Question: Can a doctor circumcise my son at birth in a hospital (not a mohel at 8 days)?
Answer: Thanks for writing and congratulations on your forthcoming joy. We say
in Hebrew, "b'sha-ah tovah", may all things occur for good and at the
right time in the sequence of events!
First of all, I do understand your apprehension as this is a custom
unfamiliar to you (as a non-Jew married to a Jew). I can assure you that my two sons had a brit milah at home, done by a mohel, on the 8th day. I am a modern Conservative Rabbi, was pre-med and even did some college teaching and medical research. I understand the issues of a sterile environment. I urge you not to worry provided that you use a reliable mohel. Your pediatrician, rabbi or friends can certainly provide names and referrals.
Secondly, once a physician performs a circumcision, then one does not simply "have the bris" at home. A bris ceremony includes the circumcision itself, drawing of a drop of blood by the mohel (minimal invasion, don't worry) and then recitation of the appropriate prayers (prayer for child, family, naming of your son, etc.). After this, you can then have a reception/party. So, having a circumcision at birth in the hospital interferes with having a bris later. It is one or the other.
You should know that unless you actually watch the doctor perform the circumcision, it is routine for babies to be turned over to
interns who need to practice doing a circumcision. In one hospital there was a sign, "you've not completed your responsibilities until you have successfully done five circumcisions." Successful? What happens if one is not successful?
Thirdly, a mohel can and often does do 2-5 brit milah a day; while
doctors do them as infrequently as possible. There are also technical details of how it is done, even though some doctors are now training with the techniques of traditional mohalim. The Queen of England insisted on a mohel rather than a physician!
The only compromise that would truly meet Jewish tradition would be to have a mohel perform the brit milah in the hospital, if the hospital will permit it. That also limits terribly who and how many can attend and participate.
Fear not, and this can and should be a beautiful moment. Every mohel I know observes extreme rules of medical protocol for sterilizing
equipment and maintaining a sterile field for the circumcision, and in addition, the mohel is familiar with the entire ritual.
The best advice I can give you is to find a local Rabbi who will sit
with you, allay your fears and apprehensions, deal with the reality of a dual-tradition marriage and appreciate you commitment to raising a Jewish son.
With best wishes for an easy birth and a life of health and fulfillment
Rabbi Dov
