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Once the sandak is holding the baby, the mohel recites the initial blessing: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us concerning circumcision.” Immediately after the recitation, the mohel cuts off the foreskin. Before he finishes removing the thin membrane, the baby’s father begins reciting two blessings: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to bring him into the covenant of Abraham our forefather,” and “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time.”
After being circumcised, the baby is passed back to the sandak or the second sandak. A cup of wine is poured, and two more blessings are recited by the fourth honoree. First is the standard blessing over the wine, and second is: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who made the beloved one [Isaac] holy from the womb, marked the decree of circumcision in his flesh, and gave his descendants the seal and sign of the holy covenant. As a reward for this, the Living God, our Portion, our Rock, did order deliverance from destruction for the beloved of our flesh, for the sake of His covenant that He set in our flesh. Blessed are You, Lord, Who establishes the covenant.” The same person follows this with a prayer for the wellbeing of the child, which includes the naming. He concludes with the wish, “Just as he has entered into the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, marriage, and good deeds.”
