Maḥzor Vitry: On Circumcision

On the eighth day, [the day of the] circumcision, they rise early and go to the synagogue to pray, for the zealous waste no time in performing commandments, as it is written: Abraham woke early in the morning (Genesis 22:3). They also light a candle, in keeping with the verse: A commandment is a candle, and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23), as well as with that which is taught in the chapter that begins “Both in monetary cases” [i.e., the third chapter of Sanhedrin], [namely,] “The light of a candle in Beror Hayil announces a feast there” [b. Sanhedrin 32b], and a candle signifies a feast. They bring two chairs and spread a cover or something similar over them to beautify them. One chair is for Elijah, who comes and sits there to witness the fulfillment of the commandment.

I found it taught in a midrash aggadah [Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer, 29] that in all the forty years that Israel walked through the desert, no one rebelled because of the hardship of traveling. When they would circumcise the babies, they would cover the foreskin with dust. From that point on they instituted the custom of covering the foreskin with dust, and they kept the custom until the kingdom of Jeroboam arose and he annulled it. Then Elijah came and restored it, as it is written: For the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant (1 Kings 19:10). The Holy One said to him, “You shall be set over the commandment of circumcision. By your life, whenever My children fulfill this commandment, you will stand among them.” Hence the sages instituted the custom that people should have a seat of honor for the Messenger of the Covenant; this is Elijah, as it is written: Behold, here comes the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight (Malachi 3:1) and: Behold, I send to you Elijah (3:23). Hence, they instituted the custom that a seat should be set up for the messenger of the covenant, as written in Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer.

And one chair is for the master of the circumcision, who sits in it with the child on his knees. They should bring cloths for the mohel to wipe his hands after washing them of the blood of the circumcision. And some say that so long as the tablecloth is at the doorway, it is a sign that a feast will be held [b. Bava Batra 93b]. A vessel full of sand should also be brought, in which to put the piece of foreskin that was cut in the circumcision, in keeping with the verse: I shall make your seed like the sand of the sea (Genesis 32:13). And it is said in the midrash, “Hill of foreskins: They take the foreskin and cover it and the blood with dust” [see Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 29], and the geonim wrote that Israel is compared to the dust of the earth.

They wash the baby in warm water and dress him in fine clothes: a tunic, a smock, and a splendid hat on his head, as on his wedding day [see b. ‘Eruvin 67b]. They bring him in a procession to the synagogue after prayers. When the child enters, those present stand and say, “Barukh ha-ba’!” [Welcome!] and the one who carries him in says, “In the name of the Lord.” The boy’s father takes him and makes the blessing on entering him into the covenant of Abraham our father, because of the principle that with all commandments that require a blessing, [we bless and then] proceed immediately to performing the commandment, as with the burning of ḥametz, eating matzah, blowing the shofar, and shaking the lulav. And those who have assembled say, “Just as he has entered the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, into marriage, and into good deeds.” So it is called “entering him into the covenant,” as explained regarding [the nuptial blessing] “He created everything for His glory,” for when people are gathered together it is a fit time to bless God. So says the gaon, but the people do not have the practice of [making the blessing] to enter him into the covenant until after the circumcision, as I explained above. Then the father gives him to the master of the circumcision, who sits in the chair and holds him on his knees, and the mohel comes and says the blessing, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning circumcision.” Then he circumcises the baby, peels back the membrane, and sucks the blood with his mouth, and then sprays wine on it with his mouth and lays cloths soaked in olive oil on it, smearing it well with the olive oil, and afterwards puts crushed [word uncertain] on it and wraps it in a large cloth so the child does not rub it with his thighs.

He ceremonially washes his hands and dries them, and pours a cup of wine, and the mohel makes the blessing over the cup:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctified the beloved one from the womb, set His statute in his flesh, and sealed his descendants with the sign of the holy covenant. Therefore, as a reward for this, the living God, our portion, our rock, has commanded that the beloved of our flesh be saved from destruction, for the sake of the covenant that He has set in our flesh. Blessed are You, Lord, who makes the covenant. Our God and God of our fathers, preserve this child for his father and his mother. His name shall be called in Israel So-and-so son of So-and-so. May the father rejoice in his offspring, and his mother be glad with the fruit of her womb, as it is written: May your father and mother rejoice, and she who bore you be glad (Proverbs 23:25). And it is said: I passed by you and saw you weltering in your blood, and I said to you: You shall live through your blood; and I said to you: You shall live through your blood (Ezekiel 16:6). And it is said: He has remembered His covenant forever, which He commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant that He made with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac; He established it for Jacob as a statute, for Israel as an everlasting covenant (Psalms 105:8–10). Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting (Psalms 118:1). And it is said: Abraham [circumcised] his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him (Genesis 21:4). May this little infant So-and-so grow up. Just as he has entered the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, into marriage, and into good deeds. As He says and has said to you, ‘You shall live through your blood.’”

He dips his finger into the wine and lets it drip into the mouth of the child, and so as he says, “May this little infant So-and-so grow up,” he lets the wine drip into the child’s mouth for the sake of performing and teaching the commandment. The one who makes the blessing also drinks, as Mar said: “The one who makes the blessing must taste [the wine]” [see b. Berakhot 52a, ‘Eruvin 50a, Pesaḥim 105b] and all the more so one for whom the blessing is made, for he must partake of the cup of blessing that comes into his hand. So, he lets the wine drip into the mouth of the child. And since this taste is but only a hint [of wine], the mother should also be given to drink, since the cup of blessing comes in honor of the fruit of her womb. Since the one who made the blessing over it drank and partook of it, it will not be a blessing said in vain.

A custom of our fathers is equivalent to Torah, and one who walks a righteous path should hold fast to it. On the eve of the eighth day, the master of the circumcision makes a feast in honor of the commandment. After the circumcision has been performed, the father of the child rejoices, feasts, and treats the day as a holiday. We find an allusion to this in the verse: Abraham made a great feast on the day he weaned Isaac (Genesis 21:8), that is, on the eighth day, at the circumcision of Isaac, Abraham made a feast. Another proof for the matter is found in the verse from Psalms: Gather My saints together to Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice! (Psalms 50:5). And they sing hymns at the circumcision feast to the tune of “Blessed be the Lord each day.”