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According to the Bible, it was "a reproach" for an Israelite to be
uncircumcised (Josh. 5:9.) The name arelim (uncircumcised) became an
opprobrious term, denoting the Philistines and other non-Israelites (I
Sam. 14:6, 31:4; II Sam. i. 20) and used synonymously with tame
(unclean) for heathen (Isa. 52:1). The word 'arel' (uncircumcised) is
also employed for "unclean" (Lev. xxvi. 41, "their uncircumcised
hearts"; compare Jer. ix. 25; Ezek. xliv. 7, 9); it is even applied to
the first three years' fruit of a tree, which is forbidden (Lev. xix.
23). However, the Israelites born
in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt reportedly did not practice
circumcision. As recorded in Josh. 5:2-9, "all the people that came out" of
Egypt were circumcised, but those "born in the wilderness" were not.
Therefore Joshua, before the celebration of the Passover, had them
circumcised at Gilgal.
Deut. x. 16 (compare ib. xxx. 6 and Jer. iv. 4) says, "Circumcise the
foreskin of your heart," thus giving the rite a spiritual meaning;
circumcision as a physical act being enjoined nowhere in the whole book. Jer.
ix. 25, 26 says that circumcised and uncircumcised will be punished alike by
the Lord; for "all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of
Israel are uncircumcised in heart."
Evolution of Brit Milah The original form of circumcision practiced by Jews was more minimal than
the form performed today. This rite, milah, initially consisted of cutting
off only the tip of the foreskin, the floppy part that extends past the
glans in the normal male infant. Two thousand years ago, Jewish hellenists,
wanting to assimilate into Greek society, obliterated the sign of their
"tip" circumcisions. Most of their foreskins were still intact, so they
found ways to lengthen them, to make it look as if they had not been
circumcised at all. This practice was unacceptable to the Jewish community
at large; the community responded by changing the circumcision rite to
remove all of the foreskin. Babies circumcised in this manner could not
later hide the fact that they were Jewish.
Control of Sexuality Some evidence suggests that control of sexuality was one reason for and
perhaps the original motivation behind circumcision. The 1st century Jewish
philosopher Philo stated that circumcision "represents the excision of the
pleasure of sex, which bewitches the mind". The 12th century Jewish scholar
Maimonides once argued that the purpose of the Brit milah was to reduce
sexual behavior and to weaken the sexual bond between man and woman:
Similarly with regard to circumcision, one of the reasons for it is, in my
opinion, the wish to bring about a decrease in sexual intercourse and a
weakening of the organ in question, so that this activity be diminished and
the organ be in as quiet a state as possible. (...) In fact this commandment
has not been prescribed with a view to perfecting what is defective
congenitally, but to perfecting what is defective morally. The bodily pain
caused to that member is the real purpose of circumcision. None of the
activities necessary for the preservation of the individual is harmed
thereby, nor is procreation rendered impossible, but violent concupiscence
and lust that goes beyond what is needed are diminished. The fact that
circumcision weakens the faculty of sexual excitement and sometimes perhaps
diminishes the pleasure is indubitable. For if at birth this member has been
made to bleed and has had its covering taken away from it, it must
indubitably be weakened. The Sages, may their memory be blessed, have
explicitly stated: It is hard for a woman with whom an uncircumcised man has
had sexual intercourse to separate from him. In my opinion this is the
strongest of the reasons for circumcision. [1]
Similar reasoning can be found in some modern writings, including the
Encyclopedia Judaica, which states that circumcision "sanctified the human
body and aided in its fight against erotic indulgence".
New ceremonies for welcoming baby girls In recent years many Jews have developed a parallel ceremony for girls which
is now known as the Simchat Bat (Celebration for the daughter) or Brit Bat
(loosely, welcoming the new daughter into the covenant.) While still
evolving, this ceremony has gained acceptance in Jewish communities of all
denominations. Different forms of this ceremony exist in Modern Orthodox
Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism. This newer ceremony is
rejected by Ultra-Orthodox Judaism.
The celebration typically consists of a communal welcoming, a naming done
over a cup of wine with the quotation of appropriate biblical verses, and
traditional blessings. Jews do not perform female circumcision, but the
ritual that takes place is considered to have an equivalent meaning. "Moreh
Derekh", the Rabbi's manual of the Conservative movement's Rabbinical
Assembly, presents a ceremony based on traditional Jewish forms, with a
number of options that parents may choose to perform: (A) Lighting seven
candles (symbolizing the seven days of creation) and holding the baby
towards them, (B) Wrapping the baby in the four corners of a tallit (Jewish
prayer shawl), or (C) Lifting the baby and touching her hands to a Torah
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