A friend recently suggested that my life is “all body parts all the time.” In some ways, she’s not wrong.
With my reconstruction now complete, I’m able to turn my full attention to researching and writing my master’s thesis which also focuses on a particular (but different!) body part.
In case you haven’t been following the story, I’m writing about the Haredi practice of metzitzah b’peh (oral suction as part of Jewish ritual circumcision) that, in the last eight years, has resulted in 11 cases of neonatal herpes in New York City, including the death of two babies. Recently the New York City Board of Health voted to require Haredi mohelim to obtain written consent from parents before performing metzitzah b'peh as part of the baby's bris. The Haredim have filed a lawsuit against the city, and a judge ordered a stay on the requirement until the next hearing, which is scheduled for November 14.
But, rather than get into further details here, I’ll let you read the section on Jewish ritual circumcision that I’ve just completed...which also partially explains why I haven't been able to blog here in recent weeks.
Jewish Ritual Circumcision
According to Klein (1992), “[t]he operation of ritual circumcision consists of three steps:
1.
Milah, the cutting
off of the foreskin.
2.
Peri’ah, the tearing
of and folding back of the mucous membrane to expose the glans.
3.
Metsitsah, the suction
of the blood from the wound.” (p. 422)
Initially, these
steps were described in the Talmud—a compilation of rabbinic writings completed
by the 5th century—in the context of what can and cannot be
performed on the Sabbath. According to
the Talmud, “We may perform all the necessities of circumcision on the
Sabbath. We may circumcise, uncover the
corona, draw the blood, and place a bandage and cumin upon it.”
Later, these same
steps were described again by Moses Maimonides, the 12th century
Torah scholar and physician in his Mishneh
Torah (Repetition of the Torah).
This 14-volume work describes all the laws of Jewish observance as
detailed in Jewish texts (Torah and Talmud).
In his Mishneh Torah, Maimonides
writes:
How
is the circumcision performed? The
foreskin that covers the crown of the penis is cut off until the entire crown
is revealed.
Afterwards,
the soft membrane that is beneath the skin should be split along the mid-line
with one’s nails and peeled back to either side until the flesh of the crown is
revealed.
Afterwards,
one should suck the place of the circumcision until all the blood in the
further reaches is extracted, lest a dangerous situation arise. Any [mohel]
who does not perform metzitzah should
be removed from his position. After one
has performed metzizah, one should
apply a bandage, a compress, or the like. (Touger,
1991)
It is important to note that the
Hebrew Maimonides used to describe the third step in the process is metzitzah [suction], not metzitzah b’peh [suction by mouth]. Although
the text does not explicitly specify the suction method to be used, it is
plausible to presume that during Maimonides’ time, suction by mouth was the
only feasible way to draw blood away from the circumcision wound. Touger (1991)
offers this commentary on the text, providing an explanation of why metzitzah b’peh has largely been abandoned
by all but the most ultra-Orthodox Jews:
Traditionally,
the mohel sucks out the blood with
his mouth. Nevertheless, in previous
generations, the Rabbis did grant license to use a pipette because of the
possibility that germs in the mohel’s
mouth might infect the child. Today,
there are authorities who suggest the use of a pipette because of the danger
that the mohel could contract AIDS. (pp. 220-221)
And yet, like
their brethren in 19th century Hungary and Germany who believed the
commandment to perform metzitzah b’peh
was handed down from God to Moses, Haredim in New York City continue this
custom, believing that their practice imbues it with the weight of Jewish law. According to Dvoretzky and Roth (2012), counsel to the International Bris
Association (IBA), one of the three organizations that has filed suit against New
York City for its efforts to obtain parental consent prior to ritual
circumcisions in the Haredi community:
Traditionally, metzitzah was performed using direct oral suction—metzitzah b’peh (“MBP”)—and this method
remains in widespread use in Hasidic, Orthodox, and ultra-Orthodox Jewish
communities. Indeed many prominent
rabbinic authorities maintain that MBP is the only legitimate way to properly complete the circumcision in
accordance with Jewish law. (p. 26)
It seems extremely unlikely,
therefore, that the Haredim will forsake metzitzah
b’peh under any circumstances, despite the possible health risks to both
the infant and the mohel that have
been identified by generations of scientific experts—and heeded by rabbinic
authorities—beginning in the 19th century.
Yes, at the moment it is all body
parts all the time! Stay tuned....