Bris Milah (Circumcision)
The Covenant of Circumcision And G-d said unto Avroham: "And as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you, and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant between Me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner, that is not of your seed...and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant." --Genesis 17:9-14 Within the Jewish community, the topic of bris milah, ritual circumcision, has never been more controversial. Many liberal Jews are now rethinking its function in Jewish life, some even choosing not to perform it on their sons. They argue that circumcision is no longer of value now that the spread of infection can be halted by good hygiene and modern medicine.
Some fear that the removal of the healthy part of an organ is a purely arbitrary act which may cause permanent psychological and physical damage. It is true that circumcision alone is neither medically necessary nor emotionally beneficial. Still, the bris milah is an essential ceremony intended to formally usher the Jewish male into a covenant with G-d. Although the removal of the foreskin has been practiced by Jews since
Avroham, the actual ceremony as it is today developed some time around the middle-ages. Thus, communities in North Africa, Europe, and the Middle-East all evolved unique customs for welcoming new baby boys. There are still certain elements that are typical of all ceremonies. The following description
Some fear that the removal of the healthy part of an organ is a purely arbitrary act which may cause permanent psychological and physical damage. It is true that circumcision alone is neither medically necessary nor emotionally beneficial. Still, the bris milah is an essential ceremony intended to formally usher the Jewish male into a covenant with G-d. Although the removal of the foreskin has been practiced by Jews since
Avroham, the actual ceremony as it is today developed some time around the middle-ages. Thus, communities in North Africa, Europe, and the Middle-East all evolved unique customs for welcoming new baby boys. There are still certain elements that are typical of all ceremonies. The following description
Cited: Colquette, Aviel Binyomin. Personal interview. 18 Nov. 2001. Fink, Alexander. Personal Interview. 10 Oct. 2001. Housman, Mordechai. Circumcision and Your Child 's Health. 5 Nov. 2001. Klein, Isaac. A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice. New York: The Jewish Theological Semianry of America, 1979. Konig, Joshua. Personal interview. 28 Nov. 2001. Schapiro, Rabbi Moshe. What is Circumcision? Aish HaTorah. 15 Oct. 2001. Scheinbaum, Rabbi A. Leib. Peninim On The Torah. Cleveland, Ohio: Kisvei Publications, 2000. Weissman, Rabbi Moshe. The Little Midrash Says: The Book of Beraishis. Brooklyn, New York: Bnay Yaakov Publications, 1986. Weissman, Rabbi Moshe. The Little Midrash Says: The Book of Sh 'mos. Brooklyn, New York: Bnay Yaakov Publications, 1987.