A lengthy discourse on the significance of a Bris Milah Celebratory Meal

 I don't have the time to translate this right now... and some of it goes off on tangents that include the language of a Ketubah. But here is a comment on the meal held over the arrival of Yisro to the Israelite encampment, and specifically to Moshe's tent, where a meal was held in his honor. Some are of the view that the celebration was over Yisro's circumcision, thus making the meal a Celebratory Bris Meal! The author is Rabbi Yochanan Luria in his Meshivas Nefesh.

משיבת נפש שמות פרק יח פסוק יב 

(יב) ויבא אהרן וכל זקני ישראל לאכל לחם עם חתן משה וכו'. ראוי לדרוש לנישואין, גם מקצת לדרוש ברית מילה, וכן דרשתי. פירש"י ומשה היכן היה [כו'] אלא היה עומד ומשמש לפניהם, גם פי' על לפני האלקים מכאן שהנהנה מהסעודה שת"ח מסובים בה כאילו נהנה מזיו השכינה. לפי זה המקרא מסורס והיה ראוי פי' זה אם באו אחרים לאכול עם אהרן והזקינים. (מראה) [ונראה] לי שבכאן בא יתרו להתגייר שנאמר עתה ידעתי וכו', אמרו רז"ל במס' (תענית) וכריתות ובסמ"ג בסי' קי"ו שבג' דברים נכנסו אבותינו לברית, במילה וטבילה וקרבן וכו'. נ"ל גר הבא להתגייר צריך ג' דברים הללו, ולמדנו כולם מזאת הפרשה, מילה זאת היא סעודה של מצוה ע"כ אמר שבאו לאכל לחם לפני האלקים, ואמר ויבא אהרן וכל זקני ישראל ולא הזכיר משה, להודיענו שבא לטבול על פי הדיינים כמו משפט, וא"כ משה היה פסול לדיין. והרצאת דמים אמר בפירש ויקח יתרו עולה וזבחים.

Birkat Hamazon for a Bris

 Sometimes there are no bentchers.  And sometimes the bentchers don’t have the Bris Milah additions. 

So here is a nice website that has ALL versions of Birkat Hamazon, As well as a special button to click for a Bris 

ברכתהמזון.com

Included below is the Ashkenazic version

Give Thanks to God for He is Good

One of the features of the Bris Milah ceremony includes the recitation of the verse הודו לה' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו, which is translated in the title above.  It seems strange to say this, since we hear a baby crying and can only imagine that he does not feel that what is going on is so good. 

Chizkuni on Parshas Shemos gives the following explanation for why we'd say הודו לה' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו at a bris. In the context of baby Moshe being born, the Torah describes how he is seen to be GOOD ( טוב), and it based on the Midrashic notion that he was born without a foreskin, in other words, he was born circumcised: כי טוב הוא -  נולד מהול. ולפי שכתוב בו כי טוב על שם שנולד מהול נהגו העם לומר הודו לה' כי טוב על המילה

We mention the idea that we are experiencing כי טוב after the baby has been circumcised, because that is the way Moshe is described in the Torah as soon as it was discovered that he was circumcised. 

This makes this a blessing that the child is now on the same status as the baby who grew to become Moshe Rabbenu! That is indeed something worth celebrating - a celebration of incredible potential!

Another reference to giving thanks is cross-linked in this blog post: 

The Changing Landscape

The new year on the secular calendar is an apt time to reflect on where we're at in the MOHELINSOUTHFLORIDA.COM world.

When I moved to Florida 16.5 years ago, there were a handful of mohels that were the "go-to" mohels in South Florida. One has moved to another state. Another has pulled back from being as busy for personal reasons. Another remains the most experienced "go-to" in some communities, but not the only "go-to." Others have increased their clientele and have become more prominent/known/busy. Still a couple of others are limited in their clientele to particular counties, or primarily service a more uniform style of families  

Since that time, a number of mohels have moved to South Florida - in particular in the last five years - and have changed the landscape a bit. I can't say if the birthrate has changed. That's for the census people and the statisticians to look into. But more mohels definitely means the work is being spread around more.

On a personal note I have always found the summer time to be the busiest time of year - especially with teachers planning babies at that time, and other people planning to enjoy their newborns in the slower times that summer brings.