Dear Rabbi Lawrence,
My friend from work is not observant and just had her son on Shabbat last week. I saw that the bris was initially scheduled for Saturday and included a Zoom link, which I found very surprising. Shortly afterward, they sent a corrected invitation that said the bris would be on Sunday instead. Is the fact that they intended to Zoom on Shabbat a factor in delaying a bris?
Sincerely,
Hannah N.
Dear Hannah,
How observant of you (pun intended)! I don’t know the specifics of the case and cannot say for sure why the bris was moved to Sunday; there are various reasons why a baby born on Shabbos would have a Sunday bris (see my previous Ask the Mohel to learn more). Nevertheless, you may be onto something about the time change.
The question of whether a mohel can perform a Shabbos bris for those who don’t keep Shabbos is a well-rooted debate. A Shabbos bris is no small thing; a mohel does melacha, traditionally forbidden labor, and the permission to do so is not granted without stipulation. Performing a bris for a child who was not supposed to have a Shabbos bris violates Shabbos on a Torah level. Because of the high-stakes nature of the task, a concern arose surrounding whether to perform a Shabbos bris for children of meshumadim, apostates. While the Beis Yosef in Yoreh Deah holds that a Jewish child born into such a circumstance does indeed merit a Shabbos bris, both the Shach and Taz strongly disagree, for concern that non-traditionally practicing Jews would cause the mohel to unknowingly break Shabbos.
As with any halachic consideration in how we relate to fellow Jews of differing observance levels, context is key. In the times of the Shach and Taz, any Jew who “left Judaism” faced major communal consequences and ostracization; to do so in light of these consequences signaled a deliberate and direct defiance of God and the Torah. Conversely, according to most contemporary Acharonim, non-observance in our day no longer carries the same halachic weight; those who “leave Judaism” do so not out of malice or defiance but rather as a result of the global forces of secularization. With this in mind, Acharonim like the Tzitz Eliezer and R’ Moshe Feinstein hold that children born to non-observant Jews should most definitely receive their brissim on Shabbos.
More globally, this approach could make sense regardless of parental status, as the baby himself is completely innocent of any transgression—as some of my colleagues like to ask when faced with this question: “Why should he be punished for the actions of his parents?” i.e., not have the opportunity to have a bris bizmana, a bris at the correct time? But one could (and should) go further as to say that the reality of non-observant parents who nonetheless wish to have a bris for their son is a great testament to their commitment to the Jewish people, not a rejection; claiming that they fall into the category of mumar or meshumad would be shortsighted.
But then there is Zoom. So many families are choosing to livestream their simchas. While this may be a positive opportunity for sharing in the mitzvah far and wide, when this becomes the expectation, those who are not traditionally observant may indeed expect or even demand to have this option on Shabbos. In such a case it becomes less about the permissibility to “break Shabbos” to perform a bris for a non-observant family, and more about whether having the bris on Shabbos will lead to chillul Shabbos more broadly.
Zoom is not the only concern; what if the parents drive to the shul? What if the bris will be at a non-Orthodox synagogue with microphones used or instruments played? This too is a contemporary debate that will vary from mohel to mohel. Some will hold like R’ Moshe and Tzitz Eliezer that such concerns are not grounds to deny a baby their right to have a bris bizmanah, while others will hold like the Sheves Haleivi or R’ Ovadia Yosef who write that it is preferable to push it off to Sunday to strengthen Shabbos observance. Zoom offers an especially difficult situation for a mohel, who is front and center of a bris. In a case where a family insists on using Zoom on Shabbos, I can’t imagine that any of those who permitted Shabbos brissim for non-observant families would insist that a mohel put himself in such a situation.
This is all to say that the determination is on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on two factors: the willingness of the mohel to be flexible with the desires of the family, and the readiness of the family to be respectful of the needs of the mohel.
Thank you again for your question!
Warm regards,
Rabbi Lawrence
Rabbi Eliezer Lawrence is a doubly certified, highly rated mohel serving the NY, NJ and CT region and beyond. If you or someone you know is expecting or want to learn more about his practice, visit www.FamilyMohel.com. He can also be reached at [email protected] or at (212) 518-7334. Questions for the column can be submitted to [email protected].
