Thank you for visiting my web site.

Here you will find a wealth of information about the Brit Milah (or Bris) ceremony for boys, and the Baby Naming (Simchat Bat or Zeved Habat) ceremony for girls. Much of this information is repeated in different ways throughout the web site. I hope it will give you a good sense about my philosophy and approach to these beautiful rituals.

NOTE: Beginning December 1, 2021, the Schedule of Fees is changing. My fees have remained the same for the past seven years. Costs have increased significantly during that time and even more so recently. A nominal $75.00 increase will be applied to all fees.

Covid-19 and Brisses: Update: 10/20/22

I hope you and your family are safe and well. Things have calmed down with Covid-19.

If you are still concerned about Covid, one can take all of the necessary precautions to have a proper and beautiful Bris in the safety and comfort of your home. I leave it up to parents and their comfort level regarding masks, the number of guests to invite and whom to include in the ceremony.

The Bris can still be performed with just the parents, the baby and the mohel. A minyan is not required for a Bris. All of the Honors can be performed by the parents. Everyone else can attend virtually. You should have a festive meal following the Bris no matter what. If you wish, you may also celebrate with many guests and a large party or anything in between.

Hopefully, you will make arrangements for your son’s Bris with a traditional mohel. If you are thinking of having the baby circumcised in the hospital it is because most parents have no idea how a circumcision is performed in the hospital or by a doctor. A circumcision performed by a doctor or in the hospital can take anywhere from fifteen to forty-five minutes (!) with your naked baby boy strapped down to a molded plastic board. The parents are not allowed to be present.

The traditional Bris performed by Rabbi or Cantor mohel takes under 20 seconds with the baby held by the warm, loving hands of a grandparent, relative or friend.

Allow me to be direct: Don’t circumcise your baby in the hospital or use a doctor-mohel.

I am fully vaccinated. My goal is to maximize safety and minimize the risk for everyone involved. I would like you to be confident in the steps I am taking to ensure a safe and gentle Bris for your baby. Also, I am the mohel that doctors call upon to perform the Brisses for their children, grandchildren and their patients’ children. They do not want hospital or doctor-mohel circumcisions.

What if you have scheduled the Bris with me and someone tests positive for Covid?

There are a few options:

  • Have the bris with the positively tested person in another room.
  • Have the bris with the positively tested person in another location. They can watch the Bris on Zoom or FaceTime.
  • If it is a significant family member or friend, delay the bris until the person tests negative. If you decide to delay the bris, please know that the baby will not be in any greater discomfort than if it were held on the 8th day.

If your baby is circumcised in the hospital before the eighth day, by a non-Jewish doctor or a doctor who is not Sabbath observant, your son will need another procedure to turn the hospital circumcision into a Bris. That is called a hatafat dam brit which is the drawing of a drop of blood from the circumcision site to enter the child into the Covenant of Abraham. Why subject your child to two procedures when you don’t have to?

For babies that were circumcised in the hospital or did not have a proper Bris performed by a certified rabbi or cantor mohel, I can perform a Hatafat Dam Bris ceremony to turn that circumcision into a Bris. It will be a complete ceremony including the Honors, the announcement of your son’s Hebrew/Jewish name followed by a festive meal if you choose to make one. At the point in the ceremony where the circumcision would have taken place, the hatafat dam brit, the drawing of a drop of blood from the circumcision site, will be performed. The discomfort to the baby is minimal and momentary. (He will probably cry more when his diaper comes off and his legs are held.) This will ensure that your son will have been properly entered into the Covenant of Abraham. Doing this will allow him to have a Bar Mitzvah or get married someday unimpeded. If your son decides to follow a more traditional Jewish path in life, this will also remove any obstacles. A certificate will be issued attesting that the requirements of the Bris have been fulfilled in accordance with Jewish law. It will be recognized by all the movements of Judaism and in Israel.

NOTE: It is important to determine beforehand that the hospital or doctor circumcision was done properly. I have had several families who wanted the Hatafat Dam Bris ceremony, but there was so much skin left that their babies did not look circumcised. They have to be re-circumcised before they can have a Hatafat Dam Bris Ceremony.

All of my instruments are heat-steam sterilized in an autoclave. Everything else is disposable. I use a new, sterilized set of instruments for every Bris. I continue to monitor the Covid situation. For now, the following protocols are still in place for Bris families:

  • The person who holds the baby for the Bris (the Sandek) and the other participants in the ceremony may wear a mask--again, depending on the comfort level of the parents.
  • Make sure all the technology (Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc.) is set up in advance and everyone is online and ready to begin fifteen (15) minutes prior to the start time of the ceremony. I recommend recording the ceremony (except when the baby’s diaper is off) for future viewing. I am happy to begin a few minutes early if everyone is ready.
  • Parents—please read and review the Post-Care instructions before the Bris.
  • Brisses may be held outdoors weather permitting. If it is raining or snowing; too hot, too cold, too windy or too humid, the Bris will be held indoors.

Summary:

  • Have a proper, traditional Bris for your son performed by a traditional Rabbi or Cantor mohel. It will be quick, gentle, and compassionate and recognized by all the movements of Judaism and in Israel.
  • If you are looking into non-traditional doctor mohels or a hospital circumcision, please email and I will send you additional information. This is extremely important and parents should have as much information as possible to make a fully informed decision.

If you belong to a mommy blog or any other group or know someone that might benefit from this posting about Covid-19 and Brisses, please share it with them.

If you would like information about Brisses, Baby Naming ceremonies for girls, availability and fees, please email me. I will send you additional information to help you prepare for those joyous events. If you had your baby, Mazel Tov! If you are expecting a baby, best wishes for an easy delivery and a beautiful, healthy baby. I look forward to seeing you at a simcha (happy occasion) soon!

Cantor Philip L. Sherman
Mohel

Acting update

I am seeking new management as well as an opportunity to become an On-Set Technical Advisor for All Things Jewish. If you are an entertainment attorney or a talent manager connected to CAA, WME or UTA or any of the major studios (i.e. Netflix, HBO, Amazon Studios, Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros, Disney or Columbia Pictures) please click here. Thank you.