Festive Milestone or Barbaric Abuse? - A Gray-Area Guide to the Circumcision Debate
July, 2011, Rabbi Shira Shazeer
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Weigh the Jewish concerns
Circumcision is a very widely practiced Jewish ritual, perhaps in part because of its strong association with Jewish identity. Halachically, according to Jewish law, parents are obligated to circumcise their sons on the eighth day of life. The source of the mitzvah is the covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis chapter 17), which establishes a special relationship between God and the Jewish people. God promises that God will be with Abraham’s children throughout the generations, promises Abraham the blessing of fertility, and demands in return that all boys be circumcised on the eighth day. The penalty delineated in Genesis 17:14 for failing to be circumcised is karet, being cut off from the Jewish people. Nobody is quite sure what this means -- early death, some sort of divine retribution, denial of entry to the afterlife -- but it is understood to be very serious, in fact the most severe punishment in the Torah.
There are many ways to explain the reasons behind brit milah, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the blessing of fertility is tied counter-intuitively to a surgery on the sexual organ. It is an expression of faith in something greater than ourselves, an acknowledgment that the power of procreation does not reside solely in a man’s sexual organ.
Also in the mix of our cultural heritage are the occasions in which Jews have lived within cultures that were hostile to circumcision, where Jews have been identified and persecuted based on their missing foreskins. On an emotional level, for many Jews, giving up the practice would feel like giving in to the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Nazis.
But even though Jews have traditionally and historically held on to brit milah as a central ritual and identity marker, it is important to recognize that parenting is about choices, and that each parent (or set of parents) makes the choice for their son. For parents who believe strongly that the procedure has more risks than benefits, that it conflicts with their understanding of God, or that their son should be given the opportunity to consent, not circumcising is a serious consideration. What that means may differ in each family. Here are some practical Jewish implications:
A boy with two Jewish parents is Jewish, whether circumcised or not. If the boy is a part of a traditionally observant community, not being circumcised can become an issue when he grows up. After all, being chayav karet, cut off from the Jewish people, is a big deal. Even within more liberal parts of the spectrum, where the norm is still to do brit milah, an uncircumcised boy could end up feeling different, less Jewish, and eventually may choose to have the procedure done as an adult, when it will be more complicated.
If the parents are not both Jewish, then circumcision could also become an issue of establishing a boy’s Jewish status. Within Orthodox or Conservative Judaism, a boy whose mother is not Jewish needs to be circumcised as part of the process of conversion, if his parents choose for him to be Jewish. In a Reform or Reconstructionist setting, whichever parent is Jewish, the child’s identity is established by timely public participation in Jewish ritual and life-cycle events, the first of which is brit milah. So, an uncircumcised boy from an interfaith family who has always thought of himself as Jewish may be asked to “convert” when he grows up, even within Reform or Reconstructionist communities.
One final concern, before I move on to the next point: The brit milah ceremony is traditionally a community celebration. It is an opportunity to introduce a new child to a community that will hopefully be there to support him and his parents throughout their lives. There are families who feel that it is too difficult, too intimate, too private a ritual to share with a wider community, and though tradition prefers at least ten people be present, it is allowed to hold a private bris. In that case, or in the case of parents who choose to forgo circumcision entirely, it is worth considering holding an event soon after the birth, maybe even on the eighth day, to connect and celebrate with family, friends and community.
There are many ways to explain the reasons behind brit milah, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the blessing of fertility is tied counter-intuitively to a surgery on the sexual organ. It is an expression of faith in something greater than ourselves, an acknowledgment that the power of procreation does not reside solely in a man’s sexual organ.
Also in the mix of our cultural heritage are the occasions in which Jews have lived within cultures that were hostile to circumcision, where Jews have been identified and persecuted based on their missing foreskins. On an emotional level, for many Jews, giving up the practice would feel like giving in to the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Nazis.
But even though Jews have traditionally and historically held on to brit milah as a central ritual and identity marker, it is important to recognize that parenting is about choices, and that each parent (or set of parents) makes the choice for their son. For parents who believe strongly that the procedure has more risks than benefits, that it conflicts with their understanding of God, or that their son should be given the opportunity to consent, not circumcising is a serious consideration. What that means may differ in each family. Here are some practical Jewish implications:
A boy with two Jewish parents is Jewish, whether circumcised or not. If the boy is a part of a traditionally observant community, not being circumcised can become an issue when he grows up. After all, being chayav karet, cut off from the Jewish people, is a big deal. Even within more liberal parts of the spectrum, where the norm is still to do brit milah, an uncircumcised boy could end up feeling different, less Jewish, and eventually may choose to have the procedure done as an adult, when it will be more complicated.
If the parents are not both Jewish, then circumcision could also become an issue of establishing a boy’s Jewish status. Within Orthodox or Conservative Judaism, a boy whose mother is not Jewish needs to be circumcised as part of the process of conversion, if his parents choose for him to be Jewish. In a Reform or Reconstructionist setting, whichever parent is Jewish, the child’s identity is established by timely public participation in Jewish ritual and life-cycle events, the first of which is brit milah. So, an uncircumcised boy from an interfaith family who has always thought of himself as Jewish may be asked to “convert” when he grows up, even within Reform or Reconstructionist communities.
One final concern, before I move on to the next point: The brit milah ceremony is traditionally a community celebration. It is an opportunity to introduce a new child to a community that will hopefully be there to support him and his parents throughout their lives. There are families who feel that it is too difficult, too intimate, too private a ritual to share with a wider community, and though tradition prefers at least ten people be present, it is allowed to hold a private bris. In that case, or in the case of parents who choose to forgo circumcision entirely, it is worth considering holding an event soon after the birth, maybe even on the eighth day, to connect and celebrate with family, friends and community.
