Pre-bris post

I'm not allowed to sleep tonight. That part of the custom I'm following B'hiddur. The other part of the custom is to learn Torah all night long, while preparing for the holy entry into Abraham's covenant of my dear son.
I haven't gotten to that part yet. But I'm on my way, so I'm going to make this quick and post details later perhaps.

Tomorrow is the Bris of my dear son. It is at Getzel's Shul on Kingston and President.
7:15am Shachris and 8am Bris.

My sister and brother in law celebrated the Bris of their newborn son this morning and they called him "Yisroel Zimmel" (I secretly like the way the name Zimmel casually slipped into two Lubavich families already. Before us, the name didn't exist in our sect. I think)

My Ziedy's name was Yaakov Zimmel, but Shua's father is named Yaakov, so they couldn't give their son the same name.
They decided to call their boy Yisroel Zimmel and lo and behold, while reading this past weeks Torah portion of Vayishlach, they saw how Yaakov avinu's name was changed by the angel to Yisroel... So you see, it all works out in the end.

I will not give away the secret to our boy's name... But letters are swirling around in my head. I will bring down special, holy energies into his heiligeh little body and he will grow to become a Chossid, Yiras Shomayim and a Lamdan. I know it.

Im Yirtzah Hashem

And with that, I go.

Tomorrow, I will feel like Avraham, leading his son Yitzchok to the Akeida. I Shlep my little boy and have him circumcized despite his screams of pain... Only because Hashem commanded me to do this. For no other reason.
Although my son may scream and cry, I know that inside, he is happy and proud to be joining the ranks of B'nai Yisroel. He is boldly allowing his physical body to be forever 'stamped' with G-d's holy seal.