Everything has its price. For the redemption of a firstborn son, the Torah is quite specific: Numbers 18 instructs that the first son to pierce his mother’s womb belongs to God. You can bypass a life of priestly service through the pidyon haben, the ritual of redemption, held 31 days after the son’s birth. During…
The Sabbath fire that killed seven children in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn on Saturday was at least the fourth deadly blaze in the borough resulting from Sabbath and holiday observance in the past 15 years. In all 11 people have been killed in the four fires, all but one of them children. At…
A proposal to cancel a requirement for signed parental consent for a controversial circumcision rite set to be presented to the New York Board of Health was postponed. City officials said Monday that the metzitzah b’peh plan would be presented to the Board of Health in June and voted on at the next meeting, The…
A proposal to cancel a requirement for signed parental consent for a controversial circumcision rite set to be presented to the New York Board of Health was postponed. City officials said Monday that the metzitzah b’peh plan would be presented to the Board of Health in June and voted on at the next meeting, The…
Galen and Hippocrates depicted in a 12th century mural/ Wikimedia Commons. The tradition of metzitzah b’peh goes back to biblical times but has created a modern-day dilemma for religiously observant Jews. New York City officials linked the practice to 17 cases of infant herpes since 2000, of whom two died. In the latest development, the…
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio scored a political victory February 24 when administration officials announced the city’s intention to scrap current regulation of a controversial circumcision rite. Ultra-Orthodox leaders, who represent a powerful voting bloc in the city, welcomed the announcement, hailing it as a victory for religious freedom. But it remains to…
It looks like Johnny Depp is just as depressed about his acting career as you are. During an appearance on Israeli TV show, “Erev Tov With Guy Pines.” the “Mortdecai” actor revealed that he’s been considering a change of pace to become… a mohel? Thanks to Tablet for pointing out the fantastic exchange below: Host:…
To many, it’s a disgusting ritual. But is it dangerous? For years, New York City health officials have cited scientific evidence that metzitzah b’peh, in which a mohel uses his mouth to suction blood from the circumcision wound, infects babies with the potentially fatal herpes virus. Now, the ultra-Orthodox community claims to have scientific evidence…
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