Thursday, April 19, 2007

Bris Milah: Why Say ‘Aleinu After the Milah?

The recently published Sefer Kush’yos, by a student of the Maharam mi’Rutenberg, asks the question:

Why do we say ‘aleinu after the milah (i.e. not immediately after ashrei and u’va l’tziyon)?

Because in ‘aleinu we say: she'lo 'a'sa'nu k'go'yei ha'a'ra'tzos, “He has not made us like the nations of the earth.” In deference to the baby who is not yet circumcised, like a goy, we do not say ‘aleinu until the baby is circumcised, as well.
(Sefer Kush’yos edited by R. Ya’akov Yisrael Stal, Jerusalem, 2007, 5:9, p. 6f.)

This minhag is based on the custom that the milah takes place at the end of shacharis when ‘aleinu would normally be said. Once the milah is complete, the baby is then included in the tefillah of ‘aleinu, too.

The Aderes in his commentary on the Siddur, Tefilas David, feels that the minhag to have the bris before 'aleinu stems from the the custom to have the bris in shul for pirsum ha'mitzvah, publicizing the mitzvah. The reason for having it before 'aleinu was to be sure all the people were still in shul. (Jerusalem: Franco edition, 2004, p.51)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

what is the meaning of umoshav yekoro. why some dont say it.

Matt said...

If I may . . .

GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED 1:11

The primary meaning of the Hebrew yashab is "he was seated," as "Now Eli the priest sat (yashab) upon a seat" (I Sam. i.9): but, since a person can best remain motionless and at rest when sitting, the term was applied to everything that is permanent and unchanging . . . When applied to God, the verb is to be taken in that latter sense . . . i.e., He who is everlasting, constant, and in no way subject to change; immutable in His Essence, and as He consists of nought but His Essence, He is mutable in no way whatever; not mutable in His relation to other things: for there is no relation whatever existing between Him and any other being, as will be explained below, and therefore no change as regard; such relations can take place in Him. Hence He is immutable in every respect, as He expressly declares, "I, the Lord, do not change" (Mal. iii. 6): i.e., in Me there is not any change whatever. This idea is expressed by the term yashab when referring to God.

The verb, when employed of God, is frequently complemented by "the Heavens," inasmuch as the heavens are without change or mutation, that is to say, they do not individually change, as the individual beings on earth, by transition from existence into non-existence.

Ben Rambam said...

Dear Anonymous,

Good questions. I have put my response as a new post on the blog.

‘Aleinu: U’moshav Ye’Karo or Kisei Khe’vo’do?
Link: http://mytorah.blogspot.com/2007/04/aleinu-umoshav-yekaro-or-kisei-khevodo.html