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Questions tagged [brit-milah]

Questions about circumcision (brit-milah in Hebrew)

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Honoring your Mohel

Is it brought down anywhere that one should show honor to the one who circumcised him, since he is the one who brought him into the covenant etc.?
שלום's user avatar
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Did Abraham use a flint knife for circumcision and/or for the akedah?

I've seen it queried why Tzipporah and Joshua use/are commanded to use flint knives for the circumcisions they perform (Exodus 4:25, Joshua 5:3) when they had access to metal (bronze) knives in that ...
ANH's user avatar
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Bris Milah vs Bris Periah and Deuteronomy 4

Full disclosure I am not Jewish. This is (it sadly needs to be said) not meant to be anti-Semitic in any way, shape or form, but it's an honest question. I am not that familiar with the Talmud or oral ...
agman's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
121 views

Two contradictory statements regarding Noach and periah

Zohar chelek 3, page 166a states that Noach didn’t have a periah. נֹחַ גָּזִיר הֲוָה, וְתָמִים, פְּרִיעָה לָא הֲוָה בֵּיהּ Noach was circumcised and complete, a periah he did not have. Despite not ...
user31723's user avatar
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On the relative densities of liquids

The Mishna, Shabas chapter 19, describes beating wine with oil (to make a healing ointment for a circumcision) as something that can be done a day in advance and therefore may not be done on Shabas. ...
msh210's user avatar
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2 answers
164 views

Why wait eight days to remove the orloh (foreskin) given that it is considered מאוס (repulsive)?

The Talmud often says that someone with an orloh (foreskin) is disgusting (e.g. Yevamot 71a). The Steinsaltz Edition explains: ומעירים: ואיצטריך למכתב [והוצרך לכתוב] "ערל", ואיצטריך למכתב [...
interested's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
59 views

Father of baby is an onen by bris

We know an onen doesn’t perform any positive commandments, what happens if it’s the 8th day for his son and he needs to perform the bris, is he allowed to do that, or make a shliach, or does it get ...
Chatzkel's user avatar
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Explanation for episode with Moshe's near death at the hotel

Exodus 4:24-26 describes one of the strangest stories in the Chumash. Moshe was on his way to save the Jewish people, and the Torah says that he stayed with his wife and children in a hotel. Next, we'...
robev's user avatar
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-1 votes
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Recent convert brit-milah question

How does one's foreskin grow back, and what does one do when it does? Is there anything one can do to prevent it from growing back in the future?
hoodieowner's user avatar
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Details of the origin of the term "מושך ערלתו"

Without going into much detail, the idea is totally inapplicable in our Halachic reality because we cut the ערלה completely. I understood that in rabbinic times where the term originated, that wasn't ...
Al Berko's user avatar
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The Sandek being called the 'ba'al bris' and not the Mohel

I received the following excerpt from a friend that comes from HaRav Moshe Wolfson's shlita (the Mashgiach of Mesvita Torah Vodaas) Emunas Itecha: Translation: And with this we can understand that ...
Dov's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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Delaying Circumcision If Umbilical Cord Hasn't Fallen Off?

While studying an Egyptian Halakhic book (Nehar Misrayim) I came across a ruling that a circumcision was pushed off if the umbilical cord hasn't fallen off yet. The book states this was the ...
Aaron's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
432 views

How did Tzipporah know how to perform circumcision?

I know that circumcision was existent in various nations before and after Matan Torah, and it was and still is practiced with or without the Torah. What's the difference between a Jewish circumcision ...
Just A Soul's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
104 views

When is a second milah required [duplicate]

When is a second bris milah required? Is it possible to require a second milah after masturbating for some time?
teshuva_seeker's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
144 views

Do we circumcise a corpse?

We circumcise stillborn babies for many reasons (see e.g., here). Would the same apply for one who it was unhealthy for him to receive a brit milah? For example, let's say person A's two brothers both ...
yogazefish's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
331 views

Per the claim that Abraham kept the whole Torah, why didn't he circumcise Ishmael and all his slaves earlier?

"Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Thus Abraham and ...
Al Berko's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
73 views

An uncertain end for an uncircumcised baby?

According to this article, a circumcised person cannot enter Gehinnom. It is for this reason that a stillborn baby is circumcised. So what happens to a stillborn baby that is buried without ...
Yosef's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
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Hypothetical, what should a wife do if she discovers her husband is uncircumcised?

Circumcision is an integral part of Judaism. That being said, there really isn't an "inspection" to verify someone is circumcised. Unless the individual is a convert, there isn't a ...
Michael's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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People born circumcised?

In this discussion, it's stated: "There is a minor tractate in the Talmud called Brit Millah which lists all the people born circumcised." Can anyone point me towards a copy of this tractate ...
Zarka's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
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Circumcision of Yishmael's descendants

In Bereishit 17:13 we are commanded to circumcise all children born in our households and all servants bought for money, consequently Abraham performed it on Yishmael too. This is one reason why ...
Kazi bácsi's user avatar
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0 votes
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Obligation to circumcise and repeatedly regenerating foreskin [duplicate]

From this related question, we can see that someone who deliberately stretches out the skin of their penis to appear uncircumcised is required to undergo a new pseudo-circumcision, and that, in the ...
Tristan's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
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Haftarah for a B'rit Milah?

Rema Orach Chayyim 428:8 mentions a custom to read a special haftarah for a shabbat following a wedding. Was there ever a custom to read a special haftarah for a shabbat on which a b'rit milah took ...
Joel K's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
113 views

Can a male child be forced to convert?

I have read that an adoptive parent (for example) can convert a minor child as the change in status is considered to the advantage of the child so it does not need his consent. This child can renounce ...
rosends's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
138 views

How many covenants did Hashem make with Abraham?

How many covenants did Hashem make with Abraham? When reading Bereshit/Genesis, on the Chabad website, one comes across various passages of Hashem's conversation with Abram/Abraham (chapters 15, 17 ...
ninamag's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
102 views

Looking for "The Jewish rite of circumcision" (1873) by Asher Asher

A Google search doesn't come up with any proper results at all. A jstor link and a University of Glasgow biography of Asher Asher didn't offer a link to the entirety of this publication.
Ilja's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
377 views

Rashi's explanation of why we are told that Avram was 86 at the birth of Yishma'el

Bereishit 16:16: וְאַבְרָ֕ם בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֵׁ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֑ים בְּלֶֽדֶת־הָגָ֥ר אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל לְאַבְרָֽם׃‏ Avram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Yishma'el to Avram. ...
Joel K's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
96 views

Teaching Torah to circumcised non-Jews

In his supercommentary to Rashi Genesis 7:2, R. Yissechar Ber Eilenberg cites the following from his teacher R. Mordecha Yaffe: וטעם שאסור ללמוד תורה לגוי הוא מפני הערלה שבו ויש בו סוד שלא להכניס ...
Alex's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
211 views

In circumcision, how "Metzitah B'peh" is to be performed?

I know that the origins of Metzitzah practice are those of health reasons, as the contact of blood with human saliva actually helped prevent infections (assuming the Mohel's saliva in itself was not ...
user13799's user avatar
  • 117
3 votes
1 answer
633 views

Why does Eliyahu appear at a brit milah?

There's really not much to add here... What's the connection between Eliyahu and the Brit Milah? We have a kiseh shel eliyahu (Chair of Eliyahu) and we mention his name when the infant is placed on ...
DanF's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
241 views

Why were women doing Brit Milah to their sons?

Unintentionally bumped into this verse (Macabbees A) that appears to be historically authentic: והנשים אשר מלו את בניהן הומתו על פי המלך. (And women who circumcised their sons were executed) Do ...
Al Berko's user avatar
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7 votes
0 answers
119 views

Is there a halachic preference for milah over hatafas dam bris?

While hatafas dam bris is clearly valid for a convert who is already circumcised, is this considered bedieved? Suppose a man who is not already circumcised intends to convert. Suppose he is also ...
Premundane's user avatar
  • 4,481
3 votes
4 answers
230 views

Born Circumcised

We know that Iyov, Adam, Shes, Noach, Shem, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe, Shmuel, Dovid, Kalev ben Dovid, & Yirmiyahu were all born circumcised (which is a very rare occurrence). My nephew was also just ...
Lages's user avatar
  • 1,094
2 votes
1 answer
778 views

Does a transgender male convert require a Hatafas Dam Bris?

Suppose a transgender male (born female) who's undergone bottom surgery and tattooing to make his genitalia look more masculine decided to convert to Orthodox Judaism. Would such a person be required ...
user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
774 views

What defines a person who is circumcised "of the heart"?

Circumcisions of the heart are a topic which I've seen mentioned a couple of times but never really delved into. While the word circumcision is used to describe it, the mark cannot be equated to true ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
181 views

Wrong brocho made at a bris for a ger?

I was learning Yoreh Deah Hilchos Geirim and couldn't find any commentators explanation as to what should be done if the normal bris milah blessings were made for the circumcision of a convert. It ...
yyb896's user avatar
  • 177
2 votes
2 answers
219 views

Minyan for Brit Milah, Funeral & Wedding

Is a Minyan required for a Brit Mila/circumcision, funeral/burial, or for a wedding/Chuppa? Usually they tend to be done in the presence of a Minyan but is it an obligation and are there any ...
El Shteiger's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
288 views

If someone's foreskin grew back, would he need a second Bris Milah?

Theoretically speaking, if someone's foreskin grew back after his Bris Milah, would he need another Bris Milah? Is the idea that the Bris be permanent, and if the foreskin were to grow back, it would ...
DonielF's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
129 views

Does a brit milah require the se'udah to be on the same day?

Suppose that an infant is healthy enough to have his brit (circumcision) on the eight day, but the doctor recommends that infant should not be exposed to a large crowd. So, they have the brit in the ...
DanF's user avatar
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5 votes
0 answers
49 views

Is there a scientific basis for the claim that the 3rd day from the circumcision is the most painful and dangerous? [duplicate]

Is there a scientific basis for the claim that the third day from the day of a circumcision is the most painful and dangerous? In Mishana (shabbath 19,3) מרחיצין את הקטן בין לפני המילה ובין לאחר ...
The Glacier's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
101 views

Is a "shaliach" required to perform a brit milah?

From my understanding of the way the mitzvah is phrased in the Torah, a person, should assure that he is circumcised. A baby, of course, cannot make this request at 8 days old, so, the father would do ...
DanF's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
112 views

Whence 'kvatter'?

As part of every ashkenazi brit milah ceremony I have attended, the baby was passed from a woman (the kvatterin) to a man (the kvatter, always her husband?) who then brought the baby in to the ...
Joel K's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
171 views

Brit Milah on 8th day v/s delays

This question pertains to how necessary it is to perform a bris on the 8th day from birth. I know that, if the baby is sick, it can be delayed (to a non Shabbat/Yom Tov day). This question relates to ...
D A's user avatar
  • 153
3 votes
3 answers
356 views

How do Jews handle when a baby dies due to circumcision?

This is a real question. I personally know of two cases. One is a friend of mine in USA. The other is in UK via my wife on a professional basis, where I was able to read the coroner's report. This is ...
Stewart's user avatar
  • 293
1 vote
1 answer
360 views

Difference between Shacharis and Mincha re:Tachanun if Sandek/Mohel/father is present

If a Sandek, or Mohel or father-of-the-baby are present during Shacharis, then the entire congregation skip Tachanun. If, however, they are present at Mincha, then these individuals do not say ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
169 views

Source for the idea that "bris milah" is a "bris achvah"

Where else do we find, like the sifsei chachomim writes (Bereshit 45:4), that bris milah is a bris achvah - a covenant of brotherhood?
Moishe Fishoff's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

Sources on mystical and spiritual meaning of Brit Milah?

What are some good sources discussing the mystical and spiritual meaning of Brit Milah as well as how it affects one's spirit/life/etc?
Dan Weisberg's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
178 views

Abraham circumcision?

As we know in our today's world, a sentence can be understood if the vocabulary of the words which are in that sentence is also already understood. But if there is a vocabulary which is not already ...
karma's user avatar
  • 369
3 votes
0 answers
100 views

What is the maximum age for Metzitza?

Part of the bris ceremony is metzitza. I was told that after a certain age (of the boy) it is not done (meaning an adult who gets a bris does not get metzitza). Is this true? What is the age? Source ...
hazoriz's user avatar
  • 7,398
7 votes
6 answers
2k views

Why does the word milah mean both circumcision and word?

What is the rabbinic explanation why the word milah means both circumcision and word? To translate this into Hebrew is quite interesting, it would read like, Why does the milah milah mean both ...
ninamag's user avatar
  • 232
3 votes
1 answer
134 views

Is a child allowed to circumcise his father?

Assume that the father is a Gentile who married a Jewish woman. The child, who is Jewish, obviously, becomes a mohel. Years, later, the father decides to convert, so he needs a brit. Is the son ...
DanF's user avatar
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