At a “Shalom Zachor” (loosely translated as "a time for wishing peace to the male child"), we eat and drink and make Le’chaim and offer words of thanks to Hashem for the safe arrival of the baby. If you have ever been to a “Shalom Zachor” then you may have noticed that nothing is too out of the ordinary from a normal Kiddish. But in fact there is more to this custom than meets the eye (or the stomach!)

Prior to entering this world every baby exists as a soul which shares an intimate bond with Hashem. In fact we are taught that for the duration of pregnancy an angel teaches the soul all the wisdom (i.e the spiritual concepts) of the Torah. However upon entering the world it “forgets” this wisdom. The “Shalom Zachor” is therefore a way of “consoling” the soul of the baby for this loss of wisdom and closeness to G-d. Hence we have a custom to serve chick peas which is a traditional mourner’s food! The gathering also celebrates the child’s first Shabbat since the baby must experience the sanctity of Shabbat before he can be circumcised.

But what consolation can we offer the baby who has just been “thrown” out of the palace of souls where he experienced delight?

The answer lies in the simplicity of the very gathering of the Shalom Zachor.

No matter how lofty the soul may have been before birth, it never had the opportunity to share its goodness with someone else. Only down here in this physical world can we perform kindness, and bring joy to another being. In the higher realms all is in order, everything's perfect. There's nothing that can be improved. Not so down here. In this world, people are needy, and we can provide their needs. People need each other when they are weak and need each other's support. And people need each other to share their joyous times as well. Visiting a friend to say Mazel Tov, and receiving a bite to eat in return, is a display of the simple kindness that cannot be found in any world other than this one.

When we toast the baby with a “wee” dram of single malt we are saying ...