Question:
Our grandson was born on Shabbat, the December 9 in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. There are no mohels in Edmonton. We planned on a mohel coming from Calgary (closest large city) but he can’t make himself available for our Shabbat bris. We are unable to find another mohel. Can we have the bris on the 9th day which will be a Sunday or is it imperative to have the circumcision on the 8th day?
Answer:
Mazal Tov
It is imperative that you make the bris on the eight day, even if it Shabbos and very inconvenient and costly. We have a biblical commandment to make the bris specifically on the eight day. This commandment is so important that even if it means that even though doing a bris is desecrating the shabbos, as it is makes the child bleed, nevertheless we still amke the bris on shabbos. The gemorah learns this from the verse “ubyom Hashmini yimol bsar orliso” “On the eight day… (make the bris). The only thing that gets in the way of making the bris on the 8th day is if the child isn’t well and it would endanger his life. This is a “once-in-a-lifetime” mitzvah for this baby, and even if it cost money it should be done correctly.
If the mohel in Edmonton is not willing to come, either you can go to him, or another option would be to get a different mohel to come. There are many other qualified mohelim that would be willing to come. If you need help let me know.
Just one point… before anyone sets out to do the trip, speak to the mohel if your circumstances, meet the conditions for having a bris on shabbos.
The bracha that we give to a newborn baby is that he be zoche to have his bris “b’eito u;bzmano” -at the correct time, meaning the 8th day.
My bracha to you is the same. May you and his parents be zoche “lhachniso bbriso shel Avrohom Aveinu beito ubazmano”!
Sources:
Tractate Shabbos 132a, Y:D 266-2,
