.
Bris vs. Circumcision: The Bottom Line
The difference between a Bris and circumcision is simple:
Circumcision is the physical removal of the foreskin. A Bris Milah is the Jewish religious covenant and ceremony that includes circumcision.
A medical circumcision can be performed for many different reasons and at different ages. A traditional Bris Milah is performed as a Jewish mitzvah, traditionally on the eighth day when the baby is healthy enough, and includes the religious ceremony, blessings, traditions, and Hebrew naming associated with the Bris.
Whether you are searching for information about a Bris, Brit Milah, Jewish circumcision, Jewish circumcision ceremony, or newborn circumcision, understanding this distinction can help you know what to expect when planning your son's Bris.
Planning a Bris in Connecticut?
If you are looking for a Mohel in Connecticut for your son's Bris, Rabbi Zalman Goldblatt provides Bris Milah services and guidance for families throughout Connecticut.
From planning and preparing for the Bris to the ceremony itself and aftercare, parents can receive guidance throughout the process.
If you are expecting a baby boy and planning a Bris Milah in Connecticut, contact Rabbi Zalman Goldblatt to discuss your upcoming Bris.
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