Definition of Brit Mila (bris)
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Javier Navarro, in Jul. 2017
As mentioned in the Old Testament, specifically in the book From Genesis 17: 1, God appeared before Abraham to seal a covenant between them and thus begin the history of the people of Israel. One of the consequences of this covenant was that all of Abraham's offspring had to be circumcised.
In this way, Brit Milah or Brit Milah consists of removing the flesh of the foreskin between males when they are eight days old. Therefore, the covenant of circumcision or Brit Milah symbolizes the covenant between God and those who practice the religion bean. It should be noted that the Old Testament of the tradition Christian is equivalent to the Torah in Jewish tradition.
The idea of covenant in Hebrew thought
In the Hebrew tradition the word covenant is indicated by the word brit and with it an alliance between God and men is expressed. This implies that this covenant is a divine and eternal mandate that men must respect. Consequently, in the Jewish tradition the covenant between God and Abraham indicated in Genesis cannot be ignored.
The ritual of the Brat Mila
The practice of the Jewish religion is closely linked with the Brat Milah ritual. In this sense, if someone converts to Judaism they must also be circumcised. Is obligation It is not without controversy, since not all Jews are in favor of maintaining this tradition. In any case, those who defend this ritual consider that it is a first step to deepen the spirituality of Judaism throughout life.
Currently the ritual of circumcision is normally practiced by a doctor, who must assess whether the child is in good health to perform this small intervention surgical The child's father is responsible for taking the decision on the ritual of circumcision. The Brat Milah is one of the 613 obligations that are included in the Torah and that must be respected as mandatory norms. compliance for anyone who practices the Jewish religion.
Other rituals of Judaism
In addition to the Brat Milah, Jews celebrate other traditions. Thus, when a boy turns 13 he has to take responsibility for his own actions and for this the Bar Mitzvah holiday is celebrated.
The celebration of Shabbat is also mandatory and consists of not carrying out any activity labor during Saturday.
Yom Kippur is the festival of atonement or forgiveness and for ten days a partial fast is practiced, a series of limitations in daily life and with these rites it is sought that God absolve sins and thus achieve purification personal.
Rosh Hashanah is on New Year's Day and takes place in the Hebrew month of Tishrel.
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Themes in Brit Mila (bris)