brit milah (Hebrew: ???????????? ?, pronounced [b? it mi'la] ; Ashkenazi Pronunciation: [b? is' ​​mi?] , "circumcision agreement"; Yiddish pronunciation: bris [b ?? s] ) is a Jewish male circumcision ceremony performed by a mohel ("circumciser") on the eighth day of the baby's life. The brit milah followed by a celebratory meal ( seudat mitzvah ).
Video Brit milah
Biblical references
According to the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 17: 10-14) God commands the Abrahamic Bible patriarch to be circumcised, the act to which his offspring follow:
10 This is My covenant, which ye shall guard, between Me and you and your offspring after you: every male among you will be circumcised. 11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 And he who is eight days shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generation, he who is born at home, or bought with money from strangers, who are not your descendants. 13 He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man uncircumcised in his foreskin, the soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.
Also, Leviticus 12: 3 gives: "And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised."
According to the Hebrew Bible, it was "a reproach" for an Israelite to be uncircumcised (Joshua 5: 9). The term aristocracy was "unlawful" [plural] used cruelly, showing the Philistines and people other non-Israelis (I Samuel 14: 6, 31: 4; II Samuel 1:20) and used together with the tameh (not sure) to the infidels (Isaiah 52: 1). The words "i> arnel (" uncircumcised ") are also used for" watertight "(Leviticus 26:25," their uncircumcised hearts " 9); it is also applied to the first three-year-old fruit tree, which is forbidden (Leviticus 19:23).
However, the Israelites who were born in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt were not circumcised. Joshua 5: 2-9, explains, "all those who come out" of Egypt have been circumcised, but those "born in the wilderness" are not circumcised. Therefore, Joshua, before the Passover feasts, circumcised them in Gilgal specifically before they entered Canaan. Abraham was also circumcised when he moved to Canaan.
The prophetic tradition emphasizes that God expects people to be good and pious, and that Gentiles will be judged on their ethical conduct, see Noahide's Law. Thus, Jeremiah 9: 25-26 says that the circumcised and uncircumcised will be punished just as God did; because "all nations uncircumcised, and all the children of Israel are not circumcised in their hearts."
The non-obedience penalty is kareth (the spiritual exclusion of the Jews), as recorded in Genesis 17: 1-14. Conversion to Judaism for non-Israelites in biblical times required circumcision, otherwise people could not take part in the offering of the Passover (Exodus 12:48). Today, as in the days of Abraham, there was a need for repentance in the Orthodox, Conservative Judaism and Reformation. (Genesis 34: 14-16).
As found in Genesis 17: 1-14, brit milah is deemed so important that it should be the eighth day of the Sabbath, an act normally prohibited because the sanctity of the day is permitted to meet the requirements for circumcision. The Talmud, when discussing the importance of Milah, compares it with the equivalent of all other mitzvots (orders) based on gematria for brit 612 (Tractate Nedarim 32a).
Agreements in ancient times were sometimes sealed by cutting off an animal, with the implication that the offending party would suffer the same fate. In Hebrew, a verb meaning "to seal the covenant" is literally translated as "cut". It is presumed by Jewish scholars that the foreskin removal symbolically represents the sealing of such a covenant.
Because Jesus has performed this ceremony as a Jewish child, the memory of this tradition has been preserved in traditional Christian churches according to Luke's Gospel. The celebration of the Circumcision of Christ was kept as a party eight days after the Nativity in a number of churches including the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, the Lutherans and several Anglican Communion churches. In the Orthodox Christian tradition, children are officially named on the eighth day after birth with a special naming prayer.
Significantly, the tradition of baptism universally replaces circumcision among Christians as the main transitional rite found in the Epistle of Paul to Colossians and in Acts.
Maps Brit milah
Ceremony
Mohel
A mohel is a Jew who is trained in the practice of brit milah , "the covenant of circumcision." According to traditional Jewish law, in the absence of a free Jewish male expert who grew up, anyone who possessed the necessary skills was also authorized to perform circumcision, provided he was a Jew. However, most non-Orthodox Judaism streams allow female mohels, called mohalot (Hebrew: ????????? ?, plural of Hebrew subtitle "> ???????? mohelet , feminine of mohel ), without limitation. In 1984, Deborah Cohen became the first certified Reform mohelet; he was certified by Berit Mila's program of Reform Judaism.
Time and place
It is customary for the English to be held in the synagogue, but it can also be held at home or at other appropriate locations. This Brit is done on the eighth day of the birth of a baby, taking into account that according to the Jewish calendar, the day begins at dusk the previous day. If the baby is born on a Sunday before sunset, the Brit will be held the following Sunday. However, if the baby is born on Sunday night after sunset, Brit will come on the following Monday. The Englishman happens on the eighth day after birth even if the day is a Shabbat or holiday. Brit is traditionally performed in the morning, but can be done anytime during the daytime.
> Health for suspension
The Talmud explicitly instructed that a boy should not be circumcised if he had two brothers who died from complications arising from their circumcision, and Maimonides said that the step brothers were excluded from this side of the father. This may be due to concerns about hemophilia.
A study in Israel found high rates of urinary tract infections if the bandage was left too long.
If the child is born prematurely or has other serious medical problems, a brit delay will be delayed until the doctor and mohel consider the child to be strong enough.
Adult circumcision
The most prominent of the acharonim rule that mitzvah brit milah lies in the pain it causes, and drugs, sedatives, or ointments in general should not be used. However, it is generally common to feed a baby a drop of wine or other sweet liquor to soothe it.
Eliezer Waldenberg, Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, Shmuel Wosner, Moshe Feinstein and others agree that the child should not be sedated, although the painkiller ointment may be used under certain conditions; Shmuel Wosner specifically asserts that the act should be painful, per Psalm 44:23.
About adult circumcision, the pain is ideal, but not compulsory.
In a letter to the editor published in The New York Times on January 3, 1998, Rabbi Moshe David Tendler disagreed with the above and wrote, "This is a biblical prohibition to cause someone who does not need pain ". Rabbi Tendler recommends the use of analgesic cream. Lidocaine should not be used, however, because Lidocaine has been associated with several episodes near child mortality.
Kvater
The title kvater among Ashkenazi Jews is for the one who takes the baby from mother to father, who in turn takes it to mohel. This honor is usually given to a spouse without children, as a reward or original (a panacea) that they should have their own children. The origin of the term is Central German High gevater (e) ("godfather").
Seudat mitzvah
After the ceremony, the celebratory meal takes place. At birama hamazon , an additional introductory line, known as Nodeh Leshimcha , was added. These lines praised God and sought permission from God, the Torah, Kohanim and honorable people who were present to continue with grace. When four major blessings are concluded, a special prayer ha-Rachaman will be read out. They ask for various blessings by God that include:
- their baby parents, to help them raise them wisely;
- the sandek (child's companion);
- baby boys have strength and grow to believe in God and see him three times a year;
- the mohel for without a doubt doing the ritual;
- to send the Jewish Messiah quickly in this favor mitzvah ;
- to send the prophet Elijah, known as "Kohen Straight", so that God's covenant can be fulfilled with the re-establishment of the throne of King David.
Ritual Components
Uncover, priah
At the neonatal stage, the inner prepuce epithelium is still associated with the surface of the gland. The mitzvah is run only when the epithelium is removed, or permanently peeled back to reveal the gland. In the medical circumcision performed by the surgeon, the epithelium is removed along with the foreskin, to prevent postoperative penile adhesion and its complications. However, in circumcision rituals performed by mohel, epithelium is most often peeled only after the foreskin is amputated. This procedure is called priah (Hebrew: ????? ?), Which means: 'uncover'. The main purpose of the "priah" (also known as the "fairy brown"), is to remove as much of the inner foreskin as possible and prevent the movement of the bark, which creates the look and function of what is known. as "low and tight" circumcision.
According to the Rabbinic interpretation of traditional Jewish sources, 'priah' has been performed as part of Jewish circumcision since the first Israelites inhabited the Land of Israel. However, the Oxford Jewish Dictionary , states that many Hellenistic Jews sought to restore their foreskin, and that similar action was taken during Hadrian's persecution, the period in which the prohibition against circumcision was issued. Thus, the dictionary authors hypothesize that the more severe methods practiced today may have begun to prevent the possibility of restoring the foreskin after circumcision, and therefore the rabbis added the requirement of cutting the foreskin in a fairy. The frenulum can also be cut at the same time, in a procedure called frenectomy. According to Shaye JD Cohen, in Why Is not Jewish Women Circumcised ?: Gender and Covenant in Judaism, pg 25, Torah is only a command of circumcision (milah.) David Gollaher has written that rabbis add a priah procedure to prevent men from trying to restore the foreskin they: 'Once established, the priah is considered important to be circumcised; if the mohel fails to cut the network sufficiently, the operation is deemed insufficient to comply with God's covenants 'and' Depending on the strictness of individual rabbis, boys (or people who are considered to be inadequately cut) are subjected to additional surgery. '
Metzitzah
The guard (top middle) slid above the foreskin as close as possible to the gland to allow for the elimination of the former maximum with no last injury. Skalpel is used to remove the foreskin, and the underlying blue bag is a sterilizing pouch for metal tools. The tube (middle left) is used for metzitzah In addition to milah (actual circumcision) and p'riah , mentioned above, Talmud (Mishnah Shabbat 19: 2) mentions the third step, metzitzah , translated as suction, as one of the steps involved in circumcision rites. Talmud writes that a "Mohel (Circumciser) who is not sucking creates danger, and should be dismissed from practice". Rashi in the Talmud section explains that this step is to take blood from the wound to prevent harm to the baby. There are other modern antiseptic and antibiotic techniques - all used as part of today's billiary today - many of which say achieve the intended purpose of metzitzah , however, because metzitzah is one of four steps to fulfill Mitzvah, it continues to be practiced by many Orthodox Jews and Hassid.
Metzitzah B'Peh (oral sucker)
The ancient method of performing metzitzah metzitzah b'peh , or oral suction - has become controversial. The process makes mohel put his mouth directly on the circumcision wound to draw blood from the wound. The majority of Jewish circumcision ceremonies do not use metzitzah b'peh, but some Haredi Jews use them. It has been documented that the practice poses a serious risk of spreading herpes to the baby. Proponents maintain that there is no conclusive evidence linking herpes to Metzitza, and that attempts to limit this practice violate religious freedom.
This practice has been a controversy both in secular and Jewish medical ethics. The metzitzah rite is found in Mishnah Shabbat 19: 2, which lists it as one of the four steps involved in the circumcision rite. Rabbi Moses Sofer (1762-1839) observes that the Talmud states that the reason for this part of the ritual is hygienic - that is, to protect the health of the child. Chasam Sofer issued a concession (Heter) that some considered condemning to do metzitzah with a sponge to be used instead of an oral suction in a letter to his disciple Rabbi Lazar Horowitz from Vienna. This letter was never published between Rabbi Sofer's responses but in secular journal Kochvei Yitzchok. along with a letter from Dr. Wertheimer, the chief physician of the Vienna General Hospital. This relates to the story that a mohel (who allegedly transmitted herpes via metzizah to a baby) was examined several times and was never found to have any signs of illness and that the prohibition was requested because of "possible future infections". Moshe Schick (1807-1879), a disciple of Moses Sofer, declared in his book on Responsa, She'eilos u'teshuvos Maharam Schick (Orach Chaim 152,) that Moses Sofer gave a verdict in that instance specific only because the mohel refuses to back down and has a secular Government connection that prevents his dismissal for the sake of another mohel and Heter may not be implemented elsewhere. He also stated ( Yoreh Deah 244) that his practice might be a Sinaitic tradition, namely, Halacha l'Moshe m'Sinai. Other sources contradict this claim, with a copy of Musa Sofer's response that does not mention the legal case or its verdict which applies only in one situation. In contrast, the responses make it quite clear that "metzizah" is a measure of health and should not be employed where there is a health risk to the baby.
Chaim Hezekiah Medini, after corresponding with the greatest Jewish sage of the generation, summed up the practice of becoming Halacha l'Moshe m'Sinai and described what prompted Moses Sofer to give the above verdict. He told the story that a student from Musa Sofer, Lazar Horowitz, the then Rabbi Chief of Vienna and author of the respected Yad Elazer, needed a verdict due to government efforts to ban circumcision completely if it included metztitzah b'peh. Therefore he asked Sofer to give him permission to do brit milah without metzitzah b'peh. When he filed his defense in a secular court, his mistaken testimony meant that Sofer declared it a general verdict. The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), which claims to be the largest organization of American Orthodox rabbis, published an article by Dr. Yehudi Pesach Shields mohel in the 1972 edition of the Tradition magazine, calling for the abandonment of Metzitzah b'peh. Since then RCA has issued an opinion that supports methods that do not involve contact between the mouth mohel and open wounds, such as the use of sterile syringes, thereby eliminating the risk of infection. According to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and Edah HaChareidis metzitzah b'peh should still be done.
In three medical papers conducted in Israel, Canada, and the United States, oral prescribing after circumcision is suggested as a cause in 11 cases of neonatal herpes. The researchers note that before 1997, reports of neonatal herpes in Israel were rare, and that late incidence was correlated with the mother who carried the virus itself. Rabbi Doctor Mordechai Halperin implies "better living conditions and hygiene prevailing among the younger generation," which decreases up to 60% of young Chareidi's mother's levels carrying the virus. He explained that "the absence of antibodies in the mother's blood means that their newborn children do not receive such antibodies through the placenta, and are therefore susceptible to infection by HSV-1."
Obstacle
Due to the risk of infection, some rabbinic authorities have decided that the traditional practice of direct contact should be replaced by using a glass tube between the wound and the mohel's mouth, so there is no direct oral contact. The Rabbinical Council of America, the largest group of modern Orthodox rabbis, supports this method. The RCA paper states: "Rabbi Schachter even reported that Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik reported that his father, Rav Moshe Soloveitchik, would not allow a mohel to do metzitza be'peh with direct verbal contact, and that his grandfather, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, instructed mohelim in Brisk not to do metzitza be'peh with direct oral contacts.However, though Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik also generally forbids the metzitza be'peh by direct oral contact, he does not forbid it by those who insist upon it.. ". Sefer Mitzvas Hametzitzah by Rabbi Sinai Schiffer of Baden, Germany, declared that he had a letter from 36 great Russian rabbis (Lithuanians) who categorically forbade Metzitzah using sponges and required it to be done. orally. Among them is the Rabbi Chaim Halevi Soloveitchik from Brisk.
In September 2012, the New York Department of Health unanimously decided that the practice of bzeh metztizah should seek approval from the parent or guardian of the child undergoing the ritual. Before coming to power, several hundred rabbis, including Rabbi David Neiderman, executive director of the Jewish Jewish Organization of Williamsburg, signed a declaration stating that they would not tell parents about the potential dangers that come with metzitzah b'peh, even if informed consent becomes law.
In a motion for an initial court order with a view to prosecution, filed against the New York City Health Department & Mental hygiene, written notes by Awi Federgruen, Brenda Breuer, and Daniel S. Berman, argue that the study passed by the department was wrong.
The "informed consent" rule is challenged in court. In January 2013, the US District Court ruled that the law does not specifically target religion and therefore should not pass rigorous scrutiny.
The verdict was submitted to the Court of Appeals.
On August 15, 2014 the Second Circuit Court of Appeal reversed the decision by a lower court, and ruled that the rule should be carefully reviewed to determine whether the rule violates Orthodox Jewish religious freedom.
On September 9, 2015 after reaching an agreement with the public, the New York City Health Council voted to revoke the informed consent rules.
Hatafat dam brit
Mice brit is more than just circumcision, it is a sacred ritual in Judaism, which is distinguished from its non-ritual requirements in Islam. One ramification is that brit is not considered complete unless a drop of blood is actually taken. The standard medical method of circumcision through narrowing does not meet the requirements of halakhah for brit milah, because they cause hemostasis, ie , they stop the blood flow. In addition, circumcision alone, without ceremony brit milah, does not meet the requirements mitzvah. Therefore, in the case where a Jew is circumcised outside a brah-mil, a circumcised, or a apostle (born without a foreskin), the mohel draws a drop of blood (Hebrew: span lang = "he" dir = "rtl"> ???? ?? ?, hatafat-dam ) of the penis at the point where the foreskin will or installed.
Milah l'shem
A Milah L'shem jat is "Circumcision for the purpose of repentance". In Orthodox Judaism, this procedure is usually performed by adoptive parents for adopted boys who are being converted as part of adoption or by families with youths who move together. It is also necessary for uncircumcised adults, eg. those born in countries where circumcision at birth are uncommon. Repentance of minors applies in Orthodox Judaism and Conservatives until a child reaches adulthood (13 for men, 12 for women); at that time the child has the option of abandoning his conversion and Judaism, and the conversion will be deemed retroactive. He must be informed of his right to abandon his conversion if he so wishes. If he does not make such a statement, it is accepted that the boy is Jewish halakh. The Orthodox rabbis would not generally change a Gentile child raised by a mother who had not yet converted to Judaism.
Conversion and conversion laws related to conversion within Orthodox Judaism have many complications, and the authorities recommend that a rabbi be consulted well in advance.
In Conservative Judaism, Milah l'Shem's ritual procedure was also performed for a boy whose mother was not converted, but with the intention that the child was raised as a Jew. Conversion of a child to Judaism without maternal conversion is permitted by conservative halakha interpretation. The conservative rabbis will allow it only under the condition that the child was raised as a Jew in a family with a single conviction. If the mother converts, and if the child has not reached her third birthday, the child may be immersed in mikveh with the mother, after her mother has drowned, becomes Jewish. If the mother does not convert, the child may drown in mikveh, or body of natural waters, to complete the conversion of the child to Judaism. This can be done before the child is one year old. If the child is not immersed in the mikveh, or the boy is too old, then the child can choose himself to become a Jew at the age of 13 years as Bar Mitzvah, and complete the conversion.
- The ceremony, when the l'Shem is done, should not be done on any given day, and not befall the Shabbat and Jewish Feast.
- In Orthodox Judaism, there is a separation of authority on whether a child accepts the Hebrew name at a Brit ceremony or at immersion in Mikvah. According to Zichron Brit LeRishonim , the naming takes place in Brit with a formula different from the standard Milah Brit. A more common practice among Ashkenazic Jews follows Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, with naming taking place during immersion.
Where the procedure is performed but not followed by immersion or other requirements of the conversion procedure (eg, in Conservative Judaism, where the mother is unconverted), if the boy chooses to complete repentance at Bar Mitzvah, a lm the javelin is done when the boy's baby eliminates the obligation to undergo a full brit milit or hatafat dam brit .
Reason for circumcision
It is now generally assumed that Judaism adopts the practice of circumcision from neighboring cultures; their reasons for doing the act are still being studied.
In From Special Law, Book 1 , Philo Jew Philo (20 BC - CE 50) gives six reasons for circumcision practice. He attributes four reasons to "those who have divine spirits and wisdom." This includes the notion that circumcision:
- protects against disease,
- securing cleanliness "in a way that suits the person who is consecrated to God,"
- causes the circumcised part of the penis to resemble the heart, thus representing the physical connection between "the breath inside the heart that is the generative of the mind, and the generative organ itself is productive of living beings," and
- increase productivity by removing obstacles in the flow of semen.
For this, Philo added two of his own reasons, including the idea that circumcision
- "marks the figurative exclusion of all excessive and excessive pleasures," and
- "is the symbol of a man who knows himself."
Rabbi Saadia Gaon considers something as "complete", if it has nothing, but also has nothing that is not needed. He regards the foreskin as an unnecessary organ which God created in man, and by amputing it, the man is finished.
Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon "Rambam", CE 1135-1204), who besides being a great Torah as well as a physician and philosopher, argues that circumcision serves as a common body sign for the same member of faith. He also asserted that the main purpose of the action is to suppress sexual pleasure, with the strongest reason being that it is difficult for a woman to separate from an uncircumcised man with whom she has sex.
Author Sefer ha-Chinuch gives three reasons for circumcision practice:
- To complete the human form, by removing what he claims to be an excessive organ;
- To mark the selected person, so their body will be different like their soul. The organs selected for marking are those responsible for species survival.
- The settlement performed by circumcision is not innate, but it is left to the man. This implies that when he completes his body shape, then he can complete the form of his soul.
Professor Talmud, Daniel Boyarin, offers two explanations for circumcision. One is that it is literal writing on the Jewish body of God's name in the form of the letters "yud" (from "yesod"). The second is that the act of bleeding is a feminization of Jewish men, significant in the sense that the covenant is a marriage between Jews and (symbolically male) God.
Reform of Judaism
The Reformation Society founded in Frankfurt and Berlin regarded circumcision as barbaric and wanted to abolish it. However, while eminent rabbis like Abraham Geiger believed that the rituals were barbaric and outmoded, they refrained from making any changes in this matter. In 1843, when a father in Frankfurt refused to circumcise his son, the rabbis of all shadows in Germany declared that it was mandated by Jewish law; even Samuel Holdheim confirms this. In 1871, the rabbinic leadership of the Reformation in Germany affirmed the "importance of circumcision in Judaism", while asserting the traditional viewpoint that uncircumcised Jews were Jews. Although the issue of the circumcision of the converts continues to be debated, the needs of the Brit Milah for Jewish baby boys have been emphasized in each guidance or guidance of the subsequent Reform rabbi. Since 1984 the Reformation of Judaism has trained and certified over 300 of their own practice of mohalim in this ritual.
Anti-circumcision movement and brit shalom
Some contemporary Jews choose not to circumcise their sons. Among the reasons for their choice is the claim that circumcision is a violent act against a helpless baby, that it is painful and traumatic, and can lead to further complications in the way, including serious disability and even death. They were assisted by a small number of Reformation and Reconstruction rabbis, and have developed a welcoming ceremony which they call brit shalom ("Peace Agreement") for such children, also accepted by Judaism Humanistic.
This brit shalom ceremony is not officially approved by the Reformation or Reconstructionist rabbik organization, which makes the recommendation that male infants should be circumcised, although the issue of conversion remains controversial and that the circumcision of the transferee is not an obligation. in any movement.
The relationship between the Reformation movement and anti-circumcision, pro-symbolism is historical. From the early days of the movement in Germany, some classical Reformers hoped to replace the ritual of circumcision "by symbolic acts, as has been done for other bloody practices, such as sacrifices". In the US, the formal resolution of the Reformation in 1893 announced converts were no longer mandated to undergo rituals, and the ambivalence toward this practice had been brought to the classical Jewish Reformers today. In the essay of Elyse Wechterman A Plea for Inclusion , he argues that, even in the absence of circumcision, committed Jews should not be rejected, especially by a movement "where no other ritual is required". He went on to advocate alternative treaty ceremonies,
Many European Jewish fathers during the nineteenth century chose not to circumcise their sons, including Theodor Herzl. However, unlike many other forms of religious observance, it remains one of the last rituals that the Jewish community can uphold. In much of Europe, both uneducated Jewish governments and masses believe circumcision to be a rite similar to baptism, and the law allows people not to enroll uncircumcised children as Jews. This legal maneuver raises some debate about the importance of its use, as many parents then choose to convert to Christianity. At the beginning of the 20th century Russia, Chaim Soloveitchik advised his colleagues to refuse this move, stating that uncircumcised Jewish men were no less Jewish than Jews who violated other orders.
See also
- Brit rechitzah
- Circumcision of Jesus
References
External links
- Chabad.org's Brit Milah: The Covenant of Circumcision
- Jewish Encyclopedia for Circumcision
- Circulation of Jewish Circumcision - Brit Milah
- The law of Brit Milah by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments