| Place a ceremonial knife on the table where the baby is brought; |
| Lift the knife and say: |
“Zekher Milah, in memory of circumcision of the body and in honoring the tradition that goes back for hundreds of generations to Abraham and Sarah, and then through Yitsḥaḳ into the Jewish people, and goes back for hundreds of generations to Avraham and Hagar, and then through Yishmael into our cousins the Arab and Muslim peoples, I lift this knife to touch — |
| As you speak each passage, DO touch the child where indicated, gently: |
Your ears: May you always be open to hearing the pains and joys and truths of others (and quote Jeremiah 6:10):
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עַל מִי אֲדַבְּרָה וְאָעִידָה וְיִשְׁמָעוּ הִנֵּה עֲרֵלָה אָזְנָם וְלֹא יוּכְלוּ לְהַקְשִׁיב הִנֵּה דְבַר ה׳ הָיָה לָהֶם לְחֶרְפָּה לֹא יַחְפְּצוּ בוֹ.
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To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Behold, their ear is dull, And they cannot attend; Behold, the word of haShem is become unto them a reproach, They have no delight in it.
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Your mouth: May you always be of unimpeded, truthful, and profound speech as Moshe came to be (and quote Exodus 6:12, 30 in which Moshe tells God he is of uncircumcised & foreskinned tongue):
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וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי ה׳ לֵאמֹר הֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי וְאֵיךְ יִשְׁמָעֵנִי פַרְעֹה וַאֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם.
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And Moshe spoke before haShem, saying: ‘Behold, the children of Yisrael have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?’
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וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי ה׳ הֵן אֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתַיִם וְאֵיךְ יִשְׁמַע אֵלַי פַּרְעֹה.
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And Moshe said before haShem: ‘Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?’
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Your genitals: May you take deep pleasure in your body from this moment forward as you grow into adulthood, and may you give rise to future generations; (and quote the passages on Avraham’s circumcisions of himself and his sons, Genesis 17:9-13, 23-27, and 21:2-4):
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וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים אֲבָל שָׂרָה אִשְׁתְּךָ יֹלֶדֶת לְךָ בֵּן וְקָרָאתָ אֶת שְׁמוֹ יִצְחָק וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת בְּרִיתִי אִתּוֹ לִבְרִית עוֹלָם לְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו.
וּלְיִשְׁמָעֵאל שְׁמַעְתִּיךָ הִנֵּה בֵּרַכְתִּי אֹתוֹ וְהִפְרֵיתִי אֹתוֹ וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֹתוֹ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְשִׂיאִם יוֹלִיד וּנְתַתִּיו לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל.
וְאֶת בְּרִיתִי אָקִים אֶת יִצְחָק אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד לְךָ שָׂרָה לַמּוֹעֵד הַזֶּה בַּשָּׁנָה הָאַחֶרֶת.
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And Elohim said: `Rather, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son; and you shall call his name Yitsḥaḳ; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
And as for Yishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
But My covenant will I establish with Yitsḥaḳ, whom Sarah shall bear unto you at this set time in the next year.’
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וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָהָם אֶת יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ וְאֵת כָּל יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ וְאֵת כָּל מִקְנַת כַּסְפּוֹ כָּל זָכָר בְּאַנְשֵׁי בֵּית אַבְרָהָם וַיָּמָל אֶת בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתָם בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אִתּוֹ אֱלֹקִים.
וְאַבְרָהָם בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה בְּהִמֹּלוֹ בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ.
וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ בֶּן שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בְּהִמֹּלוֹ אֵת בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ.
בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִמּוֹל אַבְרָהָם וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ.
וְכָל אַנְשֵׁי בֵיתוֹ יְלִיד בָּיִת וּמִקְנַת כֶּסֶף מֵאֵת בֶּן נֵכָר נִמֹּלוּ אִתּוֹ.
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And Avraham took Yishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Avraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as Elohim had said unto him.
And Avraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
And Yishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
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וַתַּהַר וַתֵּלֶד שָׂרָה לְאַבְרָהָם בֵּן לִזְקֻנָיו לַמּוֹעֵד אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֹתוֹ אֱלֹקִים.
וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָהָם אֶת שֶׁם בְּנוֹ הַנּוֹלַד לוֹ אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לּוֹ שָׂרָה יִצְחָק.
וַיָּמָל אַבְרָהָם אֶת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ בֶּן שְׁמֹנַת יָמִים כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ אֱלֹקִים.
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And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
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Your heart: May you open your heart to all humanity and all beings who live upon our planet (and quote Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6):
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וְאָנֹכִי עָמַדְתִּי בָהָר כַּיָּמִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה וַיִּשְׁמַע ה׳ אֵלַי גַּם בַּפַּעַם הַהִוא לֹא אָבָה ה׳ הַשְׁחִיתֶךָ.
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Now I stayed in the mount, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights; and haShem hearkened unto me that time also; haShem would not destroy you.
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וּמָל ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ.
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And haShem your G!d will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love haShem your G!d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
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and may we take on together the task of Eliyah the Prophet, to turn the hearts of the parents to the children and the hearts of the children to the parents lest the Earth be utterly destroyed (and quote Malakhi 3:23-24):
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הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֵת אֵלִיָּה הַנָּבִיא לִפְנֵי בּוֹא יוֹם ה׳ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא.
וְהֵשִׁיב לֵב אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וְלֵב בָּנִים עַל אֲבוֹתָם פֶּן אָבוֹא וְהִכֵּיתִי אֶת הָאָרֶץ חֵרֶם.
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Behold, I will send you Eliyah the prophet Before the coming of the great and terrible day of haShem.
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, And the heart of the children to their fathers; Lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction. Behold, I will send you Eliyah the prophet Before the coming of the great and terrible day of haShem.
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