Brit Milah -
Covenant of
Circumcision
The divisions between the chapters of the Bible, and even the parashot (Torah portions), are often very artificial, and oftentimes even illogical. This is evident with the beginning of Genesis 18, which is also the beginning of the parashah, VaYeira ("And [he] appeared"). The very first word indicates that the division appears in the middle of a paragraph. The vav (e) can be translated as And or Then, and occasionally as Now. However, it is usually translated as And, which is how it should be translated in Genesis 18:1.

Rav Richard

'Aharon'

Chaimberlin

     In order to get the context, we must go back to Genesis 17. The Rabbis of old are in complete agreement with what I am saying here. They say that the events of Genesis 18 occurred three days after Abraham and the men of his household were circumcised in Genesis 17:24-27.

     The circumcision that I am referring to is called the brit milah. Milah is the word that means circumcision, whereas brit means covenant. However, today in Ashkenazi Judaism, a bris (the Ashkenazi pronunciation of brit) is often considered a circumcision. Brit milah is the covenant of circumcision. In the USA, even most non-Jewish men are circumcised. This non-Jewish circumcision is often done within 24 hours of birth, with no religious connotation whatsoever. It is done primarily for health reasons. Circumcised men have a much lower risk of penile cancer, and their wives have a lower risk of cervical cancer. The male organ is also much easier to keep clean when it is circumcised. Some men also get circumcised for cosmetic reasons. It just looks better! The eighth day is also the best time for circumcision. Medical science confirms that the vitamin K is at its highest on that day, which ensures quicker healing, and blood clotting is also at its highest pitch at that time.

     All of these might be good reasons to get circumcised, especially on the eighth day. However, the most important reason that Jewish babies get circumcised is to keep the boy in covenant with God. "And God said to Abraham, 'You shall keep my covenant therefore, you and your seed after you throughout your generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male child in your generations, he that is born in the house... and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the male whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.' "  Genesis 17:9-14.

          There are 613 command-ments in the Torah. According to the Talmud,[1] the commandment for brit milah is equal to all of the other 612 commandments put together. The gematria (numeric value) of brit in the original Hebrew letters is 612: Bet (A) = 2, resh (x) = 200, yod (i) = 10, and tav (z) = 400. This is interesting, and I certainly believe it is a very important commandment. However, I also doubt very much that it is as important as all of the other 612 commandments put together!

     "Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house... every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin that same day, as God had said to them. And Abraham was 99 years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him." [2] Ishmael was circumcised when he was 13 years old, which is the same age in which most Muslim boys are circumcised today. For newborn baby boys, it is a minor procedure, and not as painful, because the nerve endings in the extremities are not highly developed. However, for 13-year-old boys, it is very painful.

     Then we read, "And YHWH appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. And when he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men stood opposite him. And when he say them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, "My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves. After that, you may go on, since you have visited your servant." And they said, "So do, as you have said." [3]                  The Rabbis tell us that the visit of the three angels (or men) occurred on the third day after Abraham was circumcised, when the pain was the most severe. And despite the heat of the day, Abraham was at the doorway of his tent seeking guests. He sought to be kind to strangers to that he could inspire them with his example to learn about and to serve God. Today, Judaism does not actively seek converts. However, even in Yeshua's time, Jews sought to make converts, as is confirmed in Matthew 23:15.

     Meanwhile, the Rabbis tell us that the three angels were fulfilling the mitzvah (commandment) of Bikkur Cholim ("visiting the sick"). To this day, observant Jews believe it is very important to visit the sick.

     The Bedouin are nomadic Arabs that live in north Africa, the Arabian peninsula, Syria, Jordan, and Israel. For decades they have served loyally in the Israel Defense Forces, and are renowned as great trackers. Former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion was of the opinion that the Bedouin are Jews who converted to Islam many centuries ago, possibly under heavy duress. The Israeli government has tried for many years to get them to "settle down," even providing houses for them. But they prefer their nomadic lives, living in tents. They live much as Abraham lived almost 4000 years ago, tending their goats and sheep, riding on camels, and living a relatively simple lifestyle, although you will notice TV antennas and occasionally satellite dishes on their tents. And like Abraham, when you are a guest in their tent, they will treat you very hospitably. Many tourists have done just that, and have come away impressed with their hospitality.

     Christians will sometimes say that the "Old Testament" emphasizes physical circumcision of the foreskin, whereas the "New Testament" emphasizes "circumcision of the heart." However, if you take out your concordance, you will find that most of the references to "circumcision of the heart" are in the Tanakh - the "Old Testament." Deut. 30:6 tells us, "Moreover, Adonai your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live." Jeremiah 4:4a tells us, "Circumcise yourselves to YHWH, and remove the foreskin of your heart." However, circumcision of the heart does not replace circumcision of the flesh.

     It is interesting to note that Adonai sought to kill Moshe. Zipporah, his wife, took a flint stone and cut off their son's foreskin,[4] and threw it at Moshe's feet, thus saving his life and his destiny as leader of the Jewish people.

     Joshua tells us that all of the males who came out of Egypt were circumcised. However, during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, none of the males were circumcised! After crossing the Jordan, Joshua had all of the men and boys circumcised, at a place that they called Gilgal ("rolling"),[5] because HaShem said, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Shortly after that, they celebrated Passover, perhaps for the first time in forty years! And it should be noted that it is only the males who are circumcised. Many Muslims perform what they call female circumcision. This is really female genital mutilation (FGM). It is a crime against girls and women, causing untold pain and suffering. It is also against the law in every truly civilized country.

     Almost half of a millennium later, David the shepherd boy came against the giant, Goliath. He said, "Who is that uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" [6] David wasn't poking fun at Goliath because he wasn't circumcised. Instead, he was emphasizing that Goliath was not in covenant relationship with God, whereas David was indeed in covenant relationship with God.

 

Circumcision in the Newer Testament

     Almost 15 centuries later, Dr. Luke tells us about another very famous person who got circumcised, in fact, the most famous person in the world - Jesus - Yeshua the Messiah! "And when the eight days were completed before His circumcision, His name was called Yeshua, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb." [7] Then His mother (Miriam) waited 33 days according to the laws of purification (Lev. 12:4), and came to with the offering that poor people gave, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons (Luke 2:24; Lev. 12:8)." Everything was done in accordance to the Torah given to us by Moshe - Moses.

     You see, Yeshua - Jesus - was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died as a Jew, and was resurrected as a Jew. Someday a Jew will come and take over the world. This Jew's name is Yeshua. And initially it will be a hostile takeover! I don't believe most Muslims or people of other faiths will be very pleased to have a Jew ruling over them. The capital of this worldwide Messianic Kingdom will be Jerusalem, not New York, not London or Mecca. "For the Law (Torah) shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3)." The next verse tells us that worldwide peace will be established. "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore."  Oh, happy days! Come quickly!

     The Christian church also recognizes the circumcision of Yeshua. Catholic and Russian Orthodox Christians have a day on their calendar recognizing the day of His circumcision. The construction of Catholic churches used to require a holy relic before they could be built. Therefore, there is the Church of the Holy Prepuce ("Foreskin"), where they claim they actually have the foreskin of Jesus. In fact, there are three such churches! However, I am sure that Yeshua only had one foreskin.

     Rav Sha'ul makes it clear in Galatians 5:12 that Gentile believers in Yeshua are not required to get circumcised. However, in Acts 16:2, he circumcised Timothy, because his mother was Jewish.

 

The Three Angels

The three angels that came to Abraham in Genesis 18 looked like three men. In fact, all of the angels mentioned in the Bible looked like men. I'm not saying that all angels are men. There may very well be female angels. But there are no female angels in the Bible. Yet for some reason, in most art, angels are female, or greatly feminized men. Also, since the angels look like men, they don't have wings. The exception would be the cherubim and seraphim, which do have wings.

     The names of the angels are not identified. However, the Rabbis tell us that the names of the angels were Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Michael and Gabriel are both mentioned in the Tanakh (OT). However, Raphael is not. He is, however, mentioned in Talmud. I must part company with the Rabbis on the identity of the third angel. One of these angels is identified as "the LORD" (dedi). I believe that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Yeshua, who was "in the beginning" with the Father in the Creation account of Genesis, as is also confirmed in Yochanan (John) 1:1-3. Yeshua can often be identified as "the angel of the LORD" in Scripture, as in Exodus 3:2,6, which I see as another pre-incarnate appearance of Yeshua.

    It should be noted that when Abraham and Sarah prepared a meal for these three angels that it included meat and dairy.[8] And the three angels ate this meal! There is no scriptural command to not have milk and meat in the same meal. We are forbidden three times to not cook a kid (baby goat) in its mother's milk. Therefore, I refuse to cook a kid in its mother's milk! Orthodox Jews refuse to have milk and meat together in the same meal, and even have separate dishes and utensils for milk and meat. It gets very complicated!

    In Gen. 18:10, one of the angels informs Abraham that he will have a son "at this time next year." This confirms what HaShem[9] had told him in Gen. 17:15-19. At that time, Abraham laughed, because he was 99 years old, and Sarah was only a decade younger! Therefore, HaShem told him that the name of the boy would be Yitzchak - Isaac - from the Hebrew word for laughter. In Gen. 18, however, it is Sarah that laughed, saying, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord also being old?" When she was overheard, she fearfully denied laughing. Adonai said, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" In chapter 21, Sarah gives birth to Isaac - Laughter - at the age of 90! I believe that God has a delicious sense of humor!

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Years ago, Dr. Michael Lebowitz wrote a song about converting to the God of Abraham. It is a paraphrase of the song from the 1960s, "Sealed With a Kiss." However, the new version is "Sealed With a Bris (Circumcision)." The first and last verses are as follows:



I don't want to say good-bye to my foreskin.

L-rd, it sure will be missed.

But I've become a Jew and because I love you

I'll seal it with a bris....



So if you decide to follow the Torah,

Your foreskin you will not miss.

Join the nation of Israel

And seal it with a bris.



This song is one of many great songs from The Shleps CD. Regretfully, it is out of production. However, it is available for a free MP3 download at WWW.THESHLEPS.COM This album is filled with great parody songs. However, all of the songs have an uplifting pro-Torah message. And some are also lots of fun!



[1] An encyclopedic Rabbinic commentary on the Torah, often composed of many volumes.

[2] B'reisheet (Genesis) 17:23-27.

[3] Genesis 18:1-5.

[4] Sh'mot (Exodus) 4:24-25.

[5] Joshua 5:9.

[6] 1 Samuel 17:26.

[7] Luke 2:21.

[8] Genesis 18:8.

[9] "The Name" (of God).