Rabbi Moss: Traditional Bris or Surgical Circumcision?

HIGH HOLYDAYS SERVICES - Nefesh will again offer two venues for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur - Flood St Bondi and Dover Rd Rose Bay. Membership and seating will be open for booking next week

Question of the Week:

Our baby boy was born yesterday and we are deliberating whether to do a traditional Bris with a mohel, or have it done by a surgeon in hospital. Now the question I have is, would you accept me and my son into your shule if he is not snipped by a mohel?

Answer:

Mazel tov on becoming a father! I hope your wife is doing well and wish you both only happiness and much nachas!

Let me say outright, you and your son will always be welcome, no matter what you choose. I don't put any barriers up for someone to be a part of our community.

As a parent, you need to make many decisions that will impact your child's future. This is one of them. Here are the things you need to know before deciding what to do:

- A surgical circumcision is not a Bris. Apart from the missing blessings and prayers, the actual cut may be different. Which means one day when your son realizes that he didn't have a Bris, he may need a rather unpleasant procedure to get it fixed. At the very least he will require some blood to be drawn and a blessing said. No big deal when you are a baby, but not quite as easy later on.

- A Mohel is not an amateur. Quite the opposite. The average surgeon might do a few of these every now and then. An experienced mohel does them almost daily, and has performed thousands over the years.

- Many Mohels are also medically qualified. Some are themselves surgeons, who will perform a Bris in their rooms if you prefer.

- The risks involved with either procedure are minimal, but surgical circumcision could arguably be riskier than a traditional Bris, as more complications can arise from giving a baby an anaesthetic than from a clean cut.

- The Bris is a tradition that stretches back almost four thousand years. Through it we connect our child with all past generations of Jews, who gave their children a Bris under all circumstances. Your son will enter the covenant that started with the first Jew, Abraham, and continues to this very day. The spiritual power of a Bris cannot be matched by a clinical medical procedure.

Think it through carefully. You don't want your son turning to you years from now and asking "Why didn't you give me a Bris with a Mohel? Now I have to go and do it properly!" On the other hand, if you do it the right way now, he will never turn to you and say, "Why didn't you circumcise me in hospital under anaesthetic? Now I have to go and do it medically!"

Give your son a Bris, and you give him four thousand years of Jewish identity that will stay with him forever. Don't leave it for him to fix later. This is one of those things you only want to do once.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au

And now for the roof!

Shabbat Shalom to all,

Brent

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALL SERVICES AT NEFESH

1 FRANCIS ST BONDI BEACH

(OFF CAMPBELL PDE, BEHIND NOAH'S BACKPACKERS)

SHABBOS SERVICE TIMES & COMMUNITY INFO: Re'eh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday, 30 August 2019| 29 Av 5779

Candle Lighting.................................. 5:17pm

Shabbos Service ................................ 6:00-6:50pm

Kids Program .................................... 6:00pm

Kiddush sponsored by Shirley Sher, Rolene, Jeff, Sandy, Brian, Steven, Karen and all her grandchildren in honour of the yortzheit for their late husband and father Hilton Sher (Yona Ben Avraham) on 30 Av- Long Life.

Shabbos Day, 31 August 2019 | 30 Av 5779

Chassidic Meditation class...............9:00am

Shabbos Service......................... 10:00am-12:20pm

Kids Program ............................. 10:30am

Followed by Kiddush

Mincha after Kiddush............ Pirkei Avos Ch.6

No Shiurim or Maariv services this week

Shabbos ends............................... 6:13pm

WEEKDAY SERVICES

Sunday......................................... 8:00am

Latest Shema this week.................. 9:04am

MAZEL TOV

Daniel and Stephanie Nadel on the birth of a baby boy!

Steven & Martine Lockstone on the birth of a baby girl!

HAPPY JEWISH BIRTHDAY

Pia Ink.................... 3 Elul/ Tuesday 3 September

Joshua Waine .......... 3 Elul/ Tuesday 3 September

Lexie Berkovits ........ 4 Elul/ Wednesday 4 September

Danny Lessem.......... 6 Elul/ Friday 6 September

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Reverend & Mrs Amzalak..... 1 Elul/ Sunday 1 Sept

Kerry & Sean Kramer......... 5 Elul/ Thursday 5 Sept

LONG LIFE

Shirley Sher, Rolene, Jeff, Brian & Steven in honour of the yortzheit for their late husband and father Hilton Sher,(Yona Ben Avraham) ... 30 Av/ Saturday 31 August

Michelle Brenner for her late mother Stella Brenner

Esther Chaya bas Dovid....2 Elul/ Monday 2 September

Linda Zilber for her late father Horst Illing,

Yitzchak ben Kalman... 4 Elul/ Wednesday 4 September

Larnce Gold for his late grandfather Bernie Lazarus

Berel ben Avraham... 5 Elul/ Thursday 5 September

David Stern for his late wife Linda Frances Stern

Leah bat Yosef... 6 Elul / Friday 6 September

If you would like Nefesh to include your Birthday, Anniversary or Yortzheit in our newsletter and send you an email reminder, just fill in this quick ONLINE FORM.