#306 Bris

We had Andrew’s bris last night. It was wonderful. We had friends and family gathered in the house and the Rabbi came and formally bestowed both his English and Hebrew names. There was no cutting involved—that was done before we left the hospital. (for those of you who don’t know a traditional bris involves a naming ceremony as well as a circumcision)




I asked the Rabbi to say a few words about how Andrew was named after his uncle. An uncle he will never get to know. The Rabbi never knew Eric, and he asked what he did and all I could do was smile and say he did everything. I told him that Eric was funny. I didn’t really give him a lot to work with. He managed to create a very touching ceremony. I guess when you are a Rabbi you get used to making very little sound like a lot.



He talked about how we get different names throughout our lives, beginning with the ones given by our parents and God. He also talked about living up to the names we are given. He talked about honoring Eric in the giving of his names and in the living of his life.



There were several wet eyes in the room, including mine. Even Andrew started fussing.



We cried and we smiled and we remembered and we looked forward. There were a lot of emotions in the room. Luckily we had each other and Andrew to hold onto.