The sandak [1] holds the baby on his lap while the mohel is working. This very great honor is bestowed, according to traditions, to the paternal or maternal grandfather, or to an elderly person in the family. Some are keen to choose a rabbi, who is especially famous for his piety and erudition. To be chosen as sandak (the person who holds the baby during the ceremony, sitting on the high chair) is a great honor. This honor is especially important because at this time the Sandak is considered the equal of the Cohen gadol when offering incense to the Beth hamikdach in Jerusalem.
The choice of the sandak – The Sephardic custom is that they are chosen first: the paternal grandfather (for the first son – regardless of his rank among the children born to the couple) and the grandfather-maternal (for the second son [2] ). For the following sons, the sandak is chosen from the allied families [3].
Orthodox families (especially haredim) sometimes prefer to the grandfather a person known for his great qualities of piety (rabbi, Rosh Yeshiva for Talmud students). But to recuse the paternal grandfather (or even maternal) is delicate because of due respect, so it will be necessary to make sure to preserve peace within the families, while ensuring the baby a sandak with recognized spiritual qualities, because this has an impact on the future of the child.
According to a North African custom, the honor is auctioned for the benefit of the Eliyahu hanavi society responsible for helping the poor to practice this mitzvah, or the father buys this honor in order to offer it to one of his parents he wants to honor [4] .
According to a custom of Djerba (Tunisia) the father himself will be sandak for all his boys unless he himself is the mohel.
If possible, the sandak – and the father of the child – will go to soak in the mikveh before circumcision [5] .
The sandak puts on the tallit after reciting the blessing (the father of the child also puts on the tallit with the blessing). The reasons given are as follows: to embellish the mitzvah and out of respect for the congregation [6] .
The father will not invite the same sandak for two of his children (with the exception of a very senior Rabbi). Apart from this case, it is possible to be sandak several times (for example a father for a son of each of his children).
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NOTES
[1] Sometimes incorrectly called “godfather”.
[2] Again, regardless of his rank among the children born to the couple.
[3] The custom of Algiers would have two sandaks be honored for each child: one holds the baby during the entire circumcision, the other takes the baby then, during the appointment kidouch. S. Darmon (1995), p. 329. This seems to be a local custom because the Jews of Eastern Algeria, for example, do not follow it.
[4] Algiers (Darmon, 1995, p. 416); Morocco: “The members of the brotherhood of the Prophet Elijah, hevrat Eliyahu, open the ceremony with songs specific to this occasion. The sponsorship is sold at auction for the benefit of the brotherhood, or is redeemed by the father who thus offers one of his parents the honor of sitting on the armchair of the Prophet Elijah. ». Jewish Moroccan Heritage.
[5] Poskim and Birke Yosef, cit. S. Darmon (1995), p. 330, Art. 6.
[6] It is for the same reason that the chalia’h tsibour (officiant) wears the Talit at min’ha on shabbat according to certain customs (Achkenazes; Algiers – S. Darmon, 1995, p. 330).
(c) Eliyahu Bakish. This text is part of a book in French being prepared on the brit-milah.