WHAT SHOULD BE SERVED AT THE SEUDA AFTER A BRIS?
by Rabbi Nachum Scheiner, Night Kollel & Morning Kollel
There is a machlokes as to what should be served at the seudas bris. Some rule that meat must be served, just like on Yom Tov, and others maintain that milchigs is also fine.
The Shulchan Aruch tells us that one cannot eat a big meal on Friday, so that one will have an appetite for the Shabbos meal, unless it is a seudas mitzvah, such as a seudas bris. The Magen Avraham quotes the Levush who writes that one is allowed to eat at a seudas bris on Friday, even if that will cause him not to be able to eat the Shabbos meal.
He then quotes the Shelah, who writes that his rebbi, the Maharash of Lublin, was once a sandak at a bris that took place on Friday, but did not want to eat at the seuda, since there was a minyan there without him. The Maharash adds that one will only fulfill the mitzvah of celebrating at the seudas bris by eating meat. However, the Shelah there seems to hold that eating meat is not required, and the seudas bris can be celebrated with dairy as well.
The Yaavetz also rules that one must eat meat to fulfill the simcha at the seuda of a bris, just as we find that the mitzvah of simchas Yo m Tov is fulfilled by eating meat.
Rabbeinu Ephraim, one of the early commentators on the Torah, finds an allusion to having meat at a bris from a pasuk in parsahas Re’ah (12:20): “תאכל בשר – you shall consume meat.” The word בשר stands for: ברית, שבת, ראש חודש – the times that one is meant to have meat at the meal, which is an allusion to the meat eaten at the seuda after a bris.
In Darkei Chaim V’Shalom, the Munkatcher Rebbe, writes about the importance of serving meat at a seuda after a bris, if possible, and one who makes a nice seuda is praiseworthy. In some ways, he writes, there is no other seudas mitzvah that can be compared to the inherent sanctity there is at a seudas bris. Weddings are made by non-Jews as well, but a bris is exclusive to us. He ends off decrying those who try to get away with just serving some cake and drinks, instead of serving a full seuda. He adds that many of the descendants of such a child have gone astray.
The Sheim M’Shmuel also discusses this concept that a seudas bris is something exclusive to the Jewish people. With this idea he explains why the brocha “שהכל ברא לכבודו – everything He created is for His honor” is only recited at a wedding and not at a bris. Weddings are made by non-Jews as well, and we have to declare that our wedding is to bring glory to Hashem. A bris, on the other hand, is inherently done for Hashem and there is no reason to make such a declaration.
The Shiniver Rav adds that eating meat at a seuda after a bris is a segula for the spiritual growth of the baby. He goes so far as to say that when seeing a child, he can tell from his spiritual state if they served meat at his bris! The Divrei Yoel was also careful to have meat served at a seuda after a bris.
POULTRY OR FISH
The Maharsham points out that if we the mitzvah is to show simcha, one should be required to have beef, and not bird meat or fish. Indeed, the Shevet Halevi points to the words of the Leket Yosher, who states that since on Purim there is a requirement to have simcha, one must have meat from an animal for the Purim seuda, not bird meat or fish. However, the Shevet Halevi adds that we find in some instances that poultry, such as chicken, or fish may suffice for the requirement of simcha. According to this opinion, if one serves lox, he may also fulfill the mitzvah of simcha.
The sefer Zocher Habris writes that due to the poverty in Tzefas, the custom there was that only fish should be served at a bris. Although meat would be better, they allowed fish in these circumstances. The Chasam Sofer takes this even further and sanctions the minhag of those who served only milchigs, due to the conditions of extreme poverty in his city.
The sefer Zocher Habris adds that even if there is no requirement to have meat at the seuda of a bris – since the requirement to eat meat may only apply when there is a Beis Hamikdash and karbanos – one should still be sure to drink wine at the seuda, since that is clearly a fulfillment of simcha, even today.
SUMMARY
There is a machlokes if one must have meat, or if poultry or fish is sufficient. Some say that milchigs is also fine. One should not be stingy about making a proper seuda.
Rabbi Scheiner
