The original form of circumcision practiced by Jews has traditionally existed since the time of Abraham. The rite of milah, initially consisted of cutting off only the tip of the foreskin, the part that extends past the glans in the normal male infant. A more extensive form, involving periah (clearing the glans) was commenced after the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Two thousand years ago, Jewish hellenists, wanting to assimilate into Greek society, obliterated the sign of their circumcisions by finding ways to lengthen them, to make it look as if they had not been circumcised at all. This practice was unacceptable to the Jewish community at large.

Reason

As with many commandments, the Torah gives no specific reason why the covenant had to be remembered through circumcision.

The 1st century Jewish philosopher Philo stated that circumcision "represents the excision of the pleasure of sex, which bewitches the mind". A similar view is voiced by the 12th century Jewish scholar Maimonides once argued that one of the purposes of the Brit milah was to reduce sexual behavior and to weaken the sexual bond between man and woman (Guide for the Perplexed part III, chapter 49).

Kvatter

The name of Kvatter among Ashkenazi Jews is for the person who carries the baby from the mother to the mohel. The origins of the term may simply be a corruption of the German word for godfather^*, but it is also said to be a Yiddish erroneous combination of the words "Kavod" ("honor" in Hebrew) and "Tier" ("door" in Yiddish), meaning "The person honored by bringing the baby". The traditional custom is to honor as the Kvatter a young newly-wed couple (without children of their own yet) as a merit for having a baby. The young woman (Kvatterin) carries the baby from the mother and then hands it over to her husband.

Metzitzah

By mouth

Some have feared that the practice may spread diseases to the babies from the mohel's mouth (such as herpes), but most mohelim are aware of this and ensure that their mouths are sanitized and washed out by rinsing with alcohol to disinfect the mouth.

The foundation for the ritual of metzitzah b’peh is found in Mishnah Shabbat 19:2, which lists metzitzah b’peh as one of the four steps involved in the circumcision rite.

Rabbi Moses Sofer (known as "the Chasam Sofer) observed that the Talmud states that the rationale for this part of the ritual was hygenic — i.e., to protect the health of the child. He also cited a passage from the Talmud Tractate Nedarim 32a as a warrant for the position that metzitzah b’peh was not an obligatory part of the circumcision ceremony. As a result of these texts, the Chasam Sofer contended that Jewish tradition instituted metzitzeh b’eh solely to prevent danger to the infant and stated that metzitzah b’peh was not a required part of the circumcision ceremony, but nevertheless made the leniency conditional upon doctors testifying that the metzitzah with a sponge would accomplish the same purpose as oral suction. His letter was published in Kochvei Yitzchok.

^*

On the other hand, Rabbi Moshe Schick, the Maharam Shik, one of the most prominent students of the Chasam Sofer, states in his book of Responsa, She’eilos U’teshuvos Maharam Shik (Orach Chaim 152,) ^* that the Chasam Sofer gave the ruling in that specific instance only and that it may not be applied elsewhere. He also states (Yoreh Deah 242)that the practice is possibly a Siniac ruling, i.e., Halacha l'Moshe m'Sinai, and one is required to have Mesiras nefesh for the practice.

In addition, Rabbi Chaim Chizkiya HaLevi Medini the Sdei Chemed printed a 50 page section called Ma'areches Hametzitzah, also claiming the practice to be Halacha l'Moshe m'Sinai, quoting R' Yehudah Assad and others. He also elaborates more on what prompted the Chatam Sofer to give the above ruling:Sdei Chemed vol.8 page 238

He tells the story, that a student of the Chatam Sofer - Rabbi Elazer Hurvitz, The author of responsa Yad Elazer (This incident is quoted in responsa 54(?))- needed the ruling in defense to a law of the government in Vienna, his place of rabbinical authority - which sought to ban bris milah completely if it included Metztitzah b'peh, because of the concern of spreading disease to the baby, so he asked the Chatam Sofer to give him permission to do Brit milah without metzitzah b’peh. and when he presented the defense in court they marked down his words and published it as if the Chatam Sofer gave it as a general ruling.

He then adds, nevertheless it is my opinion that the Chatam Sofer never even wrote this letter it is a forgery in my opinion and even if the letter was written by the Chatam Sofer he surely didn’t give it as a general ruling, given that it was not printed in his book on halachic guidance which was the custom with all halachic rulings intended for the public. Included in Ma'areches Hametzitah is a pronouncement by several hundred noted Hungarian and Russian Rabbis, not to change the procedure.

Recent controversy

By tube

Most mohels have given up on the traditional practice of direct contact. The commonly used method is to have a glass tube between the wound and the mohel's mouth, so there is no direct contact.

In addition to three studies done in IsraelRubin LG, Lanzkowsky P. Cutaneous neonatal herpes simplex infection associated with ritual circumcision. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal. 2000. 19(3) 266-267.Distel R, Hofer V, Bogger-Goren S, Shalit I, Garty BZ. Primary genital herpes simplex infection associated with Jewish ritual circumcision. Israel Medical Association Journal. 2003 Dec;5(12):893-4Gesundheit B, Grisaru-Soen G, Greenberg D, Levtzion-Korach O, Malkin D, Petric M, Koren G, Tendler MD, Ben-Zeev B, Vardi A, Dagan R, Engelhard D. Neonatal genital herpes simplex virus type 1 infection after Jewish ritual circumcision: modern medicine and religious tradition. 2004. Pediatrics. 114(2):259-63, Canada and the United States have documented 11 cases of genital herpes.

Conversion and exceptions

A Brit milah could be circumvented with Dam Brit, or foregone altogether with a Milah L'Shem Giur:

Hatafat dam brit

Hatafat dam brit (heb. he:הטפת דם ברית "Drop of the blood the Covenant") refers to the fulfillment of the mitzvah of a brit milah.

Blood

Unlike the traditional Jewish method, when circumcision is performed by a urologist or other surgeon the foreskin is removed by constriction, either with the use of clamps or a synthetic ring. This non-Jewish method works by crushing the skin until it is severed. The nerve endings and the blood vessels are severed in the same manner, causing pain and hemostasis.

Role in conversion

Milah l'shem giur

• A Milah L'shem giur ("Circumcision for eventual purpose of conversion") is a private brit milah that is a "conditional act":
  • If anyone else is present, other than the biological parents and the beth din ("Jewish court"), it is considered "in front of the community" and invalid.
  • It does not have to be performed on a particular day, though it would be considered surgical malpractice (in the US) for the mohel to perform a circumcision after the child is 30 days old.
  • The child is not technically Jewish, and does not receive a Hebrew name.
  • This is usually performed for a boy whose mother has not converted, but with the intention that the child be raised Jewish. Should the mother convert, and if the boy has not yet reached his third birthday, the child may be immersed in the mikveh with the mother, after the mother has already immersed, to become Jewish. If the mother does not convert, or did not immerse in the mikveh, or the boy was too old, then the child may choose of their own accord to become Jewish as a Bar Mitzvah.
  • At Bar Mitzvah, if a Milah l'shem giur had been performed when the boy was an infant, it would remove the obligation to undergo either a full brit milah or hatafat dam brit.
  • If the mother does not convert to Judaism, the child may be immersed in a mikveh, or body of natural waters, to complete the child's conversion to Judaism. This can be done before the child is even one year old. This conversion of a child to Judaism without the conversion of the mother is allowed by halakha ("Jewish law"), but only under the condition that the child be raised as a Jew in a single-faith household. Technically the conversion is valid until the boy reaches the age of 13. At that time he has the option of renouncing his conversion and Judaism, and the conversion will then be considered invalid. If he does not make such a statement it is accepted that the boy is halakhically Jewish.

Social context

According to the Hebrew Bible, it was "a reproach" for an Israelite to be uncircumcised (Joshua 5:9.) The name arelim ("uncircumcised" is used opprobriously, denoting the Philistines and other non-Israelites (I Samuel 14:6, 31:4; II Samuel 1:20) and used synonymously with tameh (unclean) for heathen (Isaiah 52:1). The word arel ("uncircumcised" [singular) is also employed for "unclean" (Leviticus 26:41, "their uncircumcised hearts"; compare Jeremiah 9:25; Ezekiel 44:7,9); it is even applied to the first three years' fruit of a tree, which is forbidden (Leviticus 19:23).

However, the Israelites born in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt were not circumcised. Joshua 5:2-9, explains, "all the people that came out" of Egypt were circumcised, but those "born in the wilderness" were not. Therefore Joshua, before the celebration of the Passover, had them circumcised at Gilgal.

Deuteronomy 10:16 says: "Circumcise the foreskin of your heart," suggesting that ethical acts (among people) are as important as spiritual acts (between people and God). The prophetic tradition emphasizes that God expects people to be good as well as pious, and that non-Jews will be judged based on their ethical behavior. Thus, Jeremiah 9:25-26 says that circumcised and uncircumcised will be punished alike by the Lord; for "all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart."

Recent views

Historical view

The anti-circumcision movement

This ceremony is not officially approved of by the Reform or Reconstructionist rabbinical organizations. Rabbis in these movements strongly recommend circumcision for all male infants, and for all men who convert into Judaism. In contrast with Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism, these formerly liberal denominations generally have made this a strong "recommendation" as opposed to an "obligation" (or "requirement"). Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism have often accepted medical circumcisions performed by doctors as sufficient to fulfill the commandment of brit milah. However, in recent years these movements have begun stressing the religious and ritual nature of circumcision and have begun training their own experts (mohalim) in this ritual. Brit Shalom is most fully accepted in Humanistic Judaism.

In Israel there are several secular groups such as Kahal that advocate against or supply information that is critical of circumcision.

See also

• Circumcision in the Bible
• Zeved habat (welcoming ceremony for girls)
• Redemption of First-born (Pidyon ha-ben)
• Brit shalom
• Vacht Nacht (Ceremony the night before the Brit Milah)
• Shalom zachar Festive Meal on the first friday night after the birth of a boy.

References