Question:
Should Tachanun be recited when it is uncertain whether a brit milah will take place that day—for example, in a case where a newborn is jaundiced and requires testing after Shacharit to determine if the procedure can proceed? Additionally, does the presence of the father or a baal simcha in the minyan affect whether Tachanun should be omitted under these circumstances?
Answer:
In such a case, Tachanun should be recited as usual. Since the brit milah is not definitively scheduled and depends on the outcome of medical testing, the associated simchah is not yet considered established. Therefore, there is no basis to omit Tachanun unless and until the brit is confirmed to take place that day.
Sources:
Rav Elyashiv in Mila Shleima p. 438; Koveitz Gilyonos p. 237; Bris Halevi 265:13 – 26