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April 2, 2006
Was I Really So Gone that I Let Them Do That?
Yesterday was Asa's Brit Milah (circumcision) and about a dozen of our friends and family joined at our apartment to participate in the ceremony. Mohel Emily conducted an involving and informative service, explaining the nature of the ritual and conducting the surgery with aplomb. Asa deserves some real credit as well, getting through the service with fewer tears than Bubbie Ruth.
Some things I'll remember about the day:
- Emily admitting that she actually prefers Manichewitz to good kosher wine
- Bubbie Ruth heckling the mohel ("You may ask why we circumcise the penis...", "what else would you circumcise!?")
- AnJanette's professional infant handling techniques
- Introducing Anonda to rugelach
Emily prepared a short, beautiful service. If you're interested, you can download it as a PDF. There was an abundance of salmon, which unfortunately cannot be downloaded.
Asa's hebrew name is Judah, after his grandfather Julius. Interestingly, the English transliterations Judah and Jehuda are both based on the same hebrew name, so sayeth the Wikipedia. Dorie dug out Julius' tallis from the closet to use during the ceremony.
We didn't take a lot of pictures of the brit, since that would cross the line between just embarrassing him when he's a teenager, and making him truly a social outcast. So we've got one of his preparation time. Like Dad, he enjoys a swig of booze before a big event, in this case Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga mixed with sugar. What all the gangstas are drinking. Keeping it real.
Posted by Ari at April 2, 2006 1:59 PM