Born on the 9th of Av

7 August 2006

We are pleased to announce the arrival of a new tax deduction. The vital statistics are as follows:

Date/time of birth	August 3, 2006, 12:25 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time
Place of birth	St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Weight	8 pounds, 6 ounces, 6 drams, 8 grains
Length	20 inches
Head circumference	1411/64 inches
Apgar scores	8 and 9

The bris, God willing, will be at 6:00 p.m. this coming Thursday, August 10, at Congregation Kadimah-Toras Moshe, at 113 Washington St., Brighton MA. A light dinner and mincha/ma`ariv service will follow.

For the ride home from the synagogue, I suggested hanging a “JUST CIRCUMCISED” sign on the back of our minivan, but for some reason my wife vetoed the idea.

There is a Jewish tradition that the Messiah will be born on the 9th of Av, the fast day mourning the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish nation. Unfortunately, since I’m almost certainly not a descendant of King David, my son, despite his birthday, is almost certainly ineligible to be the Messiah.

He didn’t take the news very well.

• Later: I didn't know those were among the symptoms
• Earlier: Nothing for something