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Circumcision: When religion and medicine are in agreement

Regarding circumcision, the Torah is expressed in these terms: " eighth day the flesh of his foreskin circumcise " 1.

those of the circumcision, Hebrew Brit Mila falls undoubtedly among the best known precepts of Judaism. Of central importance, it will be observed by the Jewish people forever and joy even in times of persecution 2.

The Torah explicitly commands and leaving no room for doubt to make his circumcision on the eighth day. Not a day before, day after day. [Unless the health problems that make it necessary to postpone the date, ndt]

Although there is no possible going into the real reasons that lie at the basis of the precepts of the Torah, still needs attention in some surprising scientific discoveries about the physiological changes that occur on the eighth day of his life in the newborn.

followed by the words of dott.sa Abrahamov Ayala, professor at the Faculty of Medicine Pediatric Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reported in an article entitled clotting problems and bleeding in the newborn ³ :

"The blood clotting system depends on certain types of proteins - plates - produced by the liver. These substances, which are marked by Roman numerals I-XIII, operate in sequence, with the help of enzymes, until the formation of a stable clot that "fibrin". In the first days after birth, the liver is not sufficiently developed to perform the above functions, so any surgery performed on a newborn at that time - of which the body does not yet have the power to stop blood flow - would put the child at risk of serious bleeding. Bleeding, sometimes very abundant, can cause serious consequences to internal organs - especially the brain - and cause collapse and death from bleeding.

During the first days of life of the newborn, the liver develops slowly until the eighth day, it is mature enough to perform its function, creating the necessary interruption of bleeding lumps. "

In this regard it is important to point out that some non-Jewish researchers, including Dr. Armand James Quick (American physicist and physiologist who lived in Theresa, Wisconsin, between 1894 and 1978), were very impressed by the connection between the development of the faculties of the human body to stop bleeding and bleeding and the timing of the brit Mila .

In June of 2000 was published the updated reprint of the bestselling American any disease 4 dr. SI McMillen. Without masking their enthusiasm, the author points out that in the first days of life baby suffers from a noticeable lack of coagulants, while from the eighth day, glycoprotein present in blood clotting - known as prothrombin - reaches the average level of one hundred percent.

Immediately before the eighth day, the content of coagulants increases rapidly, to rise up to one hundred and ten percent of the standard eighth day!

In other words, is the eighth day of life that the coagulants reach maximum levels much higher than the rate that accompany the average human being for the rest of his days. The following

words of Dr. McMillen: "We commend the many hundreds of researchers for many years, worked at a high price to discover that the day offers the best guarantees of security to perform a circumcision on the eighth. However, while recognizing his merits to medical science for this recent discovery, we can almost hear the rustle of pages of the Bible which would remind us that, four years ago, when it initiated the practice of circumcision with Abraham, God said: " the age of eight days, every male shall be circumcised ... " 5. Abraham did not choose the eighth day after many centuries of experiments based on attempts ed errori. Né lui, né nessun altro della comitiva che era partita con lui dall’antica città di Ur dei Caldei era stato circonciso. Il giorno era stato scelto dal Creatore…”.•

E’ qui possibile percepire in maniera quasi tangibile la presenza della mano di D-o che diede la Torà al popolo ebraico e che controlla e guida il creato in ogni momento. Fu Lui – e Lui solo – a far coincidere il giorno di maggiore livello di coagulazione del sangue con quello in cui deve essere effettuata la circoncisione.••

Approfondimenti
• A questo point, it is essential to explain that the request to perform circumcision on the eighth day, not because it is considered the most desirable from the standpoint of saying goodbye. Instead, Sun chose the eighth day for reasons known to Him and, therefore, meant that a sufficient amount of coagulants in the blood was on that day, making possible the implementation of the precept of Milà ⁶ . As the sages said: "The Holy looked at the Torah and created the world" 7. In other words, the world was created according to the dictates of the Torah and not vice versa.

• • In addition to the question on the day of circumcision, have discovered other important benefits that the Brit Mila brings to human health. In all parts of the body, the skin adheres to the underlying layers, protecting them against the possible infiltration of bacteria, conversely, in the case of the prepuce, the skin due to the increased presence of bacteria, spores and fungi. In fact, it does not adhere completely to the glans and the small space this end male genital organ allows the infiltration of infectious agents. This hot zone, dark and damp is therefore highly vulnerable to the development of germs and infectious diseases. The removal of the foreskin, therefore, allows to maintain healthy e in buone condizioni igieniche questa delicata parte del corpo.
Per tale ragione, tutti i maschi della casa reale del Regno Unito vengono sottoposti a una circoncisione eseguita da un circoncisore ebreo ( mohèl ). Per citare un esempio, il principe Carlo – l’erede al trono – venne circonciso dal Rabbino Jacob Snowman, mohèl ufficiale della Comunità Ebraica di Londra ⁸ . Di recente, infine, si è scoperto che le probabilità di venire contagiati dal virus HIV sono sei volte maggiori negli uomini non circoncisi rispetto a quelli che hanno subito l’intervento ⁹ .
Malgrado quanto sopra esposto, è ovvio che il motivo reale della circoncisione not to be found in its health benefits, but excelled in its spiritual value. However, as stated several times over the previous chapters [of the book that inspired this book, editor's note], all the divine precepts also provide material well-being and physical man.
Finally, as a starting point for further reflection, it is interesting to note that the foreskin exists only in humans and no other creature in the world.

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Notes and sources

1. Leviticus 12: 2-3.

2. Cf Talmud Shabbat 130th.

3. Hesse (Hebrew: Jerusalem; Research Institute of Medical Halacha on behalf of Dr. Falk Schlesinger, volume III, page. 384).

4. The words of Dr. McMillen are paraphrased here. He cites, among others, researchers and Owen Zeffren University of Iowa, USA, who conducted experiments in blood coagulation. Additional sources: Holt, LE, and R. Macintosh, Holt Pediatrics (New York: Appelton-Century-Crofts, 1953, XII edition, p.. 125). See also the book by Y. Meros, Hashem: The Present (Hebrew), p.. 61. Another book that analyzes the various aspects of circumcision from a Jewish perspective is truly Sanctity and Science Yonatan Goldberger (Jerusalem-New York, Feldheim, 1991).

5. Genesis 17, 12.

6. According to the Kabbalah , the number six is \u200b\u200bthe limited nature of reality - the four cardinal points, the high and low - while the seven refers to the spirit that animates the matter: that is why the material world was created in six days, followed by the holy Sabbath day of rest and spirituality. The number eight symbolizes, however, the spirituality that transcends nature and matter. The circumcision is done, therefore, on the eighth day after birth, even if it were to coincide with Shabbat, although they are usually prohibited surgical importance of non-viable.

7. Zohar II, 161st

8. Taking a mohel jew instead of a surgeon can be a very wise choice. In fact, the experience of secular mohalìm added to that practical experience in preparation courses, giving them the power to deal with any complications. In the magazine Shanà Beshanà Dr. Mordechai Halperin writes that Jewish law gives mohalìm the knowledge necessary to deal with special cases and symptoms mentioned scarcely nella letteratura medica. Questo spiega, ad esempio, una delle fasi forse più singolari del rituale della circoncisione, ossia la metzitzà o suzione . Il dott. Halperin ha scoperto che nel caso della malattia congenita dell’ipospadia, la circoncisione può apportare un cambiamento alla struttura normale dei vasi sanguigni, riducendo il livello di ossigeno presente a causa di un restringimento delle vene (ipossia). L’esecuzione della metzitzà nel punto in cui è stata effettuata la circoncisione dilata, invece, i vasi sanguigni e impedisce che si verifichi la condizione di cui sopra.

9. Cf The Lancet , 369, 9562, pagg. 617-619, showing two large studies conducted in Africa, have revealed that circumcision reduces the risk of sixty percent of the contraction of HIV. The foreskin, in fact, is a fertile ground for the generation of infectious diseases.

From: Zamir Cohen, The Great Turning , Mamash, from page. On page 141. 144.