Q. I was at a bris milah recently and I saw something I never saw before in my life. The mohel took the baby after he was brought in, and placed it on the bimah of the shul, where he was also prepared for the bris, before setting him on the sandek. Is that a correct and proper thing to do? After all the bimah, is where you read the Torah and has kedusha.
A. Maaseh Ish (4: p. 144) mentions that the Chazon Ish was the sandek at the bris of a well known mohel (R’ S. Miller zt’l) and indeed instructed that the baby should be placed on the bima and prepared there before the baby was given to him. He explained that this minhag is a segulah for the child to grow and become a Talmid Chacham. (Oisim Besimcha p. 387, Kovetz Ohr Yisroel 13: 2: p. 171).
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that people should follow the established minhogim and traditions of their families and congregations.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a