Talking Through Taboos: A Gemara (Commentary) on Judaism Unbound Episode 303 - "Bris" means "Covenant," not "Circumcision"
This piece is the FIRST EVER Judaism Unbound “Gemara” (commentary). It is a reflection, written by Eli Hurwitz, on a Judaism Unbound podcast episode (Episode 303: "Bris" Means "Covenant," Not Circumcision). It explores the idea of kavanah (spiritual intent), as applied to difficult Jewish conversations.
By Eli Hurwitz, New Voices/Judaism Unbound Fellow (2021-22)
I’ve always liked reading essays about films I’ve never watched, and watching people make recipes I’ll never cook; there’s something appealing to me about filtering one media object through another medium, viewing one piece through the eyes of another. The rabbis who created the Gemara (the second part of the Talmud – which commentates on the earlier part, called Mishnah) understood the value of filtering the traditions of Jewish law through their own perspectives. So through this post I’m bringing a form of Judaism Unbound Gemara – which can be read “on the margins” of a podcast episode, as commentary, to help readers/listeners process it.
So let’s talk about Episode 303: “Bris” Means “Covenant,” Not “Circumcision,” featuring Lisa Braver Moss, Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, and Rebecca Wald. In this episode, Dan and Lex talk with members of the executive board of Bruchim, an organization which seeks to advocate for the full inclusion of non-circumcised Jews in Jewish spaces. Near the start of the episode, co-founder and president of Bruchim, Lisa Braver Moss, discusses her choice to circumcise her now-adult sons: “I looked upon [circumcision] as something almost transactional, as the price of Jewish belonging…this is not quite the covenant that Genesis 17 describes.” Braver Moss continues to discuss the reservations she had, saying “You know, traditions are meant to bring us together, but I didn’t feel more Jewish because of circumcising my sons… I certainly didn’t circumcise with the required kavanah – spiritual intent.”
Let’s flash to some classical Jewish sources. The rabbis of the Mishnah generally agree that spiritual intent – the performance of mitzvot with focus and dedication, instead of as a rote or accidental action – is an essential part of Jewish practice. Later, Maimonides (12th Century CE) lists kavanah as one of the five essential elements of proper prayer.
Braver Moss makes a really important point here. A bris is a life cycle ritual, a way of welcoming a child into a Jewish world. Many Jews might feel that their bris, or their child’s ceremony, does connect them to their ancestors and tradition in a way that is meaningful. But for Jews who don’t, it’s often taboo to talk about any reservations that they might have. One reason for this is that we are taught to see circumcision as ubiquitous – an always-observed practice, even when it’s not. Another reason is the trickiness (read: prevalence of antisemitism) of conversations about circumcision that occur in non-Jewish spaces. But if we are looking to our ancestors to find ways to deepen our Jewish practices, kavanah has to be a part of the conversation; the choice to circumcise, then, must be individually and communally meaningful.
Discussing and centering intent – asking “what is this practice bringing?” and “why are you choosing it?” – requires us to oppose a common attitude surrounding circumcision. Or, at least, requires me to switch up the attitude I held around conversations about circumcision – a sense that I needed to enter a role where I’d be a protector, or defender, of a Jewish ritual that is regularly dismissed or criticized by non-Jewish voices. This defensive impulse usually resulted in me avoiding these conversations altogether. But that impulse – towards, basically, a one-dimensional endorsement of all ways that a bris could be practiced – is focused on non-Jewish criticism. It turns me away from the Jewish tradition of wrestling with our traditions, in favor of an orientation where I’d merely be lobbying for their right to exist.
Questioning this impulse, after listening to this episode, got me to do something new, which, in a stronger Jewish future, would be more common. I spoke – in real conversations with loved ones – about circumcision! It’s hard to build community out of silently-imposed traditions. And more than that, it isn’t particularly fun. On controversial issues, like circumcision – but others as well – it’s time to put aside our instinct toward muffling ourselves, and instead break out some microphones. Or even megaphones! The conversations I had, while slightly uncomfortable at times, were productive and meaningful ones. I hope that all of us can have more of them, even and especially about the Jewish topics that we feel some instinct to avoid.
Eli Hurwitz (they/them) was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently a junior at Vassar College, where they are pursuing a degree in Media Studies. In their free time, Eli helps put on shadowcasted screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, works at a coffee shop, and draws comics. As the 2021 New Voices / Judaism Unbound Fellow, Eli is excited to work within orgs that are imagining a radical, joyful, and liberating Jewish future.