Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Yoreh Deah/265

Seif 1 - The circumciser blesses “who sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us regarding circumcision.”  The father blesses between the cutting of the foreskin and peeling back: “who sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to bring him into the covenant of Abraham, our father.”   HAGAH – If the father of the boy is not at the Bris, there are those who say that another man makes this blessing because the court is obligated to circumcise him and our practice is that the one who holds the boy makes this blessing. So too if the father is at the Bris, but does not know how to make the blessing. The father and the mohel need to stand when they bless, but the one holding the boy customarily sits when he blesses. There are those who say that all people at the Bris must stand because it says that “all the nation stood in covenant.”  This is our custom except for the one holding the boy who sits down. And if others are standing there, they say “just as you brought him into the covenant, so too should you bring him in to Torah, to the wedding canopy, and to good deeds.”  The father or the mohel, or one of the people there blesses on a cup: “who creates the fruit of the vine.” And some have the custom to take a myrtle in their hands, to bless on it and to smell it. He says “BAA EMH who sanctified his dear one from the womb etc.”  Our custom is when we reach “BeDamayich Chayii” to put wine on his finger and in the mouth of the baby. (And when the mohel makes the blessing, he should wipe his hands and mouth first so that he does it in cleanliness.)

Seif 2 - If the father of the boy is himself the mohel, he blesses “to circumcise a son” according to the Rambam. (But there are those who disagree, and our custom is not to differentiate. However, if he blessed “limol” or “lehachnieso” alone, he has fulfilled his obligation.

Seif 3 - A convert who was circumcised before he converted, and minor who was born circumcised, when we take a drop of blood from them (הטפת דם) they do not require a blessing. Similarly, one possessing both male and female genitalia, their circumcision does not require a blessing because they are not a male for certain. Rema: But when going back (to cut) flaps of skin that prevent the circumcision [from being kosher], one is required to go back and bless all of the blessings, but one does not say the phrase: “keep this child…”

Seif 4 - A mamzer is like a (regular) Jew and we bless the blessing for circumcision until [the point in the blessing when it says] “who makes the covenant”, and we do no has for mercy for him. And we make it public knowledge during his circumcision that he is a mamzer). During Yom Kippur and the other 4 fasts one should not make the blessing over a cup [of wine], however, during the three fasts where a woman who has recently given birth does not need to fast, it is permissible to make the blessing over a cup [of wine], and the woman should taste it if she hears the blessing and intends not to make an interruption between hearing the blessing and drinking the wine, but during Yom Kippur and the 9th of Av, when the woman who has recently given birth is not allowed to drink, we do not make the blessing over a cup [of wine], and during the 9th of Av we do not bring a myrtle, because the reasoning being that we (similarly) don’t make the blessing over the spices when the 9th of Av falls on Saturday night.  Rema:  And there are those who say that one makes the blessing over the cup [of wine] on all of the fasts, and he gives the blessing (i.e. the wine on which the blessing was made) to the small children. And this is how we practice, and during Yom Kippur, our practice is to give [some wine] to the child who was circumcised. And there are those who say that this is sufficient even when it is not a fast day, but we don’t practice accordingly; rather, the sandek should drink [from the cup] when it is not a fast day.

Seif 5 - Someone who has two babies to circumcise should make a single blessing for the two of them, even if two people are circumcising them, the first should make the blessing over the circumcision, which will cover the second circumcision, and the second person should make the blessing: “who Hashem sanctified” and the blessing will count for the first child, and even if the child is not in front of him during the blessing, since he was focused on the child, provided that he was not distracted in the interim.

Seif 6 - When it is possible, the circumcision should be done among 10 individuals, and when it is not possible, it can be done among less than ten.

Seif 7 - When the father himself is circumcising his son, he makes the blessing שהחיינו, and if the one who is doing the circumcising is someone else, there are those who say that the blessing שהחיינו is not said, and according to the Rambam, the father always makes the blessing שהחיינו for every circumcision, and this is how we practice in all of the community of the land of Israel, and in Syria, and in its environs, and in the Egyptian community. And in these places, the custom is not to bless שהחיינו, even when the father himself is circumcising his son, unless he is circumcising his firstborn son who is obligated in being redeemed, then he makes the blessing שהחיינו during the circumcision and does not make the blessing during the redemption, but when the child is exempt from being redeemed, he does not make the blessing שהחיינו.

Seif 9 - The Father of a son [who is about to be circumcised] stands over the mohel [i.e., the one performing the circumcision procedure] to let [the mohel] know [that when performing the circumcision procedure,] he is [acting as] the father’s agent.

Seif 10 - The Orla (foreskin} must be placed (buried) in sand or dirt. Rama: So too the blood from metzitzah should be spit into dirt. Seif 12 - It is customary to have a meal on the day of the circumcision. Rama: And it is customary to assemble a minyan [i.e., a quorum of ten] for the circumcision meal, and it is considered a “mitzvah meal” [i.e., a meal following the performance of certain commandments].  And anyone who does not participate in a mitzvah meal are like those outcast by God, but only if honest/worthy people are [in attendance] there.  But if dishonest/unworthy people are [in attendance at the mitzvah meal], one is not obligated to eat there.

It is also customary to make a meal and a feast on the Friday night after the birth of a son, and for people to come and partake [of food] near the baby. This is also a mitzvah meal.