Please click on the links below, which are in alphabetical order and each accompanied by a brief description of its content (except when obvious), to find specific blog posts per topic.
About Me (Personal)
Blog posts about me, my thoughts about being a mohel, why I do what I do, and why I love what I do
Advertising mohelinsouthflorida services (in this blog)
Includes anecdotes, what makes my mohel services different than others', some accounts of my travels
Bris, How It Is Done - Mohel's Bag of Tricks
Explains what all of the mohel's circumcision instruments are, and some other things which we use to achieve desired results
Bris, and its SymbolismEssays on the significance of Bris Milah to the Jewish people
Calendar and Special Days
If the bris takes place on Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, a fast day, a holiday, Purim, etc, what is done differently? (still being updated)
Caring for the circumcision 'wound'
Thoughts on numbing the foreskin and everything you need to know about short-term and long-term after-circ care
Ceremony and Honors
Starting with the Shalom Zachar and through the bris ceremony itself, all the ways we celebrate the baby's arrival, and include different people in the honors we give out at each ceremony
Certificate
What to do if you would like a certificate recording your baby's name and other details from the bris
Clamps
What is a clamp, why is it frowned upon by many many rabbis, why I don't use it, and why you should be wary of a mohel using it on your son
Concerns
Things every parent should be aware of and on top of, before, during, and after your son's bris. Don't be caught in the trap of "not knowing" that some parents who go into bris blindly fall into
Conversion
When the baby's mother converted, if the baby is adopted and being converted, when the baby's mother is not Jewish and the baby requires a conversion
Costs and Fees
The celebration at the bris includes a number of costs you may not realize. Additionally, while an honorarium is most appreciated, how to go about the conversation if finances are an issue.
Customs and Such
Varying customs from different times and places
Fun Stuff
More anecdotes, funny stories, appropriate bris 'humor,' moyle/moil/mohel?, tachanun humor, etc.
Hatafat Dam
Understanding the ceremonial pin prick that turns a "circumcision" into a "bris milah"
Methods and Clamps
Ways a mohel should operate efficiently, different styles of circumcision, different circumstances which arise, surprises a mohel can discover after the foreskin is gone, how to correct normal 'errors' etc
Metzitzah
What is metzitzah? Is it necessary? See also the METZITZAH PAGE
Miscellaneous
Some spillover from Fun Stuff, more anecdotes, insights, and general thoughts - what we do with the foreskin, how to time the bris in terms of day of week, time of day, some TWIN photos, setup for bris, and why this website is the most comprehensive location for all the bris information you could possibly need. 😊
Miscellaneous Essays
A variety of essays on a range of topics related to bris, why we do it, why anti-circumcision movement is irrelevant, the role of women at the bris, what the Covenant is about, why it isn't a "bris" when the baby's mother isn't Jewish, etc.
Mohels
What makes a good mohel, what makes a responsible mohel, what makes a great mohel, and what distinguishes the services I provide
Mohel Standards
My thoughts on how mohels SHOULD operate, and what kinds of mohels should be out of the business
News - When Bris Milah is in the newspapers
Parents, Notes to
How we will work together, what to do with your other kids during the bris, dealing with opinionated family members, father's role in the bris, mother's role in the bris, how I intend to communicate with you, things to note for baby's care, what can go perfectly, and what can go wrong
Preparations
Preparing for the party, for the bris, for family/friend involvement, when the call the mohel, supplies, setup, etc
Problems
What may cause a bris to be delayed or even cancelled (in favor of reconstructive surgery at a later time), common issues, uncommon issues, how they are dealt with, when "no bris" is advisable, how bleeding is addressed, what simple precautions can prevent problems
Questions to Ask
The importance of going into this experience with knowledge cannot be overstated. No matter if you are hiring me or any other mohel, find the questions I think should be most important for you to find answers to before hiring someone to circumcise your son.
Sterility
What should be most obvious, but should never be taken for granted... the importance of maintaining the highest levels of sterility possible outside an operating room
What should be most obvious, but should never be taken for granted... the importance of maintaining the highest levels of sterility possible outside an operating room
Stories that are Inspiring or just Nice
Symbolism
Understanding why we do what we do
