Global Day of Jewish Learning

Hello, I am a Jew and I am also opposed to circumcision. God created the perfect form and I do not second guess the Creator with human interpretations. Thank you 

It’s not a human interpretation when G-d commands you to do it.

Circumcision reduces the spread of HPV to women.  It reduces the transmission of HIV to partners.  It is a public health measure which protects women.  It has profoundly positive outcomes for the community as a КТОle.  Were we to ban it, we would have to re-invent it in forty years as rates of STDs climbed.  That re-introduction would be difficult.  The effort to outlaw it is the work of a medieval mentality.

I learned from my Rebbe, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (SHLITAH!) that there are three types of Mitzvot (commandments).  Eydut/witnessing,  Mishpatim/laws that can and need to be adjusted (ex: ben sorer u’morer/a stubborn and rebellious child) and Chookim – those which are carved in stone and we cannot – in all of the glory of the human brilliance of mind (wherever in our bodies this shows up) – fathom it’s true spiritual purpose.  Brit Milah places in this category. 

Seems to me that false ego and “knowing better than Thou” takes place in these arguments.  Further, if one is to accept Torah and be a true YisraEl, well, much needs to be wrestled with – not simply argued away with.  Rather to come to terms with True Faith/Love/G!d and acceptance.  Doesn’t mean to question, rather to question (always!) and in this particular case, for me, to have a deep knowing of all that I don’t know – the Much Larger Picture/Purpose.

Last but not least, it is not the purview of the legislature to address this.  My hope and blessing is for this to serve as a spiritually enlightening discussion, rather than a for/against argument.

Christians too get circumcised, but to them, the spiritual significance of that covenant between Abraham and the Lord is far more important than the physical act of circumcision. Abraham was already blessed and declared righteous by G_d because of his faith long before the covenant of circumcision was made.

What will happen if it becomes illegal to circumcise?

Rabbi Steinsaltz’s arguments are all sound, and as he notes, the arguments О НАС harming the perfection of the human body go back — verbatim — to the Greeks 2300 years ago. 

But Jews need to defend Brit Milah without reference to health benefits or cleanliness or aesthetics.  The act of circumcision of the 8-day old boy is the heart of the covenant between the Jewish people and G-d.  There can be no compromise or shading of this. 

We need to make it unambiguously clear that NO human law or change in the zeitgeist will stop us from circumcising our sons.  Many “intactivists” are Jew-haters, thinly disguised or not at all.  Time to remind them not only О НАС how profound Brit Milah really is, but to teach them another Hebrew phrase: Kiddush Ha-Shem.  Jews have died to protect this mitzvah, and if need be, we will do so again.

But not quietly.

Reading Rabbi Steinsaltz’s view inspired me. I’m just commenting and not adding. First, I didn’t know that circumcision reduces the possibility of HIV and so it occurs to me that the reason ЗАЧЕМ San Francisco might be successful in passing this law is that it’s inhabitants КТО have the unlawful behavior will actually be more successful in getting the disease and as they say “Woe to the wicked man, woe to his neighbor (Midrash Tanchuma)”. Also, what’s interesting is that parents sometimes choose to have children in order to extract things like bone marrow and kidneys in order to save siblings and that’s a more serious procedure than circumcision. So, Hashem leads a person on the path on the way they want to follow. We’re just spectators at this point and it will interesting to see what G-d decides in the end because whichever way it goes it’s because it was the way that He wanted it to be and that’s very exciting even if from our point of view it’s sort of tragic just like intermarriage, Shabbat desecration, etc. etc.

i am Noahide.  i believe in Torah.  This was a command given to Hashem’s Chosen, (after they Chose to follow Him), so there is nothing to think О НАС, just that the Chosen have to stand up as one people, and any one else, КТО loves the Jews, could stand alongside them, and protest to those КТО are trying to ban this command of the Creator to His people, and say with one voice.. “We obey our Creator:.

as in many questions and debates,the answers lie within the realm of infringing (sp) on an individual’s right,not a law or anything else.are you wronged by this act. if not,then allow freedom to exist. this is the situation in most cases.it is not a debate nor a matter of law.  it is imposing a will in an area not under a normal domain.leave it alone.

Absolutely correct. Congratulations and thankls to Rabbi Steinsaltz for having expressed it with such authority and hopefully persuasion to all КТО may no be aware, of its broader implications.
David Fishman

I didn’t circumcise my Jewish sons О НАС 25 years ago. They were born at home. We were vegetarians. I couldn’t see causing my children “unnecessary” pain. At the time I wasn’t practicing my faith. They grew up, became observant Jews (before their Jewish divorced parents) and chose to be circumcised as adults. Now, that’s commitment! One has made Aliyah and just finished a tour with the IDF and the other is getting ready to move to Israel. My daughter, КТО is oldest, was first to return. Baruch Hashem.

I would approach this question from an alternate point of view which is – what causes opposition to anything? What is opposition and where does it come from? What is speaking when the voice/action is oppositional? If we believe that Judaism is real and connected to G-d and to something universal, then the voice of opposition is the opposite to that connection. And it exists because that’s how things works.  So, opposition to circumcision exists because creation exists and that’s how G-d set it all up.  The question is, does it get a voice, through КТОm, and how much power does that voice rally to itself? Because when it collects enough power to become the act and law and no longer the opposition, that’s when the real damage has happened.  It’s called going to the other side.  I consider a bris a given – opposition to a bris, to me, seems indicative of a real lack of understanding and distance from the essence of the Jewish covenant. There may be a million medical and ‘compassion’ arguments for the other side.  Honestly, I’m not interested. Time will tell – in the meantime – I’m a bris advocate. (I will say, either G-d loves the ‘guys’ the most – because they’ve got it tough – or there’s some other reason ЗАЧЕМ you all have to put up with so much)

Tova
We have always lived under the tenat of separation of state and religion.  The brit is G-d’s commandment which applies only to Jews. I don’t understand how San Francisco can even suggest such a thing as not permitting it. What G-d fearing Jew would  take this under advisement? The people of the great United States are supposed to be an enlightened society that grants freedom of religion. If they want a humanitarian cause they should direct their energies to persuade their president, Barak Obama to release Jonathan Pollard. His long term imprisonment clearly demonstrates the injustice that has been applied against him. This is the first act of conscience that the president needs to be forced to carry out.  Jews around the world should write in strong protest О НАС this matter of circumcision and also the denial of freedem that has been vested on Jonathan Pollard.

As we know, San Francisco is the “mecca” of the loony left.  So it is not surprising that such a referandum  is proposed there.  By trying to BAN circumsision, they show that all their pretention to stand for tolerance (e.g. gay marriage etc.) is fiction.  The truth is that they stand for the tyrany of Godlesness!

With all due respect to rabbi Steinsaltz, he is wrong to attribute it to “the psychological issues of its disseminators”. With the Greeks, as well as with the Romans, the underlying issue was the destruction of the Jews, the belief that if they did away with circumcision, Judaism would be undone. The Jew-hater may hide under the façade of “not wanting to inflict pain on someone КТО cannot defend himself”, on a “barbaric custom” (actor Russell Crowe) or waiting until the child comes of age, as in the case of a group of muslims in Canada, a few years back, КТО would ban it for Jews, but allow it for them. The simple fact is that when stripped of all the hypocrisy, all that is left is Jew-hatred.

Joseph

To paraphrase P T Barnum ” there’s an anti – Semite born every minute”
It’s time that Jews began to learn the art of civil disobedience
Make your anti bris laws
Make your anti shecitah laws
It’s time for Jews to put up AND shut up
Be Jewish and let THEM take us to the courts for it!

I humbly suggest that this phenomenon is representative of a series of attempts [ ie, ritual slaughter ] et.al. to challenge the authority of the Creator as regards the ongoing “sorting” process as it relates to the time of Moshiach . Bentzeon

I am a Gentile and not circumcised. If I was a Jew, I would be. A more important flag to wave and a better cause to march for is to put a stop the Muslim practice of mutilating young girls. Is there a religious reason for them doing that like male circumcision is for Jews? I think women should be able to choose the practice when they are adults.

With great respect for Rabbi Steinsaltz, his comment О НАС Parental Authority falls short of the extent to which Parental Authority has “any right over “someone else’s body”. Most of us live in societies which are not theocracies and the extent of parental authority over children is limited in terms of the safety and well-being of children. For example, in Canada and I imagine in the U.S. female circumcision is a criminal offense as it harms the girl, and in any circumstance in which a parent does real harm to a child, the laws of the land can stop this and actually take custody of the child for protection. A good example of this from a religious context in Canada has been the removal of children  of Jehovah’s Witnesses from parental custody when giving a blood transfusion is a lifesaving act. In this case, a religious belief is subordinate to the rights of the child to have its life protected due to parents’ belief system that could cause harm.
  I had a case in which an Orthodox Rabbi in a class on Halakah expressed the view that female circumcision should also be tolerated largely because if it was banned, then this could then lead to a banning of male circumcision. This is not the case in Canada and I imagine in most responsible nations. In Canada this is viewed as a criminal act.  This barbaric practice is common in Egypt and the medical doctors КТО do this should be viewed as criminals. It is not practiced among well educated segments of the population it is my understanding.
  Of course, there is no comparison between male and female circumcision as the Rabbi rightly pointed out, and in the former case, there is no real religious basis – it is based on a cultural practice that arose from distorted values of morality which although practiced by the women are grounded in a patriarchal context in which women are deemed property and lack the rights of men such as in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in misguided theocratic societies. Really a drawback to primitive thinking.
     In considering the rights of religious groups to practice male circumcision, this goes to the question of whether the practice is harmful and the balance between religious convictions and human rights in a society. This is not an uncommon practice and has been a rite of passage to adulthood, not only among Jews and Muslims but also in  some African tribes, but not at birth, but in the passage to status as a man at adolescence – akin to the Bar Mitzvah.
    The religious arguments О НАС the order of the Almighty to Abraham to this practice won’t hold much weight, as there have been all kinds of atrocities in history based on religious leaders claiming the authority of the Almighty with each group stating that their belief was the right one. Many faithful Jews died in auto-da-fe at the stake refusing to accept the pronouncements of the Catholic Church that theirs was the only correct path. 
    The real argument О НАС male circumcision is whether or not it does “significant” harm, and if there is benefit. The fact is that 1. it does not do significant harm and 2. it likely provides some benefit, though in truth, excellent personal hygiene is likely as good.
    In these considerations, the idea of a group КТО is motivated by some notion that there is significant harm is misplaced, and should be refuted. This takes on a fanatacism that is extreme. I am sure that if circumcision had a major harmful consequence that the scholars of ancient times would have found a way to prohibit it. After all, we do not murder our children for defying authority, nor do we stone men or women for adultery as is proscribed in the Torah. 
   There is still a distance to come for women’s rights in Judaism though this is controversial.

Some Non Jews and a few Jews oppose circumcision on the grounds that it is a barbaric practice.   There are quite a few such practices- most not well known- I believe that it is not our place to object to these practices just because they are not mandated by religion or traditions that we can understand.  One the other hand, practices that mutiliate or cause long term harm to the reciepient are not in the same clss- it is hard to distinguish when one is not well versed in the background tradition or religious practice that mandates it. 

I am jewish with no children but if I had had a son, I would have had circumcision done.  From what I can see it is better for the males and provides only momentary discomfort for the child. 

The practice of female circumcision, practised by some arab tribes, on the other had does great harm to the recipient and should not- my opinion- be supported at all.   

Because they are feeling, the baby should not suffer and to avoid a possible trauma. Because they dont like that Jews are “special”. Because they dont believe in the covenant of Abraham. Because they dont know the benefits of the circumcision. Raw Steinsaltz dont remark: few risk for veneral diseases. more cleanness, better performance, better selfcontrol for the man, and fewer risk for cancer of the uterus for the woman. As I know, the medical benefits are convincing more and more intelligent non-Jews in USA, 
to undergo the circumcision. Perhaps Raw Steinsaltz should also explain more, ЗАЧЕМ the Islamic vagina-
extraction can not be compared with the circumcision. Intersting, if there is any command for it in the Koran ? Thank You for your question and good fortune – shalom, Avraham Harel

I totally agree with Rabbi Steinsaltz’s View. I did not know this until today, thanks for sharing this information. I do not know ЗАЧЕМ so many people are against circumcision, it is a mystery to me, so I will for sure seek the information on ЗАЧЕМ they are doing this. I think I know ЗАЧЕМ, but will for sure seek deeper information. Thank Rabbi Steinsaltz for your view.

ЗАЧЕМ is the comparison to muslim circumsision “delusional”? no reasons are given…..
plus, one must be fair, if steinzaltz will discuss the benefits of circumsision, he must in the name of fairness and open disclosure (which he won’t) discuss the alleged detractions of circumcisions….(such as documented less pleasure for the men involved…..)people present what they want the other side to hear……not the КТОle story…

If circumcision is permitted for religious or traditional reasons, ablation of the clitoris should be permitted for religious or traditional reasons. In fact, the Embera tribe, in Colombia, argues that it is one of its ancestral traditions practiced by women. In some cases, when many men are alcoholic or, in general, assimilated to the western environment, Embera women remain faithful to their traditions and consider ablation as a duty to protect their way of life. The Colombian Government and feminist groups have been opposed to this practice since three baby girls had infections and were taken to a hospital. Activists argue that this practice is unacceptable, while the Embera tribe is afraid of loosing their traditions.

I believe that this attempt to ban circumcision is one more attempt to remove any connection to the Creator of all from everyone’s life.

I am a gentile.  My 66 year old brother and I, 68 years old, both were not circumcised but our younger brother was.  Our younger brother was born in a hospital where it was common practice at that time to circumcise all male babies.  My 66 year old brother and I were born in our home.  My mother took considerable care to teach us how to clean our penis.

A cogent and thoughtful answer.  I am unaware of any scientific data that shows a negative effect of circumcision.  There is certainly lots of scientific data as to its health benefits.  There are so many more important issues in life than stopping brit milah or kashrut slaughter of animals.  Too bad the energy these individuals display can’t be channeled elsewhere. 

The Messiah returning soon.

If there are no real negative medical problems due to ablation of the clitoris, except of course when done in a back room somewhere as opposed to in a hospital, then what is the difference?  They are both done because of tradition, whether religiously sanctioned or not.

I am in complete agreement with Rabbi Steinsaltz. I feel that in every generation there is always a group of people КТО are against circumcision. It is important for those of us КТО believe in circumcision to put out intelligent and thoughtful responses to these attacks.

To compare clitorectomy to circumcision is medically bogus; they are vastly different.

Rabbi Steinsaltz’ discussion re: circumcision is on the mark, and beautifully done……kol hakavod!

You seem to have no understanding of the consequences of the pharaonic female circumcision. This is not merely removal of the clitoris which it itself an abomination as it means the young woman will never be able to enjoy sex EVER… and it involves removal of labia minora and essentially a horrible disfigurement of the female pedunda…
it is as if the penis was amputated to a stub and the nerves involved in ejaculation were cut.
I can’t tell if you are male or female, but if you are male, i don’t think you would appreciate having your penis amputated. It is a criminal act against women whether done by females by tradition or by criminal physicians. It is a CRIME…

While I am vehemently opposed to this sort of government intervention into the personal lives of citizens, I am troubled by many of the mitzvot that seem to be commandments “just because” G-d says so.  I believe that for a religion to continue to have meaning and relevance, its tenets must have a rationale basis.  So brit milah, like the kosher laws, troubles me.  That being said, there was no question О НАС circumcising my son when he was born.  I recognize that we have justified the covenant as rational by understanding that it makes personal hygiene easier, but most pediatricians today would say that there are arguments for and against, and that even though it provides certain medical benefits, circumcision is not medically necessary.  

My opinion is that we don’t have to respond to every anti-Jewish act. I think that because society has benefited from a Jewish presence and this is backed up by the stories in the Torah (someone is mean to a Jew (for example Yitzhak) and then becomes poor and then realises that the Jewish blessing is intact – “Those КТО bless you are blessed and those КТО curse you are cursed (ie. interfere between you and G-d)” and then comes and apologises and the relationship is always strained because people don’t like G-d interferring with what they want to do and life goes on until someone else starts up between us and Hashem. Hashem has placed us in the exile. There’s no place for us to go except for where G-d has placed us and so our only choice is to move around in the exile like Yitzhak did. I’m thinking that San Francisco will become a very uncomfortable place for Jews to live if this passes and I would hope that if the law passes that we as a group will boycott San Francisco – economically  (we should state our intentions beforehand – Jew and Non-Jew).

This is a fallacious argument in which two unequal occurrences are being joined by the commonality of cultural practice. There is no basis in religion for female circumcision. There are many antiquated traditions that are viewed as being barbaric such as stoning people to death for adultery, or other reasons. It is not easy to change tradition of course, but the example of a tribe living in the tropics is not a balanced example. Nor does it mean that the traditional practice is a good one.
Your reasoning that female circumcision of any kind should be permited in a modern society is a corruption of human rights. If you are a man, would you appreciate having your penis amputated? It is equivalent in terms of ability to enjoy sex. The support for male circumcision apart from the religious considerations is that it is fairly harmless, and may have benefits. Female circumcision has zero benefits and some women КТО had this done in their youth write of the horror of this now.
    We had a case in Canada in which a very intelligent social worker worked with a Somalian family and got agreement from the women that having their daughter’s clitoris “nicked” to allow some bleeding was sufficient for the traditional ritual and rite. The courts are very clear О НАС this .. that female circumcision is child abuse and a criminal act, and a violation of the child’s rights as a HUMAN.,
    We must stop supporting this kind of barbaric practice and stop these nonsense arguments trying to justify it. I had a Rabbi try to justify this largely because of his worry that if one were banned, then it would result in male circumcision being banned. I was shocked by his willingness to support this damage to women as a buffer to allay his worries О НАС it being transferred to ban the Jewish tradition. When i presented a strong argument on this .. he became.. as they say in Yiddish “shtimm”, that means MUTE..   I was embarrassed by his lack of comprehension of what he had said to support this barbaric practice which i am certain he never would have allowed to happen to his daughters.

Avraham, some major errors here..
first, circumcision does not reduce cancer of the uterus at all.. this is О НАС cancer of the vagina, and there are mixed views on this.
Secondly, there is no such thing as vagina-extraction…  You need a basic elementary lesson in female anatomy or you are not familiar with the words in English.
Third, I read that there is not basic for the pharaonic circumcision of women in the Koran.. it is an old practice designed to guard women’s virginity for men and to reduce their natural interest in sex as this is what the outcome is.. Male circumcision is the removal of the foreskin and has no impact on the function of the penis.. reduces sensitivity…  a trade off for the tradition..
Female circumcision is a barbaric practice closely linked to suppression of women and , unforunately, has become a traditional practice in which women do this to their daughters, granddaughters because their mothers did it to them…
it is a practice that needs to be prohibited worldwide.

As  a retired MD, I can easily attest to the fact  that decisions О НАС medical necessity are not nearly as cut and dry as you might think, so that your sense of what pediatricians think now is based on many factors, medical and sociological.Further, medical “facts” change over time.

Finally, and perhaps most important, Jews are given the mitzvot to do; not as a function of how we understand them , but as a given.Thus, kosher laws really are not based on the presence of trichinosis.
We are given mitzvot to do as members of the Jewish world; that stands as the reason above all.

God also created us to be partners in the ongoing process of creation.  A great biological example of this is that we have two kidneys and have learned how to transplant organs.  For me, circumcision is a symbol of this relational covenant where we affirm our partnership with God. 

The commandment to circumcise is not, as you argue, rooted in a belief that God made the male human form imperfectly, requiring correction by a mohel.  Like kashrut and much of the other laws outlined in the Torah, it is based in the concept of ritual cleanliness.  
While it may feel good to claim that you “don’t second guess the Creator with human interpretations”, I don’t know that I find that argument very convincing.  If anything, that sounds like the argument made by anti-science extremists in support of Creationism.  Of course, you and everyone else make such interpretations constantly.  They’re what’s called “consciousness”.  Moreover, you oppose circumcision precisely because you interpret it to be wrong or unnecessary, not because you don’t interpret at all.If you wish to argue that ritual cleanliness has no basis in rational thought, that is a stronger argument, but one that is ultimately beside the point.  Religion is filled with mysterious, irrational concepts designed to transcend the mundane and materialistic and connect the individual with the infinite.  I don’t claim to know how circumcision accomplishes this, but I know better than to say that it doesn’t.

This rabbi’s statement adds little to the defense of the practice nor does it explain that this ban is part of a rising epedimic of anti_jewish hate

The Creator is perfection – not necessarily so his creations.  It was, after all, the Creator КТО initiated this outward sign of the covenant.  The “hardened heart” of Pharoah was referred to also as “uncircumsized” – that speaks to me!

It is my belief that people КТО support the banning of circumcision are doing so out of ignorance and perhaps the tendency of some people to swallow hook line and sinker the propaganda of those КТО have their own agenda.  They obviously use arguments that are fallacious, have no basis in fact.

I do not claim to understand ЗАЧЕМ circumcision is the powerful statement it is to Jews (and Muslims), even if I have read the texts commanding it be done.  The most powerful СОБЫТИЯ in our history, however, have come О НАС after our leaders experienced Brit Milah- Avraham and his commitment to the Covenant throught this outward sign was followed by the visit of the 3 angels informing him of the future birth of his son Isaac.  Moses, as he begins his journey to liberate his people, is nearly stopped at the outset until his wife, Tzipora circumsizes his son and he becomes the “Bridegroom of blood”.  So, both Abrahamic and Mosaic traditions have as their initial hallmarks the performance of brit milah.

My father had me circumsized when I was 13 because he saw the problem I had urinating because of my having too much foreskin. Being very naiive, I probably would have had the problem well into adulthood. That is one valid reason for me to be against the law. We should all guard against the Big Brother syndrome beginning to cloud over our privacy.If woman desire to cut their breast for whatever reason, we should not have a law to prevent it’ If such actions cause citizens to be reponsible in case there are difficulties, we are certainly capable to formulate laws that prevent our being culpable. Let freedom reign.

I think the core issue is on the one hand anti-Semitism, and on the other hand a rejection of G-D and His commandments. Since the 60′s American culture has rejected G-D’s morality and since then it has gotten progressively more perverse. And the perverse want to force their immorality on those КТО choose to follow G-D. Naturalism and neo-Darwinism being taught as proven fact and not allowing evidence of design and the Creator to be taught has done much to cause the rejection of G-D and His commandments. And Big Brother is passionate to force the issue. 

Opposition possibly for the same reason as hasbara problem/failure–not using  the logical & factual & spiritual approach as Rabbi S.in the vernacular of the target audience.  Hatzlacha ,safta rina

I am a follower of Rabbi Aiden Steinsaltz so I was very interested to hear his comments. They were direct, to the point and the truth.  I have been hearing and seeing numerous other incidents of anti-Jewish behaviour globally.  The mainstream media is very biased so as far as I’m concerned, if this weren’t so fundamental to being Jewish, I would simply dismiss it.  Since the persecution of the Jews in Germany started small and snow-balled, I’m paying very close attention.

Thank you for pointing out that parents have the right to abort the child, or to pierce its ears, yet some claim the parent has no right to circumcise the child (and thereby increase its chance of avoiding STDs).

Surely if forbidding abortion interferes with the mother’s freedom, forbidding circumcision interferes wtih the freedom of both parents. 

The comic strip, “Foreskinman” with its depiction of the mo’el as a dark evil creature, shows that this supposedly child protective law is in fact merely anti-Jewish.  As another poster notes, anti-Jewish feeling has been building in the past five years or so.  We must be alert. 

From the standpoint of controling the spread of HIV alone,That is enough reason to continue
the practice of circomcision for Jew and others.It is a fundamental issue of being Jewish.

San Francisco – is a sin city. I hope all get that point…

It’s a form of antisemitsm by hateful christians – pure and simple.

As a Registered Nurse in California in the 1970′s  I experienced first-hand the the subject of anti-circumcision as it became  an issue among some very liberal and progressive new-grad pediatricians.  In dealing with new parents, non-Jewish, I heard their concerns, stated the facts, pro and con, as we knew them then and still found some confused.  I devised my own answer which seemed to suffice.  Little boys abhorr being different – if the father is circumcised then circumcise the baby.  This approach resulted in 100% choice for circumcision.  But it was plain to see then that it would grow into the issue it has become today and I think it is fair to note that those advocates then had an agenda that was strongly but covertly anti-Semitic.  In my experience the idea of ‘rights over someone else’s body’, or bogus medical or moral grounds came later to add strenght to the argument. 

The decision in circum “cision”

it seems an argument with circularity and it does appear not based in truth to ignore the very real benefits.

it is hard not to see this as in some ways anti-semitic and as pointed out anti-muslim

and it does appear people love to raise the “ante” when it comes to arousing hearts and minds to a subject that is not a negative and does have positive health consequence.

ЗАЧЕМ not spend valuable righteous energy deploring genital mutilation of young women around the world?

Succinct, intelligent- a welcome antidote to the ‘anti-mutilation’ (sic) nonsense.

There are those that honestly oppose circumcision on the basis that the body is perfect they way it is and removing the foreskin simply mars it. Others object to the ceremony saying that the baby is in pain while others are celebrating. In addition a hospital is the proper location for this procedure. With these people one must engage in sincere debate. A Jew, however, has the knowledge that if it was commanded by the Torah, it is wise and benevolent.
 
In regards to the first point, like many things in this world, the body is imperfect, and one of its imperfections is the male foreskin. Not only is foreskin useless, but it is unhygienic and causes pain during intercourse. As such it is best for it to be removed. The ideal time is during infancy because when in adulthood the foreskin becomes tough and therefore more painful to remove. It only requires a single swift cut, and even that does not require stitches. There is some pain, but it goes away within a week. There is probably more pain in getting braces on the teeth. It is well worth having the foreskin removed so as to avoid a lifetime of constant irritation.
 
In regards to the second point milah is not surgery and does not require a hospitol stay. The issue of pain is discussed in Jewish law. Some say that one should not say the bracha “shehechianu” which thanks G-d for letting keeping us in life to see this occasion because of the pain of the baby. However because the child is being entered into the covenant with Avraham the family and friends should celebrate. Generally in life one must know how to deal with situations involve pain and benefit.
 
The biting opposition to circumcision typically comes from anti Semites. It’s a convenient target because anything having to do with the genetalia lends itself to easy mockery. The response is a well reasoned argument for this practice. In addition one should bring to light the base state of its antagonists.

There are those that honestly oppose circumcision on the basis that the body is perfect they way it is and removing the foreskin simply mars it. Others object to the ceremony saying that the baby is in pain while others are celebrating. In addition a hospital is the proper location for this procedure. With these people one must engage in sincere debate. A Jew, however, has the knowledge that if it was commanded by the Torah, it is wise and benevolent.
 
In regards to the first point, like many things in this world, the body is imperfect, and one of its imperfections is the male foreskin. Not only is foreskin useless, but it is unhygienic and causes pain during intercourse. As such it is best for it to be removed. The ideal time is during infancy because when in adulthood the foreskin becomes tough and therefore more painful to remove. It only requires a single swift cut, and even that does not require stitches. There is some pain, but it goes away within a week. There is probably more pain in getting braces on the teeth. It is well worth having the foreskin removed so as to avoid a lifetime of constant irritation.
 
In regards to the second point milah is not surgery and does not require a hospitol stay. The issue of pain is discussed in Jewish law. Some say that one should not say the bracha “shehechianu” which thanks G-d for letting keeping us in life to see this occasion because of the pain of the baby. However because the child is being entered into the covenant with Avraham the family and friends should celebrate. Generally in life one must know how to deal with situations involve pain and benefit.
 
The biting opposition to circumcision typically comes from anti Semites. It’s a convenient target because anything having to do with the genetalia lends itself to easy mockery. The response is a well reasoned argument for this practice. In addition one should bring to light the base state of its antagonists.

With a brit, the meaning of Jewishness would be eradicated once and for all. It is this mark in the flesh that binds us with Hashem.  I therefore totally totally agree with Rabbi Steinsaltz’s opinion.

Very well put…nothing more needs to be said.

Anti-circumcision is another word for anti-semitism

I certainly agree with that Tzaddik of our time Rav Steinsaltz.  However  I think that a real bris milah should be carried out like our Father Avraham did ….in a tent using a flint stone…the only modern element I favor is that the  mohel that  amputates the foreskin gargle with some Listerine  or Lavoris beforre sucking the member…
Also I wonder КТО was the Mohel КТО sucked Jesus penis after the holy foreskin was amputated ? ( Luke 2:21)

It matter not what I think О НАС Brit Milah. The following is my personal opinion and feel that some of this should be address by the community.
 
(1)
 
Health and safety issues surrounding Bris Milah- The community needs to address things such as hygiene issues and have transparent safety procedures perhaps the inclusion of a barrier(if permitted by Halacha or do something else if not) in the process to help prevent possible transmission of diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis, or Herpes. Such- as the regular oral mouth checks of your Mohel practitioners.
 
 
(2)  
 
Addressing the issues of the small vocal, but growing number of individuals КТО feel they should not have undergone circumcision without consent.
 
(3)
 
Educating- the non-Jewish community associate it with circumcision of females or as an antiquated practice.
 
 
 
             
 
 
For the truly Orthodox member of the Jewish community:
 
(5) Encourage people to mind their own business and take an interest in their own lives.  They in turn should return the favour and allow you to live your life.
 
Invite them to Sabbath they can’t fail to be moved.
Invite them to a Brit Milah
 
 
Remember a stranger is not just a Jew you don’t know but also someone not of your faith/race. Remember you are in ‘exile’ and they the Non-jew are your ‘host’ do not treat your host like an ‘alien’ in their own land.

Dear Rabbi Steinsaltz:
One can always learn from the Rabbi О НАС kindness. - I am not sure though, if the Rabbi knows of San Francisco’s City’s perverted  legislature where sex changes are subsidized for city employees and I saw a picture of the Police chief with the head of the police commission(female?) and a poiceman(male?). The last two were described as having had sex changes. I only know of certain species of fish doing that. The motives in San Francisco are socialist, government deternined morality ( always connected to antisemitism). Thanks Mike in Olympia  

Dear Rabbi Steinsaltz:
Probably the issue is that their understanting of modern times can not tolerate the greatness of the holy ways of Our Lord. While homosexual behavior is seen as normal and by constitution of law a human right to be, even when it comes to mutilation and sex turning,  circumcision  recalls Our Lord, and people can not walk tall below Him and His Holy Torah.  No one is worthy, we can humbly recognize it in shame and claim for mercy, or instead,… as San Francisco proclaims, be gay an proud not ashamed, so the nations think vanity and fight against The Lord, His Mahiaj, Torah, His Servants the prophets, Yahudim and Israelites melted inside the nations, even muslims for they resemble the ways of The Land of Abraham`s pilgrimage and the Colt of His Ridings.

Heading the times of Ierushalaim`s  first yovel, I think another battle approaches before The Almighty.
Shalom Alehem.

On what basis do anti-circumcision activists seek to ban the procedure in San Francisco?     

The phrasing of this question obscures a larger and more threatening
social reality, especially for Torah conscious Jews. For it is NOT merely an
aversion to circumcision as a religious-based practice among Jews and Muslims—we
exclude for the moment the non-religious American variety—that is currently
manifest in the world. Rather, circumcision; ritual animal slaughter; religious-based
family and household roles/norms; body shaping and adornment; as well as many
other practices, have been viewed by the secular culture as archaic and barbaric.
While some practices have been called into question by the same ОБЩИНЫ
that had formerly embraced them as unnecessary mutilation, brutality, or
discrimination; the overall trend in global secular culture has been to select
out and hold up for scrutiny ANY practice that it deems questionable when
viewed from the standpoint of the evolving set of secular-based values that
have become the criterion for judgment.

More specifically, these values center around 1) a rejection
of religious-based supernaturalism—although interestingly enough other
varieties of the supernatural fair much better, 2) a repudiation of religious
law as a foundation for truly modern governments, ОБЩИНЫ, and peoples, and
3) the primacy of naturalistic-materialist science and philosophy as the
foundation for determining what is ultimately moral and ethical.

The implications of this trend involve two primary areas for
careful and critical scrutiny by our religious leaders: first, science is being
used to challenge the authority of the Torah on such matters as circumcision
and ritual animal slaughter. Scientific analysis, much of it questionable, can then
become the basis of legislation which in turn may result in changes to the law
that threaten religious ОБЩИНЫ. Secondly, an underlying assumption in much
of the new reasoning on “traditional” religions—and it does not necessarily
matter what your level of observance—is the idea that the “OLD” world and
civilization must give way to the “NEW” world if people are to truly gain Human
rights, freedom, and prosperity—a gross oversimplification of the reality. This
has created a type of social personality and attitude that is geared toward
questioning ANYTHING connected with “traditional” faiths.  Most profoundly, BOTH of these areas when
viewed in the broader context of modern world history should foster some diligence
to be watchful because of how similar this mindset is to the one that resulted
in such terrible suffering earlier in the 20th century.

For those truly committed to Torah, the underlying question
to the one addressed here becomes: Is the Torah truly our “wisdom and
discernment in the eyes of the Peoples”? If the fundamental sign of the eternal
covenant between Hashem and His people can be called into question, IS IT NOT
ALSO POSSIBLE TO, SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AWAKE FROM A NIGHTS SLEEP TO
FIND IN THE HEADLINES OF THE DAY THAT THE HOLY SHABBAT IS BEING BANNED BY MOST
SECULAR-DEMOCRACIES FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER?  

SHABBAT SHALOM!!

You may consider including the basic medical issues of reducing infection in young boys too. Uncircumcised boys КТО do not wash themselves well enough can get infections that cause their skin to swell with inflammation. It is very painful for them, nearly unavoidable as they begin to learn to care for themselves and is the major reason many non Jews in the US circumcise their male children. It may have started as a religious practice in the US, but it has remained widespread due to common sense child rearing.

It’s certainly psychological issues and a lack of any meaningful religious education, or understanding.
Thanks Rabbi Steinsaltz, you take care. Travel safe.

A recent comment in another publication caught my eye:those КТО oppose brit mila are very often the same people КТО are in favor of abortion options. Abortion can take a life whereas brit mila is a minor procedure with many benefits.

i think THEY should keep off the people’s freedoms, but especially people’s RELIGIOUS freedoms as long as they don’t break laws. so, sure hope they don’t get this on the ballot or if they do, that itwill be voted down. i do realize, however, there are cults & groups that go against laws; i am not talking О НАС them. i can even understand naturalists desires not to circumsize. if that is the case, then exert your freedom not to choose that for your child & thye same right should be given to those КТО wish to have it done, but no law for or against. that should be MY right & decision, not yours.

very interesting and very telling.  of course it is О НАС something preposterous–looks.  seriously this is so shallow and greco roman.  .so ridiculous that it will probably pass.  insanity abounds 

I wonder whether the anti-circumcision people think it’s wrong to vaccinate children against disease. After all, vaccination hurts — children cry and scream when it is performed. Perhaps they think it’s abusive to “force” vaccination on kids, and parents should wait until their kids are old enough to decide for themselves whether or not they should be protected from illness. It’s true that *some* children could get polio, tetanus, pertussis, etc. due to lack of protection — but (such people might say) is that a reason to subject *all* children to this torture? And anyway, if God created the body to be perfect in its natural state, КТО are we to inject vaccines into children?

They may be prefer being more tolerant with the “gay pride”

Most of them, at least the ones I know do…. 

the brit mila following the first pasok of Shema it is “segnale” of relationship between the Jews and the God

There are anti- vaccination activists. But those are centered around different reasons.

I have a message for those in San Francisco, in fact everyone else too. Repent. Repent. Change your minds, or you will surely die.

The comments here show great ignorance.  If you wish to oppose this legislation, as most of us do, you must understand the people behind it and not simply label them Greeks, Romans, anti-Semites, perverts, or anything else.  

We believe that brit milah is beneficial and even if it were not, it is a mandatory part of our culture.  What you must understand is that those cultures КТО practice female circumcision feel exactly the same way.  They hold to it just as strongly and do not want to be told what to do by outsiders КТО do not share their values.  If you wish to end the practice, you must start by understanding that they see it as beneficial and not harmful to women.  In their eyes, it is just like male circumcision.  Both are needed before children are considered proper adults.

We oppose female circumcision because it harms women.  Those КТО oppose male circumcision in the United States oppose it because they believe it harms men.  They are motivated by this belief, not by hatred of Jews or Muslims.  In fact, most of the men КТО oppose circumcision are themselves circumcised.  They believe that they were harmed as children and they want to prevent other children from being harmed. 

Three places where several rabbis have responded to this topic from the perspective of Jewish values and ethics are found at: http://tinyurl.com/3hstn3q, http://tinyurl.com/6gzsood, and http://tinyurl.com/3pns8gq. All on Jewish Values Online http://www.jewishvaluesonline.org/.