6

If in the process of conversion, a couple has a baby boy, what is done regarding the bris? They have not yet fully converted, but are in the process, with a Rabbi and regularly attending synagogue services. This is before they've been before the beit din and gone to the mikvah.

All their children are going through conversion with them, but the conversion won't happen between the birth and the 8th day. So I'm asking what common practice would be.

Will a mohel perform the bris? Should it be done by medical staff still on the 8th day? Medical staff but not on the 8th day? Not circumcised at all?

Improve this question
5
  • 1
    Welcome to Mi Yodeya and thanks for the interesting question. Since you clarified in a comment that you're asking "what common practice would be", I edited that into your question and changed "what is to be done" to "what is done" for clarity. Please feel free to re-edit. I hope you stick around and enjoy the site!
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented May 17, 2016 at 21:15
  • Something tells me that this may be a (partial) dupe. Will have to hunt a bit.
    – DanF
    Commented May 18, 2016 at 2:36
  • Before the parents convert, there is no reason to convert the child and that includes making a bris. Certainly the eighth day has no validity.
    – newcomer
    Commented May 18, 2016 at 8:42
  • A few points to consider for someone answering the question. Does the parents gerus affect the child's? While one theoretically shouldn't be dependent on the other, it could be that the Rabbi's don't want a child to be converted unless the parents/careers/guardians are Jewish. Another point would be what the status of a minor who converted is. While they have the choice to remain Jewish once they reach bar/bas mitzvah, is it retroactively? If yes, than from when? From the bris? What about a girl? If it's not retroactively, then wouldn't they need another bris? Is it like miun by a girl who was
    – user613
    Commented May 18, 2016 at 13:36
  • married by her brothers or mother that she has the right to refuse to remain married by bas mitzvah, where if she doesn't, the marriage was 100% valid (though in such a case I think that if she doesn't know about miun she can't later revoke the marriage, I'm not sure how it works by gerus).
    – user613
    Commented May 18, 2016 at 13:41

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

I'm not a posek, so don't rely on my answer. If this is Halacha L'Ma'asah and not theoretical, you should certainly ask your LOR what to do, though I assumed that went without saying.

If I understand the process correctly, a ger only becomes Jewish after his conversion is complete. Thus, if the parents hadn't finished the conversion process when the baby was born, the baby's not Jewish, either, and thus a bris wouldn't do anything. Thus, it would seem to me that the baby would also need to go through the conversion process and would get his bris as a part of that as any male would during the geirus.

It's worthy to note that since, according to my possibly flawed logic above, the baby's not Jewish yet, before his Bar Mitzvah he would have the opportunity to completely reject Yiddishkeit if he so chooses.

Improve this answer
4
  • 1
    Daniel, MY places a lot of emphasis on sources (after all most of us don’t know you personally). Maybe you will be interested by something I wrote to help you understand the site "A beginner’s guide to MY - How is this site different from other Judaism sites” ?
    – mbloch
    Commented May 25, 2016 at 3:53
  • That helps a lot, thanks. :) My only source here is my Rebbeim - I've never needed to look into the inyan before, so I never learned the sugya inside.
    – DonielF
    Commented Jun 1, 2016 at 2:12
  • Couldn't they give the child a bris that covers both the conversion process and the ensuing chiyuv? granted, you'd have to tovel a baby, but we can and do convert children when the parents convert (caveat that the finality of the conversion may depend on the child's choice once they reach the age of consent).
    – Isaac Kotlicky
    Commented Aug 23, 2016 at 11:38
  • @DonielF Answering questions on MY is a good reason to learn the sugya.
    – Daniel
    Commented Aug 23, 2016 at 13:29

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .