•INCelebrate
Photos by Krista Husa
May I Have The Honor?
Cantor and mohel Howard Glantz names Spencer Henry Brooks after his circumcision.
At a traditional brit milah,
you'll see one person after another helping the baby. Who are they?
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Special to The Jewish News
hen a Jewish boy has his
brit, he enters the
"covenant of Abraham"
and forever bears on his
body a symbol of the Jewish people's
special relationship with God.
A traditional brit is laden with much
ceremony and certain people perform
specific ritual functions.
According to tradition, the character
of these participants may forever influ-
ence the young child.
Here's a road map to help guide you
W
through a brit. Soon-to-be parents also
will discover some advice on which
roles to give which friends or family.
The following roles are presented in the
order in which the brit ceremony takes
place.
•
Kvater And Kvaterin
Traditionally this consists of a man and
woman (generally a married couple)
who are close with the new parents.
Their job is to carry the baby from
the mother, who is generally in a private
area away from the crowd, to the room
where the brit will take place. After the
ceremony, they will bring the baby back
to the mother.
The kvaterin (traditonally, a woman)
brings the baby into the room and
hands him to the kvater (a man), who
takes the infant to the site where the
brit itself will take place (usually hand-
ing the baby to the father). At the end
of the entire ceremony, the kvater car-
ries the baby back to the kvaterin, who
restores the baby to his mother.
If you have many friends to whom
you would like to give an honor, this is
one responsiblity that can be divided,
with one couple taking the baby into
the brit-room, the second bringing him
back to his mother.
If you have friends who are still
childless, but would love to have
a baby of their own, it's traditional to
give them this honor. It's a way of wish-
ing them the good fortune to one day
celebrate the birth of their own child.
Kisey Shel Eliyahu
With this honor, a guest places the baby
upon the ceremonial chair (or throne)
of Eliyahu (Elijah the Prophet), and
removes the baby from the chair.
This is considered a high honor,
HONOR on page 18