The Order of the Bris Milah - Rabbi Yoel Nachmanson shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast from the Chabad Halacha Institute.

00:09 Speaker 2 Greetings to all our viewers and listeners. With Hashem’s help, today we’ll discuss several interesting topics connected with a bris that may be of interest to parents. First, giving a baby his name. It is a well-known Jewish custom not to name a baby before his bris. The holy books explain that a baby’s name is a Jewish name, a holy name. Before he is circumcised, he still has a foreskin, which is considered impure and repugnant, and it is not fitting to give him a holy name while he still has it. Another reason is that, as is known, the soul does not begin to enter the baby’s body inwardly until the bris. As long as the soul is not present within him in that way, it is not fitting to give him a holy, Jewish name. Now a question arises. In recent years, maternity wards have offered parents the option of registering their baby with the Ministry of the Interior. This saves them from having to go to the ministry in person after they leave the hospital. It’s a very convenient option. But if the parents already know the baby’s name before the bris—as often happens when they decide during pregnancy, “If it’s a boy, we’ll call him such-and-such”—may they register the name without saying it aloud? They would only write it on the official documents. So what exactly is the question? Does writing the baby’s name have the same significance as saying it, or is writing perhaps like thinking? Just as there is no problem with thinking of the baby’s name, perhaps there is no problem with writing it either. At first glance, we might resolve this question from what the Alter

02:39 Speaker 2 Rebbe writes in Shulchan Aruch, in the laws of the blessings over Torah study. As is known, one may not speak words of Torah before reciting those blessings, but one may think about Torah. What about writing? May one write words of Torah before reciting the blessings? The author of the Shulchan Aruch writes that one may not. Moreover, someone who wishes to write words of Torah must recite the blessings, and as soon as he finishes them, he may begin writing. In other words, the author holds that writing is just like speaking. The Taz disagrees. He says: Why should that be? Writing is not like speaking. Regarding witnesses, the Torah says, “A matter shall be established by the testimony of two witnesses,” and our Sages expounded: “From their mouths, and not from their written words.” In other words, the Torah explicitly says that writing is not like speaking; writing is not considered speech. The Alter Rebbe rules like the Taz, that writing words of Torah is like thinking about them. Accordingly, it would seem permissible to write the baby’s name on the Ministry of the Interior’s official documents before the bris. Writing is not considered speech; it is not as though we said the name. On the other hand, the Alter Rebbe concludes that someone who wants to write words of Torah should first recite the blessings over Torah study and say words of Torah aloud. That way, he has certainly fulfilled his obligation regarding the blessings and avoided any doubt. This means that, as an initial practice, the Alter Rebbe takes into account the opinion that writing does count as speech. Accordingly, we might say that one should preferably not write the baby’s name on the ministry’s registration forms before the bris. If there is a particular need, or it would be very difficult to do it afterward, one could do it before the bris. But when we look more closely, we see that, in fact,

05:07 Speaker 2 the issue of the blessings over Torah study has nothing to do with our question. The question here is not whether writing is like speaking. That’s not the issue. As we said, what reason do the books give for not saying the baby’s name before the bris? We do not want to associate a holy name with him while he is not yet circumcised. If the issue is associating a name with him, then the question we need to examine is: How does a name become associated with a person? Is it only by saying the name, by calling him that name? Or does writing in an official document that this is his name also associate it with him? We find the answer in Shulchan Aruch, in the laws of gittin. As is known, a get must record a person’s name. If he has several names, the halacha is that the primary name is written first, followed by the secondary names. How do we determine which is the primary name and which is secondary? The Shulchan Aruch gives two criteria: the name by which he is called to the Torah and the name he uses when signing documents are considered a person’s primary name. From this we can resolve our question. A name can become associated with a baby in either of two ways: by calling him by that name, or by writing in an official document that it is his name. Once we have written that in an official document, the name is considered to have been associated with him. The conclusion, therefore, is that one should certainly avoid recording the baby’s name on the Ministry of the Interior’s documents before the bris. Even if there is some necessity to do so, the books say that at the very least one should not say it aloud. One should only write it, so that at least one of the ways of associating the name with him does not take place. As is known,

07:18 Speaker 2 the night before the bris is called Leil Shimurim, a night of protection. It is also called Wach Nacht in Yiddish, meaning a night when people stay awake. It is called Leil Shimurim because the baby needs protection that night. There are kelipos and forces of the sitra achra that seek to prevent the bris, and protection is needed against them. It is called Wach Nacht because people stay awake that night and study Torah near the baby, or at least in the home where he is. I want to make two points about this. Regarding Leil Shimurim, everyone knows about the practice of studying certain passages from the Zohar about a bris near the baby. But not everyone knows that there is also a custom to read various verses from Tanach connected with a bris, as well as several Mishnayos and passages from the Gemara and Midrashim on the subject. This is an old custom, already mentioned in the Siddur of the Yaavetz, who lived in the time of the Baal Shem Tov. The Yaavetz says it was a custom of Eretz Yisroel, but it has since spread to, one could say, Jewish communities everywhere. In the chronicles of our Rebbeim, we find that before the Rebbe Rashab’s bris, his uncles—the sons of the Tzemach Tzedek—sat on the preceding night and read the psalms and Zohar passages associated with a bris. So we see that they read not only the Zohar but also the psalms. Presumably, if they were reading psalms as well as Zohar, they also read the Mishnayos and Gemara, following the entire order of study for that night. That order can be found in various books. Some books only list what to study—which verses and which passages from the Mishnah and Gemara. Anyone who wants a computer file containing all those psalms and passages, arranged in order, can get one from me,

09:42 Speaker 2 So that it can be learned easily. A second point about the Wachnacht: As we said, it is called Wachnacht because there is a custom to stay up all night and learn Torah. The Zohar describes the father staying up all night with his friends, learning Torah. But in practice, one needs to think carefully about whether to stay up all night, because it may do more harm than good. The father stays up all night, and the next day—his Yom Tov, his day of joy—instead of being alert, he is sleepy. He cannot manage the event properly or welcome the guests graciously. Experience shows that fathers who stay up all night find it harder, to say the least, to function properly the next day. So the practical recommendation is to rely on what several sefarim write: that the main period of watching over the baby on the night before the bris is until midnight. In Nitei Gavriel, he cites the Rebbe of Sanz, who instructed young married men to stay up on the night before the bris only until midnight, not all night. That is indeed the recommended practice. Another matter is choosing the mohel. The Or Zarua, one of the Rishonim, writes about choosing a sandek and a mohel: a father should look for a good Jew to serve as the baal bris—meaning the sandek—so that Eliyahu will come and sit with him. He should also look for a mohel who is a good Jew. We see that the Or Zarua places the sandek and the mohel on the same footing: for both, one should seek a good Jew. What does “a good Jew” mean? We can understand that from what the Rema writes. The Rema cites the Or Zarua as halachah, but phrases it

12:03 Speaker 2 a little differently. In Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah, the Rema writes: “A person should seek out and take care to choose the best and most righteous mohel and baal bris.” We understand from the Rema that “a good Jew” means a righteous Jew. Presumably, this does not mean a tzaddik as defined in Tanya—something the child’s father cannot examine or measure. It means a Jew whose outward conduct shows that he is G-d-fearing. And the Rema adds something else: it is not enough just to choose a G-d-fearing Jew as sandek and mohel; one should seek out the best and most righteous. If you have a choice between two sandekim or two mohelim, look for the one who, in your eyes, is more G-d-fearing. The Maharil, who was also one of the Rishonim, writes that the father should seek a mohel who is an upright person—upright in his conduct, of course, in what he actually does. For the Midrash says, “Himol yimol,” from which we learn: let one who is pure come and attend to one who is pure. In other words, the mohel should be a pure person, an upright person, a good person, a righteous person. Now, as we said, the Or Zarua says that both the mohel and the sandek must be G-d-fearing. A second quality to look for in a mohel is, of course, that he knows how to do the job properly. There are several levels to this. There is a mohel whom one simply should not choose. Who is that? Someone for whom halachah establishes a reasonable concern that he will not perform the bris properly. Who is this mohel? Someone who has never actually been a mohel—someone who has never performed the cutting and peri’ah in his life. He may have taken courses, watched many brissim, seen videos, and studied the anatomy of the organ on which the bris is performed. He may have been taught how to do it. But as long as he

14:21 Speaker 2 has not performed a bris even once in his life, halachah says there is a reasonable concern that he will not do it properly. What is the practical implication? He may not perform a bris on Shabbos. Even if the child’s father wants to let him, he may not let him perform it. Even if the man wants to circumcise his own son, he may not do so, because there is a concern that he will cut improperly. He will then have violated the prohibition against causing injury without fulfilling the mitzvah. So clearly, if the child’s father has a friend who is learning the craft of milah, and that friend says to him, “Please let me circumcise your son,” then if the father knows this would be his first bris and that he has never performed one before, it is proper not to let him. Halachah says to seek out a mohel who is skilled. Before looking for someone skilled, the first requirement is someone about whom there is no reasonable concern that he will make a mistake. As long as a person has not performed even one bris, halachah explicitly says there is a concern that he will make a mistake. Beyond that, as we said, it is not enough for the mohel to be someone about whom there is no established concern that he will make a mistake; he should be a skilled practitioner. As the Maharil writes, “One should not choose a mohel out of affection for someone, but only one who is skilled and established as such.” If a mohel is your friend but is not skilled, do not choose him—that is what the Maharil says. What does “skilled” mean? We can learn the definition from what the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya, chapter 42: the word oman, “skilled,” is related to training one’s hands; it means being accustomed to the work. In other words, a skilled mohel is one who is accustomed to performing brissim, who performs them not rarely but frequently, so that his hands are trained in performing a bris.

16:25 Speaker 2 That is the second requirement for a mohel. We said he must be G-d-fearing, and we said he must have performed at least one bris; better still, he should be skilled, meaning accustomed to performing brissim. The third principle in choosing a mohel is what our Rebbeim taught us. Suppose we have two mohelim. One has spiritual qualities: he is a mohel who knows how to have the proper kavanos. He is an older Jew, a distinguished person. But on the other hand, he is not so—he is not sufficiently skilled. In the Rebbe’s words, he is “not so skilled.” That is, as we said before, being skilled means being accustomed to the work, and he is not sufficiently accustomed to it. Apparently, he performs brissim only occasionally. Some mohelim circumcise only their own grandchildren: once every few years, when a grandson is born, they perform a bris. Such a person is also called a mohel, but he is not a skilled mohel. On the other hand, there is another mohel who is unquestionably skilled and accustomed to performing brissim, but, in the Rebbe’s words, he is “very simple.” Spiritually, he is on a much, much lower level than the first mohel, visibly and clearly so. On this question, we have a ruling from the Tzemach Tzedek. In an actual case, the Tzemach Tzedek said to choose the more skilled mohel, even though he was the simpler one. The Tzemach Tzedek explained why: with bris milah, as with all practical mitzvos, the act itself is indispensable. The first thing that matters is actually performing it. If there is a concern that the act will not be performed properly, that is the first thing we must keep in mind. The term used is “indispensable.” What does that mean? It addresses the argument that, after all, we have another mohel here who knows how to have the proper kavanos. And as is known, through kavanos, very lofty spiritual influences are drawn down.

18:29 Speaker 2 The Tzemach Tzedek says that the actual performance is indispensable. First of all, for the spiritual blessings to be drawn down, the act has to be done properly. Take, for example, a sofer who writes tefillin. One sofer may be very G-d-fearing and write the tefillin with awe and love. Let’s say he even immerses in a mikveh before every time he writes Hashem’s name, and writes the passages with all the proper intentions, even the intentions of the Arizal. But he makes one small mistake in the tip of a yud. Everyone understands that those tefillin are invalid, and the spiritual blessings that should be drawn down through tefillin will not be drawn down through them. By contrast, there may be another sofer, a simple one, who has no special intentions and does not even immerse in a mikveh. But he writes the tefillin passages properly, with careful attention to halachah. Clearly, what is indispensable is present in his tefillin, and they will draw down all the spiritual blessings they are meant to draw down from Above. Perhaps not at the same level as if they were both kosher and written with those intentions, but the essential thing is the actual performance. That is why the Tzemach Tzedek said that when the choice is between a mohel who has special intentions but is not such a skilled craftsman, and a mohel who may be younger but does the job properly and is established as someone skilled, it is better to choose the latter. The last point about choosing a mohel is whether there is a reason to choose a mohel from among our own Chabad chassidim. There are many mohalim who are both G-d-fearing and skilled at their work but are not Chabad chassidim. In truth, there is no instruction from our Rebbeim to choose specifically a mohel from among our own. But the Rebbe did give an instruction to mohalim: a mohel should study the inner dimension of Torah. And the Rebbe explains why. A bris is, in essence, something beyond reason and understanding.

20:29 Speaker 2 Making a covenant, as is known, means forging a bond between two parties—a bond that is not dependent on intellect or logic. Even if, according to reason and understanding, there is cause to break the connection, we remain bound together. That is what bris milah is. A Jew’s bond with Hakadosh Boruch Hu is an essential bond, one that cannot be severed. It is beyond reason and understanding. Secondly, the bris is performed when the baby being circumcised has no reason or understanding. As is known, there is the Rebbe’s sicha about the debate between Yishmael and Yitzchak. Yishmael argued that it is greater to undergo bris milah willingly, by choice. Yitzchak replied that, on the contrary, precisely when the bris—the bond with Hakadosh Boruch Hu—is established without the possibility of reason and understanding, when it is done to a baby who cannot understand, cannot object, cannot choose, that is a stronger, more enduring bris. So a bris is essentially connected with going beyond reason and understanding. The Rebbe says that, accordingly, a mohel, who performs the bris, should engage in matters that are beyond reason and understanding. That is the inner dimension of Torah, the secrets of Torah. Nowadays, however much we study Chassidus and try to understand it through reason and understanding, we never grasp its essence; we only know of its existence. That is why this study is called study that is beyond reason and understanding, and why a mohel should engage in this Torah, the inner dimension of Torah. The Rebbe also added that beginning to study the inner dimension of Torah is generally done with kabbolas ol. That, too, is a matter of going beyond reason and understanding. Again, it is not based on intellect or reason and understanding. So, as we said, there is no instruction to choose a mohel from among our own, but there is a reason to choose a mohel who studies

22:23 Speaker 2 the inner dimension of Torah. So one should certainly choose a mohel who studies Chassidus. And if, for some reason—for example, if no mohel from among our own is available—one chooses another mohel, then of course preference should be given to a mohel who engages in some way with the inner dimension of Torah, the secrets of Torah. Another matter is choosing the sandek. As we cited earlier from the Or Zarua and the Rema, one should choose a sandek who is a good Jew—and, as we explained, the best and most righteous person available. As is known, it is a Jewish custom to give the role of sandek to the grandfathers. One time it is given to the baby’s paternal grandfather, and another time to his maternal grandfather. People consider it a very great honor for the grandfather who is chosen as sandek. But in many cases, the grandfather does not exactly fit the description of a sandek as a good Jew, certainly not as the best and most righteous person available. True, “Your people are all righteous,” but in his outward conduct he is not a good and righteous Jew, and the parents face a dilemma. On the one hand, they would prefer a more suitable sandek for their son—a rabbi or mashpia, a Jew they see as G-d-fearing. On the other hand, it is customary to give the role to the grandfather. Here it is important to know that if the grandfather does not object to someone else being chosen, and willingly gives up the honor, then it is definitely better not to give it to him if he is not known as G-d-fearing; it is better to choose a G-d-fearing sandek. But if the grandfather does not understand these considerations and they do not matter to him—he wants the honor of being sandek and expects to be chosen—then this touches on the mitzvah of honoring one’s father. In other words, if the grandfather expects the honor of being sandek and is not given it, there is an issue of failing to honor one’s father, which is, of course, a Torah mitzvah. And in certain cases

24:51 Speaker 2 it is not just a matter of failing to honor one’s father; it can even border on showing him disrespect. If the grandfather is really looking forward to it, and, let’s say, it is the accepted practice in the extended family for him to be the sandek for all his grandchildren—or at least for the first grandchild in each family—and he is not chosen, it could genuinely hurt him deeply. Hurting one’s parents can even approach the category of “Cursed is one who treats his father or mother lightly,” G-d forbid. So we need to know that, important as it is for the sandek to be G-d-fearing and the best and most righteous person available, that is only a recommendation. It is not a Torah mitzvah to choose a G-d-fearing sandek, whereas it is a Torah mitzvah to honor one’s father, and certainly not to show him disrespect. So if not giving the grandfather the role of sandek would hurt him and be a failure to honor him, he should certainly be given the role, even if he is a person who does not observe the mitzvos at present. As for the parents’ concern when they ask, “But what about the child? What about the seemingly negative influence of the sandek on the baby?”—we can answer that it is very likely that if you give the grandfather the role of sandek and thereby fulfill the mitzvah of honoring your parents, there will be no negative influence on the baby. Where can we learn this idea from? From something the Ran writes. The Ran discusses a case in which the Sanhedrin made a mistake and ruled that a certain food was kosher, and the public ate it on the basis of the Sanhedrin’s ruling. Now, we know that when a Jew eats non-kosher food, it causes a dulling of the mind and heart, as it says, “You shall become defiled through them,” which our Sages interpreted as “You shall become dulled through them.” The Ran asks: Will those Jews who ate the non-kosher food in accordance with the Sanhedrin’s mistaken ruling suffer a dulling of the heart

27:06 Speaker 2 Or not? The Ran says: At first glance, they would certainly suffer from a dulling of the heart. They ate something that was not kosher. The Sanhedrin erred in its ruling. That food comes from the three impure kelipos; it is not kosher food. But the Ran says that, in the end, those people will not suffer a dulling of the heart. Why? Because they ate the food as a result of obeying the Sanhedrin, and the Torah commands us to listen to the Sanhedrin. So the merit of the mitzvah they fulfilled by listening to the Sanhedrin will, so to speak, cleanse and cancel out the negative effect of eating the non-kosher food. In the Ran’s words: “It is impossible for the Sanhedrin to cause any harm to the soul, even if they feed someone a forbidden food and say that it is permitted. For the benefit the soul gains by following the instructions of the sages, the teachers of Torah, is what is most beloved to Him”—to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. As the prophet Shmuel said, “Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice.” And that benefit will remove the harm that would have been liable[?] to arise in the soul from eating that forbidden food. Based on these words of the Ran, we can say the same thing in our case. It is true that the sandek’s character, his conduct and his level of yiras Shamayim influence the baby. But that is not a natural process; we are talking about a spiritual effect. After all, what connection is there between the baby sitting on the sandek’s lap and the sandek’s character influencing him? It is something spiritual. The parents’ conduct also has a spiritual effect. So when the parents act according to halachah—and halachah says that honoring one’s parents is a Torah mitzvah, which takes precedence over the sandek’s qualities—and they choose the grandfather as sandek because that is what the Torah commands them to do in order to honor him and fulfill the mitzvah of honoring one’s father, then this merit of the parents will influence the baby and counteract

29:24 Speaker 2 any negative influence that the sandek’s character might have. So the parents need not worry about this either, even though they chose a sandek who, in their view, is not G-d-fearing. And of course, it is worth mentioning here the Chabad custom of placing a picture of the Rebbe beneath the baby, between the sandek’s knees and the baby. The Rebbe explains that this expresses the parents’ wish that, if only they could, they would choose the Rebbe as sandek. Presumably, the picture also has a spiritual influence on the baby, and that too can lessen the undesirable influence of a sandek who is not, uh, the sandek they would have preferred. Halachah rules that the entire day is valid for a bris milah. In other words, a bris milah may be performed from sunrise until sunset. But the Shulchan Aruch says, “Those who are eager perform mitzvos early,” and we perform the bris immediately in the morning. In other words, the most preferable practice is to circumcise the baby right after Shacharis in the morning, and, as the halachic authorities emphasize, at least before midday. There is a discussion among the halachic authorities about the principle that “those who are eager perform mitzvos early”: Is this merely the proper thing to do, or is it a Torah mitzvah, or only a rabbinic mitzvah? There are different opinions, but in any event, the preferred practice with every mitzvah is certainly to perform it promptly. When a mitzvah has a window of time in which it can be fulfilled, it is proper to fulfill it at the beginning of that window, as soon as possible. Now the question arises: In many cases, if the bris is held first thing in the morning, many people will not be able to attend. Some people are working; others are busy with their children in the morning and will not be able to come to the bris. So what is preferable: to hold the bris early and fulfill the principle that “those who are eager perform mitzvos early,” or to hold it later

31:43 Speaker 2 so that more people can attend? When it comes to having more people, we are familiar with the principle “In a multitude of people is the King’s glory.” This too is a halachic principle. For example, a person could hear the Megillah in a small shul with only a few people, but halachah says it is preferable to go to a shul with many people because “In a multitude of people is the King’s glory.” So here too, if the bris is held later, in the afternoon for example, more people may attend. Perhaps that is preferable? Halachah has already established that, in this matter, performing a mitzvah early takes precedence over “In a multitude of people is the King’s glory.” Where do we see this? In actual practice, on Rosh Chodesh and on Yom Tov, we say Hallel after Shacharis. The Gemara asks why we say Hallel after Shacharis and not after Musaf. After all, there are more people praying in shul for Musaf. Some people arrive late for Shacharis and have not yet come, so there are more people in shul for Musaf. And the whole point of Hallel is to praise Hashem. If so, it would have been better to institute saying Hallel after Musaf, because “In a multitude of people is the King’s glory.” The Gemara says no: because those who are eager perform mitzvos early, it is preferable to say Hallel after Shacharis, even though it will be said with fewer people and without the advantage of “In a multitude of people is the King’s glory.” And we see that this is the practical halachic ruling: Hallel is said specifically after Shacharis. So performing a mitzvah early is more important than having a large crowd. On this basis, the Sdei Chemed wrote that the same applies to a bris milah. In his words: “It pains me that some people have a custom of holding the bris milah later in the day, or even in the afternoon, so that the invited guests will have time to arrive.” He says, “They have no basis to rely on.” But the Rebbe disagrees with the Sdei Chemed on this point, and the Rebbe writes that they certainly do have

33:55 Speaker 2 a basis to rely on for holding the bris later so that more people can attend. The Rebbe explains that, while throughout the Torah performing a mitzvah early takes precedence over having a large crowd, bris milah is different; it is an exception. Bris milah is a mitzvah closely connected with joy. First, the Jewish people accepted this mitzvah joyfully, as it says, “I rejoice over Your word,” and our Sages say that they still fulfill it joyfully, as expressed by holding a feast. In addition, we see that the Torah says the bris is to be held specifically on the eighth day. The Gemara explains that this is so there should not be a situation in which all the invited guests are happy while the father and mother are sad because the mother has not yet completed her period of ritual impurity following childbirth. But on the eighth day, after she has become ritually pure, the father and mother are happy too. That is why the Torah says to hold the bris specifically on the eighth day. Once again, we see that it was important to the Torah for a bris milah to be an occasion celebrated with joy. Based on this, the Rebbe says there is certainly room to permit delaying the bris milah, even until the afternoon, so that many people can attend. We see for ourselves that when fewer people attend, there is less joy; when many people attend, there is more joy. And there are cases where, if certain invited guests cannot come, or if the bris is held without waiting for them, not only is there less joy, but it even causes sadness for some of those present. Therefore, the Rebbe says, for the sake of having many people attend—for “In a multitude of people is the King’s glory”—one may forgo the principle of performing the mitzvah early. The Rebbe continues in the letter and says that there is another reason why, for a bris milah, one may rely on giving precedence to a large crowd over performing the mitzvah early. Because, as is known, the reason

36:08 Speaker 2 The inner purpose of all the mitzvos is to strengthen yiras Shamayim and faith in Hashem. As it says, “Hashem commanded us to perform all these statutes, to fear Hashem.” The Rebbe says that if this is the inner purpose of all the mitzvos, then at a bris milah this purpose is fulfilled to a greater extent when more people attend. Why? Because, as we know, right after the bris everyone sits down to a meal, and among Anash, the Rebbe says, they already hold a farbrengen and speak words of Torah, words of the living G-d, and words that awaken yiras Shamayim. So the more people attend the bris, the greater the increase in yiras Shamayim, because more people will be present. The Rebbe says this is another reason to prefer holding the bris with a large crowd over holding it earlier with fewer people. On this subject, we need to bear in mind a principle of halachic ruling stated by the Chacham Tzvi: when a halachic authority gives two reasons for a lenient ruling, even if he calls them “the first reason” and “another reason,” he does not mean that either reason can be relied on by itself. Rather, the lenient ruling can be relied on only when both reasons apply together. In our case, the Rebbe gives two reasons in this letter why, for a bris milah, having a large crowd takes precedence over the principle that the zealous perform mitzvos early. The first reason is that it brings greater joy, and a bris milah should be held with joy. The second is that words of Torah will be spoken at the bris meal, increasing yiras Shamayim among more people. Accordingly, when one wants to hold the bris later, rather than observing the principle of performing the mitzvah early, one must make sure to meet both conditions the Rebbe mentions: first, that holding the bris in the afternoon really will mean more people are present; and second, that words of Torah are spoken at the meal, so that

38:26 Speaker 2 the idea of “Hashem commanded us to perform all these statutes, to fear Hashem” is fulfilled. It’s true that according to Chabad custom, the baby’s father recites a maamar at the bris meal. But it’s sad to say that quite often the father simply sits and mumbles the maamar, sometimes only to himself, and the people present don’t always even listen. It’s true that Hayom Yom says that when words of Chassidus are repeated, the soul listens, and “they flow from Lebanon.” What the soul hears also reaches the soul within the body and increases yiras Shamayim. But plainly, that is not what the Rebbe meant—that people should just sit at the meal while someone recites a maamar without anyone listening or understanding. The Rebbe meant that words of the living G-d and words of inspiration should be spoken in a way that visibly and plainly increases yiras Shamayim. So the recommendation is either to explain the maamar’s content in a way that everyone present understands what the baby’s father is saying, or, in addition to reciting the maamar, to arrange for someone to speak words of Torah, repeat a sicha, or tell stories of tzaddikim and chassidim in a way that increases yiras Shamayim. That way, there will be no halachic problem with not having performed the mitzvah early. After the bris—usually quite some time afterward—parents often notice that the baby’s glans, the tip of the organ, becomes covered by folds of skin, and this immediately worries them. What does this mean? The whole purpose of the bris was to expose the glans. Now we see that the glans is covered by skin. Is this a defect in the performance of the bris? First of all, the recommendation in such a situation is to contact the mohel so he can come examine the baby, or at least to send him a picture so he can look at it and give his opinion. But it’s very important for parents to know a few simple halachic principles that

40:43 Speaker 2 will help them not to panic, but to understand what’s happening. In most cases, they’ll see that there’s really no problem and everything is fine. First, we need to know that, as is well known, a bris milah involves milah and peri’ah. In other words, the glans is covered by two layers of skin. Suppose this is the glans: one layer is the skin of the organ itself, which extends over the glans and covers it completely, right up to its tip. The mohel cuts off this skin that covers the glans during the bris. After he cuts it, there is another layer, a soft membrane that still lies over the glans, to a greater or lesser extent, depending on several factors. There isn’t always a lot of peri’ah skin. Sometimes there’s only a little, sometimes it covers only part of the glans, and sometimes most of it. After cutting the foreskin, the mohel separates this membrane, the inner skin, tears it and peels it away from the glans, then folds it down toward the body, below the glans. Afterward, he bandages the area over the peri’ah skin, and in time that skin heals below the glans. That is the process of the bris. Now, when we as parents find a few months later that folds of skin extend over the glans, there can be several reasons. One possibility is that this is not foreskin—the mohel removed that completely during the bris—and it is not peri’ah skin either. Suppose there was only a tiny amount of peri’ah skin left on the glans, which the mohel tore, peeled away and folded down below it. That’s a very small amount of skin, yet we’re seeing large folds covering the glans. In that situation, those folds are actually the skin of the organ itself. After the bris, the skin

43:00 Speaker 2 of the organ healed and grew, and as a result it sometimes extends over the glans. Why does it do that? There can be several factors. The Shulchan Aruch describes this as “a child whose flesh is soft and hangs loosely,” or one who “has a lot of flesh.” In other words, it depends on the baby’s body structure. It generally happens with chubby babies who also have a relatively short organ. Another possible factor is that the structure of the organ makes it tend to sink inward, toward the body between the legs. The combination of these factors produces folds of skin that extend over the glans. So in the case we’ve just described, the baby has actually had a completely proper bris. The mohel cut off the foreskin, peeled the peri’ah skin away from the glans and folded it down. What now covers the glans is skin from the organ itself, or even skin from the baby’s chubby belly. In this situation, according to Torah law, the baby is fully circumcised. What, then, is the concern? It’s a matter of appearance: he looks as though he has not been circumcised, because the glans appears to be covered. The Sages say we want to avoid even the appearance that the baby has not been circumcised. What do we do about that? In some cases the Sages say that a correction is needed to avoid that concern about appearances, and in other cases they say no correction is needed. What does it depend on? The Shulchan Aruch says that when skin extends over the glans but is not foreskin—instead, as we said, it is skin from the organ itself—the excess flesh on either side must be corrected because of appearances. When is that necessary? “If, when it becomes erect, he appears circumcised, there is no need to circumcise him a second time.” So the organ is brought into a state of erection, and then they check whether he appears circumcised.

45:14 Speaker 2 Or he does not appear circumcised. If he appears circumcised, he does not need to be circumcised again. What is needed? Only to correct the excess flesh on either side. But if he does not appear circumcised when the organ is erect, all the loose flesh must be cut away until he appears circumcised when it is erect. The Rema continues and explains that most of the glans need not be visible when it is erect. Since he was circumcised properly once, even if only a small part of the glans is visible, that is enough; he does not need to be circumcised again. Nevertheless, if possible, it should be corrected by pulling the skin back and pressing it behind the glans, then tying it there until it stays in place and does not come down again. Let’s explain what the Shulchan Aruch is saying here. Since we are talking about a baby who was circumcised properly, and the only issue is how it looks, we check the organ when it is erect. What does that mean? The measure is how the glans looks when the organ is erect, not when it is relaxed. How do you cause a baby’s organ to become erect? The simple way is to take two fingers and press at the base of the organ, where it joins the body. Press somewhat firmly there, but not too firmly, and wait a few moments. This pressure partially blocks the veins that drain blood from the organ, but it does not block the arteries that bring blood to it, because the arteries are somewhat firmer, less easily compressed, and not blocked as readily. As a result, the organ fills with blood, which does not drain away, and becomes erect. That is how you can examine it. This is the examination the Shulchan Aruch refers to when he says to check it while it is erect. One more thing: you do not do this check with the organ pointing upward, with the glans toward the ceiling, because then the skin may slide down simply because it falls downward.

47:35 Speaker 2 We want to see that the glans becomes exposed on its own, not because the skin falls over it—rather, not because the skin falls downward. So the baby must be positioned with his organ, with the glans, pointing downward. You can hold the baby upright or seat him, and then, with the organ pointing downward, examine it while it is erect. What are we checking? Whether the glans is now exposed, even if not completely—even if only a small part is exposed. How much is a small part? The commentators on the Shulchan Aruch say even one-third. If a third of the glans is exposed while the organ is erect, the Shulchan Aruch says this baby needs no correction. In other words, halachically, there is not even an issue of appearance here; he is considered circumcised to the highest standard. But what must be done? We have to make sure that the skin, the folds of skin that come up over the glans, do not adhere to it. How do we prevent them from adhering? We have to expose the glans. Take that skin and push it down, exposing the glans. What is recommended is daily care: every day, expose the glans, clean it and the skin beneath it with a moist wipe or something similar, and then dry the area. That way, when the folds return, dirt will not accumulate there and potentially cause the two surfaces to stick together—the folded skin to the glans. That is certainly not good according to halachah. We have to make sure it does not happen, and that is essentially the guidance the Shulchan Aruch gives. It is also what mohalim tell parents: when skin comes up over the glans, the first thing to do is push it down so it does not adhere. That is one situation. A second possibility is that the skin we see

49:36 Speaker 2 coming up over the glans after the bris is not the skin of the organ itself, but the skin of the priah. This can happen when a lot of priah skin remains after the cut. After the mohel cut the foreskin, the glans was still almost entirely covered by the priah skin. The mohel then tore that membrane and folded the skin downward, leaving an excess of priah skin below the glans. Think about it: besides the skin of the organ itself healing after the bris, there is now additional skin in that same place beneath the glans. It is new skin there—skin that was previously over the glans before the bris and has now been folded down beneath it, toward the body. So, in terms of the amount of skin, it is as though there is now twice as much there. This can certainly cause the priah skin to rise and cover the glans after the bris. It has already healed together with the skin of the organ itself, but because there is so much skin there, those folds rise and cover the glans. This situation would seem more serious than the one we discussed earlier. Earlier, we were talking about the skin of the organ itself rising over the glans, or the skin of the abdomen covering it. Here we are talking about the priah skin. The Torah says that priah must be removed from the glans—so much so that “one who circumcised but did not perform priah is as though he had not circumcised.” So if the priah skin returns over the glans, that would seem improper. But it is important to know that this is not so. As the Tzemach Tzedek writes, we were not commanded to cut away the priah skin. We were commanded only to separate it from the glans—to peel it off the glans, as it were, tear it, and fold it down. We were not commanded to remove it from the body as we were commanded to cut away the foreskin, says the Tzemach Tzedek. Therefore, even if it later returns and covers the

51:37 Speaker 2 glans, it does not matter. There is no deficiency in this, because the priah skin does not need to be cut away at all; it only needs to be separated from the glans. And since it was separated and the mitzvah was performed, and the entire glans was exposed at the time of the bris, it does not matter if the skin returns and covers it, provided it is not adhered to it. If it is not adhered to the glans, and folds of the priah skin merely rise and cover it, there is no halachic problem at all. But of course, we still come back to the rules stated by the Shulchan Aruch. There may still be an issue of appearance. We now have to make sure there is no such issue, so we check the baby while the organ is erect, under the conditions we described earlier, and see whether a third of the glans—even just a third—is visible. This baby is circumcised to the highest standard and needs no correction. There is only one thing to do: make sure the skin does not adhere to the glans, that the priah skin rising over and covering the glans does not stick to it. This is done by firmly folding it down once a day and cleaning all around, so dirt does not accumulate there and form a kind of adhesive that sticks the skin—uh, the skin—to the glans. Now we will move on to the third situation, which would seem to be the most serious. What is the ruling if the mohel really did not cut away all the foreskin at the time of the bris? We said that the glans must be exposed. Here is the glans. Instead of cutting, let’s say, up to here, as is customary—cutting a little more than the required amount—the mohel cut less. Not only did he not cut more; he cut less. Let’s say he cut away three-quarters of the foreskin, leaving one-quarter of it encircling and covering the glans. That would mean the baby is considered uncircumcised, because most of his glans is surrounded by foreskin. What did the mohel do next? If he had followed the halachah, he would immediately have taken scissors and cut away the skin he had not cut with the knife.

53:50 Speaker 2 These are called remnants of foreskin that invalidate the circumcision. As is well known, they may be corrected even on Shabbos, and they must be corrected. But we are talking about a case where the mohel made a mistake and did not do that. After leaving a quarter of the foreskin on the glans, he went on to the next stage, the uncovering. He took the inner membrane, tore it in two, peeled it off the glans and folded it down toward the body, below the glans. What happened then? The foreskin that had covered the glans, which meant that the child was still considered uncircumcised, was also folded down along with that membrane. It folded beneath the glans, and the mohel put on a bandage. Now the baby looks circumcised. The glans is exposed, but part of the foreskin remains folded beneath it, under the inner membrane. If that happens, and a few months later, because there is indeed excess skin—both the remaining foreskin and the inner membrane—that skin rises back up and covers all or part of the glans, what is the ruling? Seemingly, what do you mean? This child is uncircumcised. We said these are remnants that invalidate the circumcision, which the mohel should have gone back and removed, even on Shabbos, but he did not. So now that we see the skin coming back up, at least now it needs to be corrected. The Tzemach Tzedek says that this is not always true. He says that the Alter Rebbe rules that even in a case where the mohel did not cut away all the foreskin, but left some of it and folded it down together with the inner membrane beneath the glans, if that skin comes back up and covers the glans, here too one must perform the erection test we mentioned earlier: cause the organ to become erect and see how much of the glans, if any, is covered. If, during the test, the entire glans is exposed and there is

56:05 Speaker 2 no foreskin on it, none of the skin that had covered it, then according to the Alter Rebbe, this baby is considered circumcised. It is hard to say that his bris was performed in the most meticulous way, but as things stand now he is fully circumcised and needs no correction. Of course, as we said earlier, one must check that there is no issue of appearance. One must make sure that at least a third of the glans is visible, because if even a third is not visible, skin does need to be cut so that at least a third is visible. But if the glans is completely exposed, this baby is considered fully circumcised, and there is no need to take account of the fact that the mohel did not cut away all the foreskin at the time of the bris. In the words of the Tzemach Tzedek: “And my master, my grandfather, my teacher and Rebbe, the gaon z”l, wrote in his Shulchan Aruch there, section 331, paragraph 6, as follows: ‘Likewise, one born circumcised, even if he appears circumcised only when erect.’” In other words, this is a baby whose glans is covered with skin when the organ is relaxed, but as soon as it becomes erect, he appears completely circumcised. “Although a drop of blood must be drawn from him for the covenant”—this baby appears circumcised; he was born that way, so a drop of blood must be drawn for the covenant—“this does not override Shabbos.” It may not be done on Shabbos because, under Torah law, he is actually considered circumcised. The Alter Rebbe adds, in a note in the margin, that his source is the Shach in Nekudos Hakesef, section 264 in Yoreh De’ah, [unclear]. The Tzemach Tzedek says of the phrase “even if he appears circumcised only when erect” that the Alter Rebbe holds he is like someone born fully circumcised, and cites the Shach in Nekudos Hakesef, section 264, [unclear], who says that it is sufficient if he appears completely circumcised when erect. The Alter Rebbe—and the Tzemach Tzedek explains this in greater detail—is saying something new: once the baby appears

58:24 Speaker 2 completely circumcised when erect, meaning that the entire glans is exposed, that is sufficient. This is unlike what we said earlier, that it is enough for a third of the glans to be exposed when erect. That is true only when the skin rising over the glans is skin from the shaft itself or from the inner membrane. But once the skin rising over the glans includes foreskin, remnants that were not cut away, the entire glans must be completely exposed when erect. Then the baby is considered circumcised and needs no correction at all. But as we said earlier, this is on condition that the skin does not adhere to the glans. In other words, the parents must make sure that these folds of skin rising over the glans do not stick to it. The Tzemach Tzedek concludes his responsum with these words: “Here, whenever it becomes erect, he is fully circumcised according to Torah law. And if the concern is that remnants of foreskin still remain, since they do not cover the glans at all”—meaning when erect—“it is as though they were attached to the leg.” The Tzemach Tzedek uses a very striking expression here. Since the mohel folded the remnants of foreskin down beneath the glans, and the glans looks completely exposed even when erect, those remnants of foreskin are attached to the baby’s body. But just as there would be no halachic problem if they were attached to his leg, there is no halachic problem when they are attached here, at the base of the glans, because the glans is exposed when erect. So let us sum up the practical instructions for parents who notice folds of skin covering the glans a few months, say, after the bris. The first thing they need to do is make sure those folds do not stick to the glans. They do that by folding the skin back, pushing it down at least once a day, and cleaning the area well. They must keep the area clean so

1:00:31 Speaker 2 that the skin does not adhere to the glans. Once we have made sure that the skin has not adhered to the glans, we perform an erection test on the baby. Sit him up or stand him up, with the glans pointing downward, cause the organ to become erect, and then check the condition of the glans. If it is completely exposed, with not even the slightest bit of skin covering it, this baby is considered circumcised and nothing needs to be done. But if any part of the glans is still covered even when erect, then it depends. It depends on who the mohel was. If he was a certified mohel, meaning a mohel who underwent both halachic and practical training—and today certified mohalim are also supervised by an inspector who comes to watch them perform a bris, not once but twice—then there is a presumption that such a mohel performed the bris properly. That means when we see skin rising over the glans, we can presume it is not foreskin, because a certified mohel does not leave foreskin behind. It is skin from the shaft or from the inner membrane. If skin from the shaft or the inner membrane covers the glans, then, provided that even a third of the glans is visible when erect, this baby is circumcised in the most meticulous manner and needs no correction, apart from folding the skin back every day as we said. But if the person who circumcised the baby was an uncertified mohel—meaning a mohel about whom there is real reason for concern that he did not perform the bris properly—it could be, for example, a doctor who performed the bris but is not a certified mohel. Or it could even be a mohel who is a Torah-observant Jew. But as we said earlier, a mohel who has never performed a bris, if

1:02:32 Speaker 2 That was his first bris, so there is certainly reasonable concern that he may not have cut properly. There is another possibility, too. A mohel may even be considered an experienced mohel, someone who performs many brissim, but if he never studied the halachos, received training, or was supervised, he may be performing many brissim, but doing all of them improperly according to halachah. This has happened before: in various places around the world where there was no mohel, someone took the initiative and became one, but without training or being taught how to do it. He circumcised hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Jews while leaving remnants of foreskin on the glans that prevent the circumcision from being valid. So if a baby was circumcised by such a mohel, and there is skin covering the glans, and a compression test shows that the entire glans is not exposed, that baby certainly needs to be examined. A correction may be necessary. They may need to expose the glans by removing more skin so that he is fully circumcised. But this is certainly rare. In most cases where parents complain that skin is covering the glans, it is either because of the baby’s fat, because the baby has gained weight, or because the skin from the periah, as we said, has moved up and covered the glans. As long as part of the glans is visible during the compression test—even a third, as we said—that is enough, and no further treatment is needed apart from pulling back the skin, as we discussed. All right, we’ll finish here, and may it be His will that we soon merit the fulfillment of the promise, “Hashem your G-d will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring,” with the true and complete Geulah, very soon.