The Beauty of Circumcision

You don’t have to be Jewish to celebrate the 3700 year practice of circumcision of Jewish male infants, according to Rabbi Yisrael Rice, executive director of Chabad of Marin. Rabbi Rice spoke at the bris of Shimon Gilbert, which occurred last Sunday at Chabad House in San Rafael.

He explained, “Each bris is a mitzvah, a commandment from G-d, the observance of which brings blessings not only to the Jewish people as a whole, but ultimately to the entire world.”

According to the Hebrew bible, the very first bris was that of Abraham when G-d commanded him to perform the procedure at the age of 99 years. Abraham’s son, Isaac, was circumcised when he was eight days old, as also was Isaac’s son, Jacob.

Brit milah, or bris milôh, are Hebrew and Yiddish phrases that translate to “covenant of circumcision,” a Jewish religious ceremony performed on an 8-day old male infants by a mohel, a person trained in both the religious and medical fields. The ceremony is followed by a celebratory meal.

Simon’s parents Liat and Mark Gilbert, their family, friends, and community members participated in the celebration of his entering the covenant.

Of profound importance is the word covenant. We don’t hear it used much outside of legal or religious circles. Basically, a covenant is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more parties to do or not do something specified.

The Jewish people agreed to observe all 613 mitzvot that G-d commanded them to keep, when all Jewish souls, past and present, stood at Mount Sinai. It is said that at that time a marriage took place between G-d and the Jewish people.

By keeping agreements in any marriage, partners create a trusting, strong relationship. In a good marriage each spouse will ideally want to do the will of his or her partner, without necessarily understanding the why or the how of it.

The bris is an example of a commandment about which human beings may not have a clear understanding, although many ordinary folks, and some sages, suggest possible rationales. Basically, it comes down to the fact that humans, being finite, cannot expect to understand the Infinite.

The bris continues to be a key rite of Jewish passage, not necessarily because it is so advantageous medically – which it is – and not because of other associated benefits, but because Jewish people who keep the commandment have faith that it is the right thing to do because G-d wills it.

Congratulations to Simon Gilbert, to his parents Liat and Mark Gilbert – and to the entire world – on the occasion of Simon’s bris.