practices: rites of passage: brit milah Flashcards
how are important moments in the life of a jew marked by? why?
special rituals and traditions as they help to show thanks to god, bring god into everyday life and increase a sense of jewish identity and belonging
brit milah: what is this ritual considered as?
one of the most significant rituals for a male jew
brit milah: what does this dates back?
dates back to the time of Abraham and the covenant of circumcision
brit milah: what does circumcision involve?
involves the removal of the foreskin and takes place on the 8th day after the birth of the child
brit milah: what is it considered in the mitzvot?
one of the most universally observed mitzvot even secular jews almost always observe it
brit milah: what is it an outward physical sign of?
god’s covenant
brit milah: where and how is it taken place?
takes place at home and it is performed in front of a minyan (a group of 10 or more male adult jews)
brit milah: how is the baby boy placed?
on a cushion held by a person called the sandek which is generally the grandfather or the oldest person in the observance
brit milah: why is it a great honour?
as the tradition of the jewish faith is being passed down to the next generation that was promised to Abraham in the covenant
brit milah: what is the person known as doing the circumcision?
mohel
brit milah: why will the boy be given a Hebrew name?
as it will used in the synagogue and on formal occasions
brit milah: explain the genders that can attend the ceremony
orthodox: traditionally, only men attend the ceremony
reform: encourage all to be present regardless of gender
brit milah: what do Orthodox Jews believe that failure to undergo circumcision will lead to?
karat which means being cut off from jewish society
why do some jews argue that circumcision ceremony is irrelevant and unnecessary?
as they believe that you do not become jewish through circumcision but through being either a righteous convert or born of a jewish mother
what is the brit shalom?
an alternative to the brit milah
it emphases the importance of tradition but avoids ritual circumcision
what does brit shalom mean?
covenant of peace
what do reform and secular jews argue about circumcision?
that such decision should not be made behalf of the 8 years day old child
tradition of circumcision belongs to who?
jews that lived in a different time and place
what do reform jews argue that the torah forbids? give the source of authority
forbids the cutting of flesh and this teaching overrides the need for brit milah
“you shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead…: I am the lord”
what is the source of authority linking to the circumcision?
“every male among you must be circumcised”
