medieval period were designed to ward off Lilith, whom I will discuss later in
this chapter.^28 We should note, however, that Jews chose to call out to Holle,
rather than Lilith, when performing this ritual.
WachnachtThe custom of holding a meal at the home of the newborn the night before
circumcision, known as Wachnacht in early modern sources,^29 is frequently
mentioned in medieval sources, where it is often called Leili brit milah—the
eve of circumcision. I will begin my discussion of the Wachnacht by outlining
its customs as described in these sources.
Our earliest description appears in Mah·zor Vitry, which discusses the meal
on the eve of circumcision. As we saw in the previous chapter, this meal was
the responsibility of the ba’al brit. The Mah·zorsays:
For the five kinds of grain like oubliesand cantelles,^30 in cases in which these are
the main foods at the meal, as is our custom on the eve of circumcision ceremony,
recite the blessing “HaMoz·i Leh·em min ha’Arez·.”^31The Mah·zorgoes on to describe the evening’s events:
The tradition of our fathers is Torah and a righteous man should adhere to it.
On the eve of the eighth [day] the ba’al brit makes a feast in honor of the
commandment.^32This meal on the eve of the circumcision ceremony was sponsored by the ba’al
brit; special foods were eaten on the occasion.
Some scholars have suggested that this meal was a medieval development
of the meal referred to in the Tosefta (Megilla 3:15) as Shavu’a haBen(lit., the
week of the son). This ancient event is mentioned along with Shavu’a haBat
(lit., the week of the daughter). We should not, however, connect the ancient
Shavu’a haBen to the meal held in medieval times the night before the cir-
cumcision ceremony, as the ancient text seems to refer to the circumcision cer-
emony and the meal held after it.^33 Moreover, while medieval commentators
also discussed the practice of Shavu’a haBen, they did not connect it to the
meal held on the eve of circumcision. Rather, they thought this was the feast
the father held after the circumcision ritual took place.^34
The gathering on the eve of circumcision is mentioned for the first time in
Mah·zor Vitry, and no explanation is given for it. The description in Mah·zor
Vitrydoes not tell us where the meal took place, but, based on later sources,
we may surmise that it was held in the house of the parturient, at her bedside.
During medieval times, there is little mention of what went on during the
course of the evening, other than the mention of the food served. Later sources,
however, discuss card playing as well as the study of Torah.^35 They explain that