Personally, I always give clothing. I never give money. But thats my own thing.

I think it is very important to know that a bris is not only when a male child is circumcised. The circumcision is a PART of the bris which also gives the male Jewish child his Hebrew identity (or name) so he can be raised in the Jewish faith. It "welcomes infant Jewish boys into a covenant between God and the Children of Israel."

When a Jewish child is born, whether male or female, they are usually given Hebrew names in conjunction with English names. These names honor the memory of people who are deceased so their legacies can live on. The names are announced at a bris for a male child and at a baby naming for a female child.

My mother delivered a male child the year before I was born. He was born premature with Down Syndrome and was too ill to have a bris. That in and of itself is a very rare occurence. Sadly he died at 10 weeks old and was buried without a Hebrew name. Once I was born, since he was never given a Hebrew name, I was named for the people he would have been named for.

Regardless of how people feel about circumcision, it is really important to realize that a bris is just a bit more than a snip snip. Please accept my apologies for the hijack.