Blood Ritual: — Blood ritual is fundamental to Judaism. Some blood sanctifies, some blood defiles. Let's see what the Talmud doctrines are.



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Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn) is often mentioned as a presidential hopeful. Sen. Lieberman is a well known advocate of Orthodox Judaism.



In an Orthodox Jewish circumcision ceremony, the foreskin of the baby's penis is cut with a knife. The man performing the ritual then tears the tissue with his fingernails (called peri'ah), and puts his mouth to the bleeding penis and sucks the blood (mezizah). Mezizah has in the past spread syphilis and other infectious diseases.





Sen. Joe Lieberman with Lubavitcher Rabbi Schneerson several years prior to the Rebbe's death, courtesy Ukrainian Archives. (31) Rabbi Schneerson was a vigorous supporter of the Orthodox circumcision ritual.





Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson ("the Rebbe") (1902-1994) was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in August 1994 (see America's New Government Church).



MISHNAH. We perform all the requirements of circumcision on the Sabbath. We circumcise, uncover [the corona], suck [the wound], and place a compress and cummin upon it. If one did not crush [the cummim] on the eve of the Sabbath, he must chew [it] with his teeth and apply [it to the wound] … — Shabbath 133a



"The circumcision is the first mitzvah which Avraham, our Patriarch, the first Jew, was commanded to perform. Similarly, the circumcision is the first mitzvah performed with every Jew from the time of his birth. Thus [it can be assumed] that the mitzvah of circumcision reflects the totality of the Torah and its mitzvos, as indicated by Nedarim 32a, which states: 'Great is circumcision, for it is equivalent to all the mitzvos of the Torah.'" — Rabbi Schneerson (10)





Syphilis, Secondary Stage



The Orthodox circumcision ritual has been known to spread the dread disease of syphilis to newborn babies.



"Considerable opposition has of late years been made against the mezizah on the ground that it is entirely in conflict with the aseptic treatment of wounds, which should be adhered to in all instances, but more especially in consequence of a case in Cracow in which it became known that syphilis was communicated to a large number of Jewish children through an infected condition of the mohel's mouth (Glassberg, "Die Beschneidung," p. 27). The result has been that a number of mohels have discarded the mezizah altogether. The majority of Jews, however, remain averse to such an innovation, the more so because it is condemned by the Orthodox rabbis." — Jewish Encyclopedia (12)





Syphilis, Tertiary Stage



"Tertiary syphilis is a late stage of the disease which can follow the initial infection, primary syphilis, by several years (3-15). Pockets of damage accumulate in various tissues such as the bones, skin, nervous tissue, heart, and arteries. These lesions are called gummas and are very destructive … Late syphilis may be permanently disabling and may lead to death." — National Institutes of Health (34)





Tuberculosis (TB) "is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is responsible for more than three million deaths per year. More than eight million new cases of TB are diagnosed each year, and almost two billion people are latently infected with the tubercle bacillus. TB has reemerged as a serious public health threat worldwide because of a significant increase in multiple-drug-resistant TB …" — New York State Department of Health (33)



The Orthodox circumcision ritual has been known to spread the dread disease of tuberculosis to newborn babies.



L. Emmett Holt, M.D., writing in 1913, states:



"A search through the medical literature brings to light a considerable number of examples of tuberculosis spread by means of ritual circumcision. In all I have collected with the assistance of Doctors Alan Brown and Stafford McLean, references or reports more or less detailed of forty other cases …



"While the number of reported instances of tuberculosis acquired through circumcision is considerable there must be a much larger number that have never found their way into literature. It is certain also that syphilis has been spread in this manner. These facts lead me to emphasize the statement made by the late Professor Maas, the German surgeon, that 'it is the duty of physician to raise his protest against the performance of ritualistic circumcision in every case.'" — L. Emmett Holt, M.D. (15)





Rabbi Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, 1966-1991.



"His early interest in medicine led him to develop a scholarly interest in the field of Jewish Medical Ethics, in which he wrote one of the classic texts. He was a tireless defender of the sanctity of life …" (25)



In 1999, the International Conference on Jewish Medical Ethics honored Rabbi Lord Jakobovits as "the father of Jewish medical ethics." Forty years before this award, Lord Rabbi Jakobovits described the Orthodox circumcision ritual, including ripping the penial membrane with the fingernail and sucking the baby's bleeding penis with the mouth. Lord Rabbi Jakobovits, with his strong, lifelong interest in medicine, must have been familiar with germ theory and the health risks peri'ah and mezizah present for babies. As the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, had Rabbi Lord Jakobovits raised his voice against peri'ah and mezizah, he would have been heard all over the world. But he kept his silence.





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Solution to Dangers of Mezizah?



An internationally known contemporary Jewish medical ethicist states that the dangers of AIDS infection from the practice of mezizah can be avoided if the mohel swishes his mouth with 150 proof rum prior to sucking the baby's penis. This medical ethicist is Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz.





Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz "has lectured extensively throughout the US and Israel on medical, business, and family ethics." (30)



Rabbi Breitowitz is shown here addressing a 2002, Chabad-Lubavitch function in Northern Virginia. "Rav Breitowitz received his Rabbinical Ordination from the Ner Israel Rabbinical College [Baltimore] in 1976; B.S. with honors from Johns Hopkins University; J.D (magna cum laude) from Harvard Law School in 1979; and a Doctorate in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel in 1992. He has lectured extensively throughout the US and Israel on medical, business, and family ethics. He has published numerous articles on bankruptcy, commercial law, medical ethics, family law, and halakha. In addition to being the Rav of the Woodside Synagogue, Rav Breitowitz is a Professor of Law at the University of Maryland." — Woodside Synagogue Biographical Information (30)



Rabbi Breitowitz is concerned about the health risks to mohels when they suck the bleeding penises of babies during the Orthodox circumcision ritual.



"[Concerning] the HIV virus … A final concern involves circumcision (brit milah). In the Orthodox rite, after making the incision, the mohel actually sucks the wound to draw out blood and promote clotting. Since babies can acquire the virus through their mothers, this creates risks for mohels. The AIDS virus, however, cannot survive a solution of 75% alcohol so a quick swishing of 150 proof rum prior to the sucking will avoid all problems." — Rabbi Breitowitz (17)



Sadly, Rav Breitowitz does not cite any scientific studies that back up his claim. Nor does he say whether rum is effective on syphilis, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and the whole panoply of infections diseases that may be present in the newborn's bloodstream — or the mohel's saliva.





Mishnah … Azariah said: The foreskin is loathsome, since it is a term of opprobrium for the wicked, as it is written, For all the nations are uncircumcised. — Nedarim 31b

Mishnah … Rabbi said, Great is circumcision, for [notwithstanding] all the precepts which Abraham fulfilled he was not designated perfect until he circumcised himself, as it is written, Walk before me, and be thou perfect. — Nedarim 31b

Mishnah … Great is circumcision, since but for that, the Holy One, blessed be He, would not have created the universe … — Nedarim 31b





Culinary Hygiene



Next time you visit the delicatessen counter of the supermarket or your favorite sandwich shop, you may notice that the food handlers wear sterile gloves, and they never apply their mouths to the product. If modern hygiene recognizes the importance of protecting food from germs, how much more important to protect the bloodstream of a newborn with an open bleeding wound?





Veterinary Hygiene



"Modern veterinary surgery is done under conditions designed to minimize the chances of bacterial contamination. Instruments, gowns, towels and other items such as scalpels and clamps are sterilized in an autoclave at 270 degrees and under pressure for various lengths of time to kill any microorganisms. As well, the surgeon scrubs hands and wears sterilized rubber surgical gloves and wears a gown if the surgery is more than a minor procedure. By adhering to sterile surgical techniques, postoperative infections are seldom encountered." (32)



Attendant on right wears sterile mask to protect the patient from oral bacteria. If dogs and cats are afforded standard protection against contamination of their wounds, don't human babies rate the same treatment?





Dental Hygiene Masks and surgical gloves are standard equipment in a dentist's office, and are used even during the relatively non-invasive cleaning of teeth. How much more important is the hygienic treatment of an open bleeding wound in a baby's penis?





Dr. Sigmund Freud, father of Psychoanalysis



When telling the world about his famous discovery of the Castration Complex, Dr. Freud paid scant attention to trauma of infant circumcision. He probably did not give it the attention it deserved.





The Gomco clamp, frequently used in medical circumcisions. (11) "It is Forbidden to Circumcise Using a 'Gomke' — Regarding the circumcision of Jewish children using the device known as a 'gomke' — beyond the fact that this profanes the holiness of this mitzvah, which must be done specifically by hand, by a Jew who observes mitzvos; and beyond the fact that this causes pain and suffering to the child — it is simply forbidden to do this. Not only on Shabbos when this may involve a transgression punishable by stoning, but even on weekdays. It is clear that a milah performed properly according to law [i.e., without a gomke] will have the spiritual effect of promoting long life." — The Writings of The Rebbeim of Lubavitch (3)





Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Orthodox Jewish radio talk show host, and speaker, is the author of America's Real War. The real war, according to Rabbi Lapin, is between those who want a secular state and those who want a "spiritual America." Rabbi Lapin states that the purpose of a boy's circumcision is to place a sign "upon his penis to remind him that what he does with it is of communal concern." Rabbi Lapin cites no Bible or Talmud passages to support his statement. While claiming circumcision is carried out from a sense of communal concern, Rabbi Lapin fails to mention Mezizah and the threat it presents to public health. (16)





Silver Circumcision Wine Goblet selling for $1600 (14)



"After the foreskin has been cut off properly, the mohel should quickly tear the mucous membrane and perform the suction, then take the cup of wine and say: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine." — The Writings of The Rebbeim of Lubavitch (3)