When a gentile is already circumcised and wants to convert to Judaism, blood has to be drawn from his penis. Why is this? What's the point?
1 Answer
The drawing of blood, in the context of circumcision, forms a blood Covenant with God. As part of the conversion process, the person needs to join this blood Covenant, just like all other Jews who are part of this Covenant. If a person had their foreskin removed in the past, then the way to join this Covenant is by drawing blood from the same area where the circumcision would normally have been performed in the context of conversion.
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2Two examples might help illustrate: a Jew born without a foreskin (some sort of congenital defect) needs this done too, and a Jew who removed his foreskin using lasers or something such that no blood comes out does not fulfill the commandment.– Double AA ♦Jul 25 at 21:46