Note 159 — II. OUR DUTIES. (continued 4)

Of those who assist in the mitsvah, the sandek (godfather), who holds the child during the operation, is the most prominent, and is called ‏בעל ברית‎ (“who is in possession of the covenant,” i.e., of the child to be initiated into the covenant). The religious enthusiasm required for the performance of this mitsvah is symbolically represented by “the chair of Elijah” (‏כסא של אליהו‎), upon which the child is placed before the operation; Elijah in Jewish Tradition being the type of religious zeal. ↑