An appalling piece in The Jewish Chronicle. Alexia Baron, the mother, appears to have not the slightest understanding of the permanent damage she’s proudly had inflicted on her son. Excerpts:
Early that morning, hearing our guests begin to arrive for davening, my anxiety reached new heights. At the time of the brit, I had been a mother for just about a week but your natural instinct is to be protective and I did not want my son to be in pain. I have to admit the procedure was over and done with quite quickly. Mordechai Cohen, the mohel, even made a joke once it was finished, saying the crying I heard was not from the actual procedure but happened when Jackson’s nappy was being undone. [J4MB: What a hilarious man the mohel is, despite being a criminal who inflicts at least ABH, and almost certainly GBH, on baby boys.]…
What would my advice be to other mothers facing a bris or pidyon haben? I’d say: Breathe. The brit will scare you but it will be OK. Babies are little miracles and while they cry for a few seconds during the procedure, the pain goes quickly and you will feel proud to have continued and be a part of thousands of years of tradition that make up the Jewish people.
For the pidyon haben, make sure to take it all in. The ceremony happens when your son is 30 days old, so by now you will be exhausted, not having slept for a month and having organised one event after another. But take time to embrace another opportunity to celebrate your little one.
My hopes and dreams for my son now are that he grows up to be a generous, kind, humble and loving person. Most importantly, I hope that he too will pass on important traditions and mitzvahs such as brit milah and pidyon haben to his children and their children for generations to come. What more could a mother want? [J4MB emphasis]
