ecosophia | Magic Monday

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hi JMG,

I know this isn't your religion, so it's fine if you don't wish to comment, but could you speculate on what the purpose of circumcision is in Judaism? It seems like far too private a thing to be required for any identification reasons, so I am thinking it must have some other purpose?

The reason I ask is that I am not Jewish, but I had a circumcision for medical reasons when I was 6 - would it affect anything on the subtler planes?

Thanks.

I have no idea. I really don't. Anyone else?

This is a complex question.

It is actually rather timely that you asked, because last Saturday's Torah portion was the section of Exodus in which Moses suffers a spiritual attack in the night and is saved only when his wife, Tzipporah, circumcises their son and anoints Moshe and/or the boy (it's not clear) with the blood.

Tzipporah then declares Moses her "hatan damim", which is a phrase unique to Hebrew that is difficult to translate. Some English translations say "bloody bridegroom". Normally 'hatan' means bridegroom (as in man just married) but it shares a root with "protect", so that the phrase may also indicate he is protected with blood.

In the ancient Near East it was common to smear magical substances on people and buildings to protect them from demonic attack. Judaism has a particular thing about blood. Hence the paschal lamb's blood smeared on the threshold to ward off the Angel of Death during the 10 plagues of Egypt. Priests were also anointed with blood from sacrifical animals (Moses anoints Aaron in this way when he makes his brother High Priest later on.) So one potential reason for circumcision is to anoint with blood to protect the baby from demonic attack (why blood from the genitalia? Unknown.)

In modern normative Judaism the rabbis point to the many places in the Torah that refer to 'circumcising one's heart'. To circumcise your heart means to dedicate yourself to HaShem (that is, the God of Israel), and cut off any love you might have for other gods/idolatry.

There are many more esoteric explanations of these concepts and the practice, but in general the overarching explanation for circumcision is that it is a dedication in blood and flesh of the baby boy to Judaism.

-Ms. Krieger

I was preparing to do start on the Sphere of Protection today and in looking at a comment about Jewish phrasing, I ended up stumbling upon "Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation: In Theory and Practice" by Aryeh Kaplan. As I scrolled down to Chapter 1, line 9, I came across a whole commentary on circumcision that comes out of line 3.

The line translates to:
Ten Sefirot of Nothingness
in the number of ten fingers
five opposite five
with a singular covenant
precisely in the middle
in the circumcision of the tongue
and in the circumcision of the membrum

The commentary explains that "the Hebrew word for 'circumcision' is Milah. This same word, however, also means 'word'". So that "... [w]hen one is given the power of proper speech, his tongue is said to be circumcised."

"circumcision of the membrum" is exactly what you think it is.

In order to understand the significance of this circumcision, one must realize why God commanded that it be done on the eighth day. The Torah states, "On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin must be circumcised" (Leviticus 12:3). The covenant of circumcision was originally given to Abraham.

The world was created in six days, representing the six primary directions that exist in a three-dimensional universe. The seventh day, the Sabbath. is the perfection of the physical world, and it represents the focal point of these six directions, as discussed below (4:4). The eighth day then represents a step above the physical, into the realm of the transcendental.

Through the covenant of circumcision, God gave Abraham and his desendents power over the transcendental plane. The most obvious case in which this occurs is in conception, where a soul is brought
down into the world. Since the mark of the covenant is on the sexual organ, it gives the individual access to the highest spiritual realms, from which he can draw down the most lofty souls.

By meditating on the fact that the ten toes represent the Ten Sefirot, one is able to concentrate spiritual energy into the sexual organ. Through such methods, one can gain complete control over one's sexual activities, even in the midst of intercourse. By sanctifying oneself in this manner during sexual intercourse, one is able to determine the qualities of the child that will be conceived.

The covenant of circumcision also represents the channeling of sexual energy. The sexual drive is one of the most poweful psychological forces in man, and when it is channeled along spiritual lines, it can help bring one to the highest mystical states. In giving the commandment of circumcision, God indicated that the emotions and desires associated with sex could be used for the mystical quest of the Divine on a transcendental plane.

The juxtaposition between the "circumcision of the tongue" and the "circumcision of the membrum" explains the prophetic position favored by Elijah. The scripture states, "Elijah went up to the top of the Carmel, entranced himself on the ground, and placed his face between his knees" (l Kings 18:42). This position was used for the intense concentration of spiritual energy. According to the Midrash, this position was used because it placed the head in conjunction with the mark of circumcision.

So there's one answer, fit for Magic Monday!

Normally you would NEVER get this sort of thing for me, but given the synchronicity, who am I to deny a fell student :D. After all, my next post will be to ask our host for help with the SOP (:

(OP)

Wow - thanks to both posters! How very interesting!

Magic Monday

Circumcision

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