brit information
What is a Brit?
The word “Brit” is translated as a covenant, the Mitzvah is referred to as “Brit Milah”.
“Milah” literally means “word” or otherwise “to cut”. Why does this Mitzvah which the Rabbis say is equal in weight to the sum of the remaining 612 Mitzvot, and with which Abraham was finally able to receive prophecy, have such a strange name? The covenant of circumcision, literally.
If we understand that the holy tongue is precise we understand that every meaning of a word is a part of the real meaning of that word. So why does “Milah” mean “word” and “cut”? We learn that a word is the process of bringing the infinite spiritual concepts and thought into the physical world through speech and sound.
The Brit Milah can be thought of as the carving out of an infinite soul to occupy a physical space for the purpose of fulfilling G-d’s holy covenant. Abraham dedicated his life to having the physical world recognize its infinite source. So too do we each bear the physical mark of Hashem’s covenant with our father Abraham, pointing back to our infinite source.
Amazingly, the Rabbis teach that the Brit Milah is the moment when the G-dly soul begins to descend into a Jewish child’s body; Judaism teaches that a person’s soul isn’t simply the spirit that dwells in the body — it has separate parts, which are imparted to a person progressively — in several successive stages; As you might have guessed, Brit Milah is one of these key stages, at which point there is an additional impartation of the child’s as-yet-incomplete soul.
On the shoulders of its single original founder, Brit Yosef Yitzchak has grown into a multinational organization.
Together with its many international partners and various offices, Brit Yosef Yitzchak and its hundreds of Mohalim have performed Brit Milah (ritual circumcision) on Jews around the world. To date BYY has performed more than 27,000 Brit Milah procedures in over 235 cities around the world. Headquartered in Israel, BYY has permanent staff in Israel, the former Soviet Union, and the United States.
Why a Kosher Mohel?
I am concerned about the safety of circumcision.
Wouldn’t it be safer to have a doctor do it in the hospital? Many people ask us this question, but have come to find that a kosher Brit Milah is simply the safest and best option.
The rabbinical procedure for Brit Milah (circumcision) has been established for centuries and has been flawlessly executed for millions of Jews in every era. Further, today each Orthodox Mohel (ritual circumciser) undergoes extremely precise medical training. It is safer to use the services of a trained Mohel than a doctor because Mohalim perform Britot Milah far more frequently than do physicians, making them naturally more proficient — many Mohalim routinely perform as many at 10 Britot Milah on a given day, hundreds per year, and several thousand over a career — as specialists… there is no other procedure which they are trained to perform. Brit Yosef Yitzchak’s Mohalim are required to have performed hundreds of Britot Milah flawlessly before they may participate with our organization.
A Mohel performs a Brit using a Magen shield, and a Izmil (scalpel), which severs the skin safely, quickly, and efficiently — within fifteen seconds, resulting in a minimum of pain. Doctors use a clamp, which takes several minutes, causes unnecessary pain, and can have serious health consequences. A letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued in August of 2000 states,
“…although research suggests that circumcision is generally a safe procedure, we are concerned that some device-related complications have occurred. We have received 105 reports of injuries involving circumcision clamps between July, 1996 and January, 2000. These have included laceration, hemorrhage, penile amputation, and urethral damage.”
Note that it is precisely the clamps to which the FDA objects — We at Brit Yosef Yitzchak couldn’t agree more. Not only does the clamp not conform to the strictures of Jewish law, but it really isn’t safe for any type of circumcision. Under the best possible circumstances, the use of a clamp makes the circumcision a far more lengthy and painful procedure.
Using the Jewish shield, the results are precisely the opposite from those of the clamp: The foreskin is completely, safely, and painlessly isolated from the glans, so that inadvertant damage is impossible.
Every parent should also realize that Brit Milah is not simply a medical procedure. It is also a religious practice. The words “Brit Milah” convey both spiritual and physical significance. the term ‘Milah’ refers to the act of circumcision itself. The term ‘Brit’ means covenant, and refers to the assurance that G-d gave our Patriarch Abraham that his descendants would be G-d’s chosen people.
Any properly trained physician may perform a ‘circumcision’. But when a circumcision is performed without the proper religious elements and ceremony, the child does not fully enter into this covenant. The procedure is meaningless in the religious sense. To seal the Covenant, another ceremony has to be performed, in which all the blessings and prayers are recited. A drop of blood is also taken from his member (as is done with a convert who was circumcised previously).
The religious ceremony surrounding a Brit is very festive because it brings the child into the ancient Covenant with Abraham. The ceremony enables him to receive the higher spiritual elements that are a part of the Jewish soul.
Both of these aspects, medical and spiritual, should be given adequate consideration. As we’ve explained, the kosher Brit Milah is superior in both regards.
Brit Yosef Yitzchak believes that no Jewish male should be deprived the opportunity of having a Brit Milah and, as such, is committed to providing a Brit Milah for any Jew anywhere, free of charge.
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