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Every Bris Milah ceremony is divided into three parts:
1.The circumcision (milah)
2.Baby naming (keriat ha’shem)
3.The party (seudah) or meal.
Customs regarding the Bris Milah ceremony differ depending on from where
the family originated, where the ceremony is taking place, and also with
modern considerations taken into consideration. Nevertheless, the rough
structure remains the same.
Here is an outline of a typical Bris ceremony in an Ashkenazi community:
The mohel calls the kvater (the one who "delivers" the baby into
the sanctuary) in.
The mother would give the baby to the grandmothers, who bring the baby
together. Often, they give the baby to another person who is the kvater,
and he brings the baby in.
While the Kvater places the baby on a chair, the mohel declares the chair as the Throne of Elija and recites some biblical verses.
Someone takes the baby from the Chair of Elija, and puts the baby into the lap of the Sandak. The Sandak is sitting in an adjacent chair. The ceremony will be done on the Sandak's lap. The Sandak is usually the father, a grandfather, a very close friend of the parents, or a respected Torah scholar in the community.
The mohel asks the father if he may act as the father's proxy for the mitzvah (commandment) of circumcision (the father has the right to perform the circumcision himself). Usually, the father appoints the mohel as his proxy. The mohel makes the benediction ("...who sanctifies us with our mitzvoth, and commands us about circumcision.") , and performs the circumcision.
The father says the blessing "...who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to bring him into the covenant of Avraham, our Patriarch."
Everyone in the audience declares "Just as he has been brought into the convenant, so too he should enter Torah, canopy, and good deeds."
Someone takes the baby from the Sandak and holds the baby for the duration of the ceremony. Another person is honored with declaring the name of the baby.
The naming of the baby is composed of three prayers. The first is a benediction over wine, the second one is praising God " Who sanctified the beloved one from the womb and placed the mark of the decree in his flesh, and sealed his offspring with the sign of the holy covenant. Therefore, as reward for this, O Living God, our Portion, our Rock, may You issue the command to rescue the beloved soul within our flesh form destruction, for the sake of His covenant that He has placed in our flesh. Blessed are You, Ha’shem, Who establishes the covenant."
In the last prayer, the baby's name is declared, many verses are recites, and the congregation declares:
Just as he has entered the covenant, so may he enter into the Torah, the marriage canopy, and good deeds.
The mohel recites a quick prayer for the baby and the mother, the congregation recites the Aleynu prayer, and kaddish is recited.
Everyone present is always invited to the meal which now takes place.