In the Parsha

In the beginning of פרשת תזריע we learn various מצוות related to a woman who gives birth. In the middle of the פסוקים describing the מצוות of the woman, we also learn that if the baby is a boy he must have a ברית on the 8th day.

Although it is the obligation of the father to give his son a ברית מילה, it is written in the context of the תמצוו of the mother. This teaches us that women also play a role in this מצוה.

For this reason, the מנהג by a ברית is that the baby is brought part of the way by a woman (the קוואטערן), who then hands the baby over to a man, the קוואטר.