The brit Milah, the ritual circumcision of boy babies which takes place on the eighth day of life, has in the folk practice of the Jewish people been a major occasion. Relatives travel great distances at short notice, and a special meal is served. Through ritual a very personal event, the birth of a child, is transformed also into a special occasion for the entire Jewish community, represented in the assembled guests. As a family welcomes its newest member, the Jewish community as a whole is also renewed in their relation with God through the reenactment of the covenant between God and Abraham, founder of the Jewish people. A birth is naturally transformative.
Young people become parents.
They look backwards to their families of origin, appreciated in a new way, and forward to all of the dreams to be realized by this new child. Fathers and Mothers become grandparents, brothers and sisters, become aunts and uncles. But the ritual summons not only living relatives, but also ancestral family members. Abraham, Pinchas, and above all Elijah. Elijah is summoned for his zeal, he was a fierce proponent of circumcision in the time of the divided monarchy, but also for his protection, as it was Elijah who raised the child of the widow from seeming death.