Shabbos chol hamoed bris

amother

Lemon

Sun, Sep 23 2018, 6:24 am

This is slightly hypothetical because I'm not the one planning anything but an acquaintance is. Say you just gave birth this past Shabbos and now you're looking at making a shalom zachor and bris on Shabbos chol hamoed Succos. How do you go about it?

ETA: You live in an apartment and your parents are OOT. First child, so you have no experience

Iymnok

Sun, Sep 23 2018, 6:29 am

Do the bris. In a Shul and have the seuda in a large sukka. Usually a Shul or a Hall has one to rent out.
The shalom zachor would be in their own sukka.
Alternatively, the seuda could be in their own sukka and the women eat inside (if it is connected to their house)

amother

Orchid

Sun, Sep 23 2018, 7:51 am

The Shalom zachor needs to be in shul. If you don’t have one, ask the rav of your shul if he has any suggestions- someone else will probably offer to host it for you and you’ll provide all the food and paper goods.
Do the actual bris in shul after davening
The Seuda : either rent a big shul sukkah and have it catered, or another option is to have your regular shabbos Seuda as the bris Seuda, you just need to invite a few people in for benching so you have a minyan. Let them wash first- it’s their shaleshudis- and eat some dessert or something.
Both good options at two very different price points.
Most importantly, don’t stress about it. Everyone understands that a sukkos bris adds a certain amount of complications. Enjoy the Simcha, it will be beautiful and memorable!

amother

Maroon

Sun, Sep 23 2018, 8:22 am

amother wrote:

A Shalom Zachor does not need to be in a shul. I've made four Shalom Zachor and three out of the four took place in my dining room. (In this case you need a sukkah).

Shuly

Sun, Sep 23 2018, 8:48 am

We did this. We didn't have an eruv, so the bris was in the house and afterward there was a kiddush - men in the succah and ladies in the house. Only immediate family ate the seudah together afterward, in the succah.

Ruchel

Sun, Sep 23 2018, 9:04 am

I asked and was told no pushing, because MAYBE it would be fine to go to the mitsva but not to come back. My easiest bris was shabbes. Home. No shlepping. Fantastic. You do not EVER need a shul for a bris.

amother

Mauve

Sun, Sep 23 2018, 9:13 am

amother wrote:

You don’t need a Minyan for the seudah, only for the bris. We had a similar situation and that made it much less stressful and a lot less expensive.