By Rabbi Levi Y. Heber
circumcision.net
The State of NY has recently begun distributing, through hospital maternity wards, a brochure explicitly targeting the Jewish mother, against the traditional Bris.
The brochure alleges health concerns to the newborn, thereby cautioning the parents and suggesting that the Bris practice be altered.
The pamphlet concludes, “for more information on circumcision, talk to your family doctor or pediatrician.”
“The Bris Milah is a commandment by G-d, directing the Jewish father to have his newborn son circumcised as a Bris on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3),” explains Crown Heights Mohel Rabbi Levi Heber.
“The Bris is performed by a Mohel in sanctity and with blessing as a covenant, a G-dly bond embedded on the individual forever. The method and procedure of the Bris is strictly governed by the code of Jewish law.”
The Bris should not be mistaken to the commonly performed circumcision in America by doctors or pediatricians. Our sages within Halachic guidelines are the ones to direct us and are to be consulted in how to perform a Mitzva. It should be clear that Jewish law is more compassionate about life or health issues than that of any government claiming to be concerned. In fact, many urologists and trained surgeons consider the traditional Bris method performed for thousands of years: “A simplified and expeditious method with excellent results and low complication” in comparing to the commonly performed circumcision by doctors. History has proven that no good has ever come from governments meddling in the Jewish way of observing G-d’s commandments. This brochure has caused some uninformed Jewish parents not to have a Bris but rather have a doctor do circumcision.
What #16 is saying, out of love, is that, “My Yidden friend, you sound like a goy” – like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and their hate rhetoric. Challenge yourself to sound like a menschlich Yid, please – set a higher example than the goyum and their poor speech of others. L’chaim!
It wasn’t ignorant at all. It may well have come from the top down. Claiming the interloper in highest office is a muslim and corrupt simply jives with the facts. You were too quick on the trigger to condemn. Besides, loshon hara, I think, is about another Jew, not an anti-semite.
When reading the comments here, that’s exactly what I thought. A bunch of illiterate primitive morons who are trying to blame everything on the current administration or Muslims.
A. Anyone that doesn’t sign his/her name to a comment isn’t really worth taking seriously. If one isn’t proud of his/her comment why should I, or anybody else, be? B. Are you afraid of someone coming to your house with a baseball bat because of your comment? Don’t worry, I sell machetes (Bargain prices–cutting edge tech.) C. ‘Benai Ketura and Moslems are required to have a circumcision. This is not only Muslims. Check out 7 Noahide Laws…it’s related. (I started a class in The 7 Noahide Laws. It’s one year running now (We don’t walk). Mr. Don Goodman is the… Read more »
This spits on our religious rights, plain and simple. People get circumcised all the time for secular reasons but when people (especially us Jews) do it for religious reasons, these pretentious liberals try to stop it
Don’t be ashamed that you are a Jew.
Nobody thinks of you as a ya-hoo with primitive beliefs.
You don’t have to set any impression for anybody.
Making ignorant, irrational anti-Muslim and anti-Obama slander just adds credence to the intelligensia and their beliefs that we are just a bunch of “ya-hoo’s” with our “barbaric,” outdated “practices.” Thank you for considering when you are speaking as a Jew, you’re speaking for all of us. We need to set a higher example than the politicians and their mudslinging (loshon hora) banter.
Somebody in the government is very afraid of something they are ignorant about and trying to control…
Really, how many botched circumcisions happen at a bris to warrant “state intervention”?! Where’s the public harm being done to justify this “targeting”?
Once I had to convince a women to have her son circumcised. She told me she didn’t want her baby to have any pain. Well Hashem put the words in my mouth and I told her the following. I had a 19 year old Russian boy stay in my home after his Bris and you should have seen his pain. One day your son will want to be circumcised and then he really will have pain. If you really love him, do the bris now at 8 days.
which arab antisemite decided to start this now
What a clear, outright way to express this special, immense mitzvah! Yashar Koach for putting it the way it is and not withholding any comments ‘to sound better’—-a true yid!!
Henny Chanina
Only New Yorkers, especially registered votors, need to contact their legislatures, and also flood the new governor’s office with objection.
The article doesn’t say what part of the New York State government is behind this, but I’ll bet that neither Andrew Cuomo, nor any other elected government official is willing to kiss off the Jewish vote.
Those of us outside the state have little standing.
Ed Greenberg.
Levi Hebert is a great mohel and has gone to hundreds of brisim, he is also a great resource of knowledge about brisim for people in your community, he now has the largest mohel website http://www.circumcision.net.Levi you should be blessed for allcthe people youchave helped. A shaliach
Whats with a protest and contacting high officials to condemn this practice. This is really crazty!
San Francisco is also trying to ban preforming a Bris.
this has nothing to do with president Obama! stop blaming others where the blame should not land, get a life!
Muslims also circumcise.
muslims are not against bris milah
and this has been going on for a while even before obama
I know many compassionate ignorant people!
Maybe the good doctors want to do a study of the adverse effects of wearing burkahs that impede the proper flow of oxygen to the wearer’s brain and respiratory system? Now that might actually be a useful study! I would venture to guess that the number of brissim performed worldwide that result in complications is no greater,probably smaller, than the number of surgical circumcisions that result in complications. I would further guess that the”caring’ folks who are circulating this notice are of the same mind as those who oppose shechittah. To them, G-d is not in the picture–unless, of course,… Read more »
Is this the change our Muslim President promised? Antisemitism with state sanction?