• The sign of circumcision is so important, that . . . .it alone would preserve the nation [Israel] forever —
SPINOZA, Theologico-Political Treatise 1670. Ch. 3
• Turnus Rufus asked R. Akiba: “If God wanted circumcision, why didn’t he make man born circumcised?” R. Akiba replied, “Why do you ask only regarding circumcision? Why not also ask regarding the umbilical cord, which remains attached to the newborn—leaving it for man to sever?” R. Akiva added, “As to your original question, ‘Why wasn’t man born circumcised?’ This is because the Blessed Holy One gave the commandments for the sole purpose refining our character through them. King David implied this thought in the text, “The Word of the Lord is refined” (Psalm 18:31).
. VYIKRA RABBAH 7:3
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — The Jewish practice of ritual circumcision always proved to be a point of contention among Israel’s neighbors in the days of Late Antiquity. Ancient pagan writers also acknowledged that circumcision became a sine qua non for Jewish identity. The satirist Petronius writes, “Unless a Jew is circumcised, he is removed from his people” (Fragment 37) through ostracism. In addition, Tacitus speaks of the Jews as a group adopting circumcision “to distinguish themselves from other peoples by this difference” (Histories 5.5.2). Most of the Romans viewed circumcision as mutilation and they did not allow anyone who was circumcised to participate in the Olympia games.
When the gymnasium was first introduced by the Greeks in Judea, a number of Jews ceased practicing circumcision. Young Jewish Hellenizers could not compete in the games because they were embarrassed by their circumcision. To participate in the games, many underwent the painful operation known as epispasm to create the appearance that they were supposedly uncircumcised. To counter this circumvention of the law, the early proto-Pharisees (known as the “God-fearers”) insisted that the entire foreskin be removed along with the mucosal membrane, thereby creating a more radical circumcision that would be impossible to undo.
The first century commentator on Homer, Apion (20 B.C.E. – c. 45-48 C.E.) Apion, loved deriding the custom of circumcision. His anti-Semitic barbs made him famous in his day; yet, in the end, he contracts a venereal disease that required circumcision. Josephus cannot help but point out the cosmic justice evident in Apion’s affliction.
Apion was therefore quite blinded in his mind when, for the sake of the Egyptians, he contrived to reproach us, and to accuse such others as not only make use of that conduct of life which he so much abuses, but have also taught other men to be circumcised, as says Herodotus; (143) which makes me think that Apion is hereby justly punished for his casting such reproaches on the laws of his own country; for he was circumcised himself of necessity, on account of an ulcer in his privy member; and when he received no benefit by such circumcision, but his member became putrid, he died in great torment. (144) Now, men of good tempers ought to observe their own laws concerning religion accurately, and to persevere therein, but not presently to abuse the laws of other nations, while this Apion deserted his own laws, and told lies about ours; and this was the end of Apion’s life, and this shall be the conclusion of our discourse about him.
According to L. H. Feldman, Hadrian’s decree forbidding circumcision may have been one of the principle reasons why the Bar Kochba uprising started even though his original decree may not have been specifically directed at the Jews. Not all Roman emperors viewed circumcision with disdain. According to Feldman, Emperor Elagabalus (218-222 C.E.), had a healthy respect for the Jews, Samaritans and Christians and “he declared that their religion and rites should be transferred to Rome so that all such mysteries could be included in his religion. He is even said (Antoninus Heliogabalus 7.2, Dio Cassius 79.1) to have undergone circumcision and to have abstained from pork.”
Philo of Alexandria’s Defense of Circumcision
Among ancient Jewish thinkers, Philo of Alexandria expounded both on the medical and theological significance of circumcision in the life of the Jew. 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. Beyond its medicinal value, Philo 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. Most importantly, the act of circumcising represents a spiritual act in that it is a visible reminder that a man must learn to keep is libido in check—especially since when human sexuality when left unbridled, it 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.
Modern Medicine and Circumcision
Modern medicine takes a different approach and argues that on the eighth day, the infant’s immune system is functioning optimally that would ensure the infant’s ability to withstand the procedure. Important clotting agents, Vitamin K, and prothrombin, are at their highest levels in infants precisely on the eighth day of life, thus making the eighth day the safest to circumcise the infant. In addition, there is also a spiritual bonding takes place between the child, the parents, and the community, as well as long-term health benefits. Circumcision has also helped prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa—no small achievement! 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.
Although 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.
In the United States, circumcision of newborns used to be routine in American hospitals until 1971. The American Academy of pediatrics then decided to discontinue the practice except for religious reasons. Years later, however, after surveys at several hospitals, it was discovered that uncircumcised boys were ten times more likely to suffer from urinary tract and kidney infections than circumcised boys. Dr. Thomas Wiswell, of Walter Reed Hospital, who had previously opposed the practice, changed his mind after studying statistics that showed unmistakable proof that circumcision provides a high degree of protection against penile cancer. Only .02 percent of 50,000 cases of such cancer had been circumcised. Other studies from the past few years show that women whose sexual partners have been circumcised have a lower incidence of cervical cancer and lower rates of acute and chronic infections. For this reason, Jewish women have had the lowest rate of cervical cancer. Circumcision also prevents Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) among young boys, as well as various STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) and even helps to prevent the spread of AIDS.
According to a 2011 article in Scientific American, Circumcision might diminish a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer by 15 percent, according to new research published online March 12 in Cancer. Of 1,754 men surveyed who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, fewer—percentage-wise—had been circumcised than the 1,645 men who did not have prostate cancer. Men with more aggressive forms of prostate cancer were even more likely to be uncircumcised. Most men were 55 or older; to be protective against cancer risk, they had to have been circumcised before they first had sex. The timing is important, the researchers suggest, because sexually transmitted infections might play a key role in making later cancer development more likely. Previous research showed that men who had any sexually transmitted infection were at a higher risk for prostate cancer.
In a 2012 study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics reveal that the health benefits from male circumcision far outweigh the risks. Researchers formed a task force in 2007 to review evidence from 1,000 studies that took place between 1995 and 2010. They found that the circumcision procedure had preventive benefits, including a major risk reduction for male urinary tract infections—especially during the infant’s first year of life – and a lower risk of cancer, and heterosexual acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Specifically, risk for herpes was 28 to 34 percent lower for circumcised men and risk for HPV was reduced by 30 to 40 percent.
Although there are certain health benefits to the act of ritual circumcision as mentioned by Maimonides and Philo of Alexandria, the real reason we practice this rite is because of our historical bond with Abraham, who made a fleshly covenant with God to symbolize the importance of bringing sacredness into the human body.
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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