Why Don't People "Invite" to a Bris

Why do people not invite people to a Brit but only inform them?

Shalom!

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The source for not “inviting” people to a bris, but rather, only “informing” them about a bris is from a passage in the Talmud which teaches that one who does not attend a celebratory meal (“seudas mitzva”), that one was invited to, deserves to be excommunicated. By only “informing” people of the bris and not “inviting” them to the bris will ensure that those who do not attend will be excommunicated.

There are, however, a number of exceptions to the rule that one must attend a seudat mitzva if invited. One example is that one is not required to cancel previous commitments to attend a bris, whether a social commitment or a work-related commitment. So too, one is not required to remain for the meal if there are other people present who are of questionable character. In such an instance one may leave after the actual bris has taken place. Of course, one who has a legitimate reason of any sort will not be deserving of excommunication

There is some discussion whether the penalty of "excommunication" is to be taken literally or if it is simply intended to convey the importance of attending seudat mitzva. So too, there is some discussion as to what is considered to be an “invitation” from the perspective of halacha with some defining an invitation as being a very personal invitation. As such, a telephone call would be considered a personal invitation, though a mass mail/email without personally inviting the person certainly wouldn’t be. Nowadays, excommunication is rarely practiced, certainly not for not attending a seudas mitzva.

Pesachim 113b,  Rema, YD 265:12; Pitchei Teshuva, YD 265:18;  Aruch Hashulchan, YD 265:37.