{"id":53325,"date":"2019-04-07T17:02:40","date_gmt":"2019-04-07T14:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=53325"},"modified":"2022-10-30T09:59:05","modified_gmt":"2022-10-30T07:59:05","slug":"circumcision-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/circumcision-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Circumcision \u2013 Then And Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[549,395,858,363,448],"acf":{"old_id":"53325","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"192","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"And the return of Elijah the Prophet, the \"Angel of the Covenant\"","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our chapter depicts the circumcision of those Israelites who had not actually made the Exodus from Egypt but had been born in the Desert when the practice of circumcision lapsed for forty years: \u201cAt that time the Lord said to Joshua: Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again. So, Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at <em>Giv\u2019at Ha-\u2018Aralot<\/em> [\u201cthe hill of the foreskins\u201d]\u201d (Joshua 5:2-3). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Midrash (Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer, Chapter 29) elaborates on this episode, making it the basis for a custom that is practiced to this day: <em>Kise\u2019 Eliyahu<\/em>, The Chair of Elijah the Prophet. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How did this come about? The People of Israel continued to practice circumcision throughout the period of the conquest of the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua and the Judges and throughout the period of the United Monarchy. But when the kingdom divided after the reign of King Solomon, the Northern Kingdom of Israel ceased practicing circumcision (see Jubilees 15:33). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elijah the prophet, who was zealous for the Covenant of Brit Milah, prayed for a cessation of rain and dew as punishment for this violation of God\u2019s commandment. Jezebel, the evil queen of the Northern Kingdom, sought to have Elijah killed. So, like those before him &#8212; Jacob, Moses and David &#8212; Elijah fled for his life. He came to Mount Horeb in the Desert of Sinai, where the Torah had been given to Israel, and hid out in a cave there. God appeared to him there and asked: What are you doing here? Elijah answered: I have been very zealous (see I Kings 19:8-10)\u2014 that is, zealous for continuing the practice of circumcision. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a reward, God vowed to Elijah that whenever the Children of Israel make the Sign of the Circumcision in their flesh, Elijah will be present (see Zohar 1:93a). Therefore, the Rabbinic Sages instituted the custom that people should make a seat of honor for the Angel of the Covenant, Elijah. For it is Elijah the Prophet who is called the Angel of the Covenant, as it is said, &#8220;And the Angel of the Covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he comes\u2026Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers&#8221; (Malachai 3:1, 23-24). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To this day, it is the custom to place a specially decorated chair in the room where the circumcision is taking place to make a place for Elijah the Prophet, the Angel of the Covenant of Circumcision, to be present at the ceremony (see Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh De\u2019ah 265:11).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Chair of Elijah &#8211;\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/yi.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=6030<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":53357,"id":53357,"title":"jo5-Chair_of_Elijah","filename":"jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/circumcision-then-and-now\/jo5-chair_of_elijah\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jo5-chair_of_elijah","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":53325,"date":"2019-04-07 20:52:57","modified":"2019-04-07 20:53:08","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":232,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2-174x300.jpg","medium-width":174,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","medium_large-width":232,"medium_large-height":400,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","large-width":232,"large-height":400,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":232,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":232,"2048x2048-height":400,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":232,"post_full_size-height":400,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","home_baner-width":232,"home_baner-height":400}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Circumcision \u2013 Then And Now","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"And the return of Elijah the Prophet, the \"Angel of the Covenant\"","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":53357,"id":53357,"title":"jo5-Chair_of_Elijah","filename":"jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/circumcision-then-and-now\/jo5-chair_of_elijah\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jo5-chair_of_elijah","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":53325,"date":"2019-04-07 20:52:57","modified":"2019-04-07 20:53:08","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":232,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2-174x300.jpg","medium-width":174,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","medium_large-width":232,"medium_large-height":400,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","large-width":232,"large-height":400,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":232,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":232,"2048x2048-height":400,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":232,"post_full_size-height":400,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo5-Chair_of_Elijah-2.jpg","home_baner-width":232,"home_baner-height":400}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53325"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53325"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108922,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53325\/revisions\/108922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}