Jesus, circumstision?

format_quote Originally Posted by Keltoi

If you read Luke 2:1, I believe, it says Jesus was circumsized on the 8th day of his life.

Of course he was circumcized on the 8th day(Brith mila) of his life he was a jew

The reason christians dont circumcises is because the romans(that made the current faith) didnt want to!!!

Circucision, both the male and females variety, has got to be one of the most confusing things religion has cooked up. Why would God want you to mutilate your body? The one that he supposedly perfectly created for you?

format_quote Originally Posted by Pygoscelis

Circucision, both the male and females variety, has got to be one of the most confusing things religion has cooked up. Why would God want you to mutilate your body? The one that he supposedly perfectly created for you?

Exactly. I can't find any justification for mutilating the bodies of defenseless babies. I consider it a barbaric practise.

What is the Torah source for circumcision?


It is written in the Torah: "This is My covenant that you shall observe between Me and you and your children after you, to circumcise your every male. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall become the sign of a covenant between Me and you".( Genesis. 17:10-11.) This is the only commandment of the Torah called "the sign of a covenant" between God and the Jewish people. In fact, the Torah mentions the word "Brit" (Heb. covenant) 13 times in connection with circumcision, which is why the word "Brit" has become synonymous with circumcision.


The Torah mentions the word "Brit" 13 times in connection with circumcisionThe covenant between G-d and the Jewish people is so profound and significant that the circumcision is performed at the earliest possible time in a person's life. The Torah tells us that this is on the eighth day after birth.

One way is to look at this from a spiritual perspective. There's a lot written in Kabbalah and Chassidut. It's difficult reading in the original, but basically, what they are all saying is that the body has to be attuned to receiving G-dly energy and become one with that.

The effect of every Mitzvah is to take a portion of the physical world and make it spiritual. That could be the food we eat, the money we give to Tzedakah, the bed we provide to weary travelers--but it all starts with our own bodies.


Not everything is within our power to elevate to the spiritual. A cow that has been slaughtered according to the laws of shechita can be elevated by eating its meat for a Shabbos meal and using its hide to make a sefer Torah. A pig, no matter which way you slaughter it, can't be made spiritual by eating it. As far as we're concerned, it's stuck until another era when its impurity will be removed (--there's an opinion of the sages that the pig will become Kosher in the Time to Come). As it stands now, the meat of a pig is not fit to receive that G-dly energy. That's why it is called "assur", translated as "forbidden", but literally meaning "bound". It is tied and bound below, and cannot be elevated above.


When it comes to our own bodies, they also need a 'hakshara'--a preparation to make them fit to receive G-dliness. This way, the physical body itself can become a G-dly article, just like a sefer Torah. We must eat kosher food. And we must have a Brit. Until then, the soul may be pure and whole, but the body remains unattuned and foreign to anything G-dly. It's door is closed and G-dliness can only hover beyond it, unable to enter.


What about women? How is their body made fit? Several rabbis answer this, according to the tradition that Adam was created both man and woman and then separated. So each man and woman is only half a body. Which means that every Jewish woman does have a brit--at least potentially--in the flesh of the other half of her body, wherever he may roam.

What is a brit?

A. A Brit is a circumcision. It is Positive Mitzvah #215. A newborn Jewish male is joined to the Jewish People by brit on the eighth day of his life.
B. "Brit" means “pact.” Abraham’s faith was tested ten times by G-d, after which G-d was assured that his convictions were unshakeable. The ninth ordeal was to remove the excess foreskin of the male organ, denoting spiritual domination over base compulsion. After all ten, Abraham entered into a pact of mutual faith with G-d that lives forever.

C. While the Torah sets the brit date for Day Eight, if Junior is ill, yellow, or a preemie, the brit is postponed until he's ready.


How is a brit performed?


1. Surgery in the Living Room!

Home birthing isn’t the only medical procedure done in one’s house nowadays—Jews have been conducting Britot in the comfort and convenience of their homes for millenia. In the company of family and friends, the brit is performed by a Mohel, an expert circumcisor who ensures minimal discomfort for the newborn. However, due to space considerations and the fact that most britot are performed in the morning, most britot are held in shuls, immediately after the Shacharit services.

2. The Gory Details

You were expecting that, weren’t you? A brit is actually very sanitary: the infant is brought in on a pillow amid pomp and circumstance, and placed on someone’s lap, usually his grandfather or oldest direct ancestor. The baby bearer is called the kvatter; the lap baby holder is called the Sandek. Verses are recited from the Siddur, the foreskin above the corona is slid into a grooved protective steel plate, and with a razor-sharp blade, the mohel removes it with one swift surgical stroke. Of course, baby cries loudly, but 80 percent of the pain is shock, and of that 20 percent of pain, most of it is due to the cold metal. The skin itself is very soft, the cut takes less than an eyeblink to deliver, and the healing process begins immediately. Most infants show no signs of pain after a day or two. Immediately after the circumcision, the mohel tends to the healing process by applying bandages and salves. The newly-circumcised infant, pillow and all, is lifted from the sandek’s lap and placed in the arms of another family dignitary, called the sandek me’umad. Often a close relative of the proud daddy’s choosing, usually his own father, recites additional verses from the siddur, and calls out in Hebrew: “...and let his name in Israel be called [NAME HERE]...” After the naming, baby is spirited away to his mother, and family and friends alike sit down to a celebratory breakfast, as the brit is traditionally done as early in the morning as possible, denoting enthusiasm for the mitzvah.


Seven symbolizes nature: the never-ending routine of weekdays and weekends... Eight is beyond that. Eight symbolizes the supernatural3. The Power of Eight
Abraham was in his 90s when he circumcised himself—he had the self-control of a Jedi Master. His was a powerful mind—he understood what he was doing, and, understanding the critical importance of the pact, circumcised his first son Yishmael at the age of 13. At that stage, Yishmael was capable of asking intelligent questions. His relationship with G-d thus began with intellect.

Little Isaac was only eight days old when he got “britted.” Eight is one step beyond the natural. Seven symbolizes nature: the never-ending routine of weekdays and weekends, sunrise, sunset, day in, day out. Eight is beyond that. Eight symbolizes the supernatural. As an eight-day-old infant, Isaac had no intellect—just an overarching, permanent awareness of G-d seared into his subconciousness from his earliest days. His relationship with G-d was begun in a supernatural manner.

The survival of the Jewish people is supernatural. No one can explain it. And the Jewish nation’s very nature is supernatural because they descend not from Yishmael the rationalist, but from Isaac the humbly accepting. For this reason, the brit is done on Day Number Eight—the day that symbolizes the eternal supernature of the Jewish Nation.