Circumcision has psychological, medical, and spiritual aspects

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

CHULA VISTA, California — For over the last 2,300 years, the subject of circumcision has always been controversial. When one considers the latest attempts to ban circumcision, one can see the subject will continue to awaken strong emotions in people—Jews and non-Jews alike.

Freudian analysis would probably suggest that the fear of circumcision stems from what Freud dubbed as “the castration complex.” The fear of castration is primal for many men in all cultures; for this reason, the men in primitive societies wear loincloths because this part of the male anatomy leaves the male exposed and vulnerable. Since the beginning of human history, men have focused upon the symbol of their virility—the phallus. Even today, the pharmaceutical industry has invested billions of dollars in creating new drugs designed to enhance male virility. When seen from this perspective, the anti-circumcision crowd’s neurotic behavior is quite understandable.

Anthropologists and historians of religion refer to this obsession with the penis as “phallic worship” and it seems to me that the worship of this male organ of potency is still very much alive in liberal cities around the globe.

After Alexander conquered the Western world, one of the new innovations he introduced to his conquered peoples was the gymnasium, which derives from the Greek word γυμνάζω gumnázō, “to train naked.” Greek athletes extolled the beauty of the male body, and when young Jewish men became interested in the gymnasium, they suddenly felt very uneasy and embarrassed about being circumcised.

Josephus records how some assimilated Jews, Menelaus and the sons of Tobias, went to King Antiochus and informed him of their desire to embrace Hellenism and wanted to build a gymnasium in Jerusalem, “And when he had given them leave they also hid the circumcision of their genitals, that even when they were naked they might appear to be Greeks. Accordingly, they left off all the customs that belonged to their own country, and imitated the practices of the other nations” (Antiquities, 12:239-241). Another ancient text adds that Antiochus criminalized the act of circumcision and remained determined to prohibit its practice for good (1 Macc. 1:48, 60, 2:46). Note also that the worst enemies of the Jews have almost invariably been Jews who have utilized gentiles to combat Jewish tradition and continuity.

Evidently, the ancient Jews did not completely remove their foreskin, for it was possible to cut and pull forward the loose skin of the penis (a,k.a., “epispasm”), which in turned gave an artificial appearance of being a partial foreskin. Eventually, rabbinic tradition insisted that more of the foreskin be completely removed so that the Jewish young men would never be able to surgically create the appearance of having a foreskin.

When I pointed this out to some of my congregants and students, they were surprised to hear that the circumcision ritual had changed.

A Rational for Circumcision

Among the explanations given for circumcision, the first-century Jewish philosopher explains that there are health benefits to being circumcised; it prevents a bacterial disease known as “carbuncle” and that this disease was much more common among uncircumcised males than those who have gone through the rite of circumcision.

In philosophical terms, Philo then argues that circumcision befits a body that befits a priestly people. Among the Egyptian priests, they too practiced circumcision. The circumcised phallus resembles the human heart—the seat of passions “for the breath contained within the heart is generative of thought processes, and the generative organ itself is productive of living beings.” By the same token, Philo asserts that the foreskin serves as a metaphor for arrogance—the kind of which causes a person to forget about God.[1]

Most importantly, the act of circumcising represents a spiritual act in that it is a visible reminder that a man must learn to keep his libido in check—especially since human sexuality when left unbridled is capable of causing terrible harm in the world. Maimonides too, concurs that circumcision is meant to help curtail the human appetite for sex, since the foreskin is said to add some degree of extra pleasure in the act of coitus. Whether Maimonides’ view is correct is debatable—at least from a medical perspective. Some studies show that the data can support an opposite view, but ultimately sexual satisfaction has a profound psychological dimension and besides, most of my Jewish friends can honestly say the impact is nil.

Numerous medical studies have demonstrated that male circumcision has played a dramatic role in decreasing the risk for HIV transmission. Without going into too much detail, I will mention some of the salient details found in this valuable medical report:

Research proves: Circumcision reduces risk of AIDS

One study conducted in Africa and published more than a year ago has shown that the chances of men who have been circumcised to be infected with HIV during sexual intercourse with a woman carrying the virus are 70 percent lower than that of men who have not been circumcised. A different study held in Uganda revealed that circumcision also protects women from being infected with AIDS. According to the research findings, the chances of partners of men who have been circumcised and infected with the HIV virus to be infected are 30 percent lower than the chances of partners of men who have not been circumcised.

It hardly gets the news it deserves, but the world owes Israel a debt of gratitude. In the hills of Swaziland’s capital, you will find Israeli physicians teaching African doctors how to perform adult circumcision. Israel is doing amazing work in combating AIDS.

The United Nations announced last year that the procedure could reduce the rate of HIV transmission by up to 60 percent. It was in Israel, with its experience performing adult male circumcision on a wide scale, that the international medical community found an unlikely partner in the global fight against AIDS.

Israelis have started similar training program in Uganda, Lesotho, Namibia, Kenya and South Africa. Their work is sponsored by the Jerusalem AIDS project and the Hadassah Medical Center, and they hope to recruit surgeons from abroad. The articles reads:

• · Meanwhile in San Francisco, Don Abramson, a former chairman of American Jewish World Service who has been advocating for the project, said he hopes it will help galvanize Diaspora Jewry to fight one of the world’s biggest problems. One of his ideas is to encourage Jews around the world to donate money to Operation Abraham whenever they attend a bris. “My message to Jewish families is that a bris   affirms the Divine covenant relationship with the child, but also demonstrates that their friends and family who care about the child celebrate that the child is healthy enough to have a bris,”[2]

Notes:

[1] Philo, Spec. Laws I 6.

[2] http://nocamels.com/2011/02/israeli-doctors-teach-african-doctors-adult-circumcision-to-reduce-hiv/ See also, http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm#ref8., Ed Schoen, MD on Circumcision (Berkeley, CA: Starbooks Distribution; 2002), 66.

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Rabbi Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom in Chula Vista.  He may be contacted at michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com