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One of the prayers that the Mohel says during is the Bris is that Elijah the prophet should come stand with and support him as he performs the Bris. As an angel, Elijah is no more than a messenger from the Almighty. In effect, we are asking for G-d’s assistance when performing the Bris. Now, why should a Mohel ask for assistance if he has plenty of experience and a deep understanding of every element of the Bris ranging from spiritual and philosophical all the way down to the physical and technical? If our concern was only the health of the child or that we perform the Bris properly then we should ask for another expert to watch us so that we perform the procedure right.

While we all do want the assistance from the Almighty to perform the procedure of the Bris correctly, there surely must be a more significant reason why we ask for His assistance. A Mohel can perform the procedure to bring the child or adult into the covenant of the Bris, however the fact that the child actually enters the covenant cannot be affected by the Mohel, only G-d can effect such a deep and transcendent change. Removing the foreskin is something which only a Mohel can do, however he cannot create the inherent bond that the child or adult has with the Almighty.

A Bris reflects a human’s inner potential and maintaining the Bris as mentioned in previous posts is a lifetime goal. Part of maintaining the Covenant of Bris is to always stand above our primordial and animalistic drives and instincts. This is very difficult as we all have strong animalistic drives as necessary in order to maintain our physical bodies, so where can we get the strength to overcome this?

The answer is just like we ask for G-d’s assistance in the beginning of a person’s life, we must recognize that we need His assistance throughout our whole lives. Without G-d’s assistance, it would be impossible to maintain our G-dly stature. Yet, it is imperative that we do our part ,and whenever we can we muster the courage and strength to stand up to the base desires and animalistic tendencies that we have, even if it inconvenient.

Truth is always true whether we are in public or private, whether popular or unpopular. We must strive for it and do our part to become truly righteous to the extent that our inner animal does not bother us from maintaining a human stature. At the same time, we must realize that all we can do is partake of the internal struggle, however, only the Almighty can truly bring us to the place that we are trying to reach and only he can actualize it. A Mohel is necessary to bring the child into the Covenant of the Bris, and a Mohel is necessary to maintain the covenant throughout ones own lifetime, however this time, you become your own Mohel.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

One would think that such a powerful connection to G-d should be forged with something more spiritual than the removal of the foreskin at a Bris. Of course, there are many spiritual representations of all of the elements of the Bris within our lives, yet if we do not fulfill the action of the Bris, all of the esoteric concepts are actually for naught.

In general, why does true spirituality require physical action? We generally view spiritual people as being disconnected from the world and all of its details. Yet, the Almighty insists that the only true way to be connected to Him is through physical actions and good deeds, and as a result, truly divine.

The only way to answer this is by changing our perspective on the true nature of our connection to the divine. Our general mindset is that there is a dichotomy: two realities of the spiritual and then the physical. We consider the spiritual divine and ideal and the physical coarse and senseless whose only refinement is to emulate the spiritual.

From this perspective, the question is valid. In order to emulate the spiritual we have to do something that allows for the spiritual to permeate the physical, yet the action itself is not actually necessary, it is only a conduit for that connection, and when you think about it, we would be better off without it. But, this dichotomy is not correct; G-d is not spiritual, He is above it.

In fact, He is so far above it that for Him the physical and spiritual are equal. Heaven and earth are both creations and both have their purpose and both do not fully encapsulate the true greatness of the Almighty. Additionally, the very notion of good and evil are artificial from G-d’s perspective, what G-d wants is good and what He despises is evil, not because they seem that way to us, rather because that is what He decided.

Since G-d is beyond the spiritual and beyond even the righteous, how is it possible for us to forge a connection with him? There is no rational answer, it is only so because that is what He decided, and He decided that physical deed connects to him in a deeper way that spiritual mediation ever could. IN physical reality, its existence is self-substantiated: it does not have to explain its existence or where it comes from, rather its existence is its very own substantiation. This is not true of the spiritual where one’s source of existence is sensed and justifies its reality. Every creation senses that it is created because HaShem imbued this sensitivity into our world. Since only our world has this feature only our world can be His true home and sphere, not the spiritual.

While it’s honorable to be spiritual and good, our essential role is to be beyond good.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

Immediately after greeting the baby or adult who had a Bris, the community exclaims, “How fortunate is the one who You [the Almighty] chose and brought close”. We express our gratitude for the fact that G-d chose us specifically and entrusted us with his sacred covenant, and that we have the tremendous responsibility to uphold it. With this one sentence we can truthfully relate to our place in the cosmic reality and understand how we should approach it.

In our society, we have rights and responsibilities. The responsibilities are demanded either societally or out of personal integrity. While rights are appreciated, responsibly sometimes seems like something we would rather be without if not for the fact that they are necessary for society’s most proper function. In essence, when we take a deeper look at responsibility, it is not just a burden placed upon us by the world rather, it’s a gift that helps bring out the best of every individual and reflects the deeper necessity that the can provide to the universe at large.

Regardless, we tend to not appreciate responsibility or challenge. At the very best, we tolerate it in a similar way to the tolerance that we have for bitter medicine. However, this is not an enlightened view; this cannot allow a person’s inner light to reveal itself; this cannot be the perspective that makes the world a truly unified and holy abode. We must have a different perspective, we must be gracious and feel tremendous gratitude for what is placed upon our shoulders because it reflects the fact that G-d trusts and believes in us.

He only gives us what we can deal with, and He really perceives that we can deal with a lot! But, how do we attain such an enlightened perspective without merely faking gratitude? The answer lies in the ancient tradition of expressing gratitude by the Bris Milah. We reflect on the fortune that we have that G-d chose us, each one with his or her respective mission. We recognize the great closeness we share with G-d and that He chose us for his most sacred desire; to have an abode in our lowly world.

This mediation will also lead to a sense of humility when we recognize how truly small we are, yet what a great Covenant we were given to uphold. It ensures we avoid being judgmental in another person’s struggles when we reflect on the fact that he was chosen for that mission, one that we clearly could not handle, because if we could have, the struggle would have been ours.

Personally, I contemplate before every Bris the tremendous honor and responsibility that I have been bestowed. You can also use this contemplation when you have a task G-d sets before you and you will feel truly fortunate.  The key is to thank G-d.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

Believe it or not the Bris actually is not just a one-step mitzvah. In addition to cutting away Orlah (outer foreskin) there is also the additional step of moving back the Priah (inner foreskin). Leaving the Priah intact brings him into the covenant of the Bris. However, if the Priah remains in its original place, the Bris is not yet kosher.

According to Kabala, anything that is not entirely selfless is defined as Kelipa (hiding G-d’s light), inherently unholy. Within the category of Kelipa there are two subcategories: a) those that cannot be refined, but have to be removed to be fixed, and b) that which can be refined through proper usage by removing its selfish element and allowing it to reunite with the Almighty. The Arizal likens the Orla to the Kelipa that cannot be refined and the Priah to the Kelipa that can be refined.

Within our psyche we also see this parallel; there are traits that cannot be fixed; anger, hatred and the, we can only refine them by eliminating them from our character. While traits such as ambition and the like can be refined; ambition is not inherently wrong, however if it is not used for a G-dly cause it then is selfish, a Kelipa. Similarly, with our self-imposed definitions, there are some which are negative and that we must remove from our psyche, such definitions that a person uses to tell himself that he is not qualified or he is not good enough and anything that leads unbridled arrogance. However, there are definitions that we give ourselves that are neither inherently righteous or the opposite; for instance, defining oneself as a sports fan, or belonging to a nationality.

While not problematic in-and-of-themselves, if we allow these definitions to overtake us and become primary, it can lead to catastrophe. If we realize that they are all secondary to the fact that we are creations of the Almighty then it can enhance our connections with each other and the world at large.

When these definitions are primary it focuses on our differences and hinders unity. Realizing they are secondary enhances our connection and brings out our unification despite our differences. From this perspective, when we refine ourselves and the world by using everything within for a holy purpose, we connect ourselves to the Infinite and become transcendent, more so than had we ignored these elements (that are seemingly neutral). After accomplishing this you will realize that nothing truly defines you.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

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Bris Milah is unique amongst all of the currently performed positive mitzvos (commandments), in that it is the only one where its lack of fulfillment incurs the Biblical punishment of Kares (spiritual excision). Kares occurs when something so utterly against the Almighty’s will occurs that the soul as it is enveloped in the body is effectively cut off from G-d entirely. However, according to Kabala it is not actually a punishment at all, it is merely the result of the person’s negative action. For example, we wouldn’t say that an injury is a punishment, rather it’s just a result: the same is true of Kares.

However, this only explains how a person can be cut off from G-d by actually doing something, but how can a person cut himself off by staying put and not doing anything? Therefore, we must conclude that in the case of Bris Milah that a person isn’t necessarily cutting himself off, but rather he never allowed himself to become connected in the first place!

Joining the covenant of the Bris is paramount for a person to connect himself. Without it, regardless of all of the good that he does and that he possesses, he still remains to be connected.

We all have this parallel in our lives, even after the Bris; we all have what to contribute, inherent good traits, dispositions and ambitions. Albeit, sometimes we don’t allow ourselves to even begin to act out our purposes. It might come from a place of fear, or false humility or laziness. We all stop ourselves from carrying out our divine purposes from time to time. Sometimes we even tell ourselves that a certain deed is too lofty or holy or that it’s beyond us or that we are not good enough for it.

We cannot allow ourselves to hold ourselves back, because if we do, who knows what the universe is missing? Every person has his unique role in this world, and if one person does not fulfill it, the world cannot move forward as a whole! Regardless of our innate abilities and strengths, if we don’t break out of ourselves, out of our comfort zones and out of our conforming perspectives, our innate light will never have a chance to reveal itself.

Additionally, when we don’t follow through, it’s inherently selfish; our actions have implications much beyond us and are necessary for the continued success of the universe at large regardless of our perceptions. Limiting ourselves to narrow perceptions robs the world of what we have to offer, so please for your own good and for all of us, don’t stop yourself before you start.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

After every Bris that I perform, I ask the parents if they recognize their baby. While it’s a bit humorous, there is an underlying message; do you notice anything different about him or does he seem like the same baby as before the Bris?

Sometimes I believe you can notice a difference: a twinkle in the baby’s eyes or a certain sense of peace. However the more that I think about it I have come to realize that he is the same baby. No, not that we possibly switched infants, but that everything “new” about him was really there all along and that all we did was reveal it. In fact the Talmud (Avoda Zara 27a) notes that we are all members of the covenant, even if we did not yet undergo Bris, teaching us that when someone does undergo a Bris,he is not actually changing anything, rather he is bringing out an inner connection that was already there.

If we want to grow, we have to realize that whatever point we want to reach is already within our soul-DNA. According to Kabala any positive change is not truly a change, it is simply revealing the depth of our inner soul that was prevented from expressing itself. The soul is perfect and our challenge starts when it comes down into this world, into a body and then receives the message that it is inherently a body or at the very least its sole purpose is to animate a living body.

Our goal is to recognize that we a far from living bodies, rather we are life that permeates physical bodies. The wording might seem similar but the differences are day and night apart; a living body implies that we are basically physical and worldly beings that happen to have some spiritual characteristics as well. Life in a body, on the other hand, implies that we are inherently spiritual but that we have some physical and world characteristics. However, living according to this perspective requires a lot of mental and even physical toil, because living in a physical paradigm means that we are predisposed to seeing ourselves as living bodies.

One way to overcome this perspective is to realize that whatever we aspire to be is already, it is just a matter of bringing it out and getting there. There is no such thing as an “angry person” or “shallow person” or really anything of the like; rather there is a person who is on his way to bringing out his inner tranquility or depth.  A common misconception about character improvement is that a person who has not yet changed should so to speak pretend to be like what he aspires to be until he actually internalizes it: “fake it until you make”. This notion of faking it could not be further from the truth; you are not faking anything, you are only internalizing what you have always possessed!

We see this by a Bris where the baby or adult is revealing the fact that he always was and will be a member of the covenant. We should likewise all realize that we are always exactly where we belong.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

People are pretty happy at a Bris: exclamations of “Mazal Tov,” family members astute of the baby’s cute nature and a nice family and community meal: it’s truly a holiday.  However, the Bris is essentially removing a human imperfection, as the Rabbinical sages note that a foreskin is a imperfection that needs to be removed in order for the infant or adult to become fully integrated into the Jewish people… so why are we happy?

I have never seen anyone, let alone whole communities, rejoice and celebrate over someone having a mole removed, or really anything that perfects a perfectly normal, seemingly, human imperfection. But, the Bris is not an isolated event, rather the model that the infant and the community will follow when they structure their lives and relationships with themselves and the universe at large. Therefore, the happiness experienced at the Bris should be drawn into and permeate our lives as whole… the question is how?

While there are myriads of lessons that we can draw into our lives, one is crucial; rejoicing in our imperfections. Generally, we rejoice over in the good within us or that is given to us and despair in the negativity within and around us. However, this joy and sadness are not the true reality of joy and the opposite of joy, but rather circumstantial. We are happy or despondent over something outside of us and beyond our control; we didn’t do anything for it. And even when we rejoice over the good that we have done with our positive traits we should remember that we did not give or create these good traits, they are inherently G-d given.

True happiness comes from our connection with the Almighty and this connection comes from doing what He wants from us. Our primary mission is to make this world G-d’s home, that His reality should permeate our existence until His absolute unity is felt even in a world full of duplicity. We affect this by transforming the negativity within us and the world at large, using those forces and traits that seemingly deny G-d in order to truly acknowledge Him.

 Sadness over negative traits is really illogical, for we did not create these ourselves. This explains why we shouldn’t despair, but why should we be happy? G-d gives us negative traits because He believes and has confidence in us, He is telling us how strong we are and is pleading with us to dig deeper and reveal our true depth. This can only come through struggle, but our despondency prevents us letting our light shine!

We must be cognizant that G-d is really begetting us a deeper kindness; the chance to be partners with Him and affect something truly novel! This is the lesson that we learn from a Bris, we take the human imperfection of the foreskin and turn it into a mitzvah (lit. a G-dly connection) and we don’t  just transform it, but rather we rejoice and make a holiday of it. We must look at every imperfection similarly as a chance for true growth because only through our imperfections can we become perfectly happy because every day is a holiday.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

When the Jewish people left Egypt they reflected the Almighty himself. Everyone was in awe of their spiritual and physical prowess, and no one dared aggravate them. Everything seemed idyllic; they would venture to Sinai, receive the Torah and then enter into the Promised Land and usher in a new divine reality with the onset of the messianic age. 

However, it was not to be, Amalek attacked despite the fact that they stood no chance, and Biblical history as we know it took its course; the time in the desert was full of strife, lasted for forty years and after entering the holy land there were constant struggles, culminating in the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple). 

The reality that the Jews experienced when leaving Egypt was spoiled and did not come back until the holiday of Purim, when every member of the Jewish people without exception stood with G-d, even under the threat of death. However, we must ask, what did Amalek do that was so dreadful that it caused irreparable damage even by the giving of the Torah and construction of the Temple?  

Amalek ruined the Jewish people’s sense of completion. From here on out, there would always be a scar of doubt, regardless of the wonders that they would achieve. Doubt prevents the soul from truly expressing itself; it keeps the soul locked in a box, in limitations and weaknesses. Doubt, also expressing itself as a lack of confidence, is not really based on anything, its basis is actually nothing! 

If there is an issue, a person should be able to determine what it is and fix it. Doubt does not provide this opportunity, and rather it bothers a person’s very humanity. An individual suffering from doubt and low confidence does not necessarily have any issues at all. They can possess  plenty of talent and capability, rather they doubt if they have basic worth, purpose and divine mission. 

This sense of doubt limits a person, and does not let him leave his own mental and emotional barriers, it asserts that he should not leave his comfort zone, lest he fail and reveal his true essential lack of human value. While the solution seems easy, it is actually quite difficult, in order to overcome doubt the person does not have to necessarily do anything, rather he must connect back to the undisputed fact that he was put here by the Almighty, and that this reality is what substantiates his true value; his mere existence changes the world in an infinite way. 

This is what happened through the duration of the struggle leading up to Purim, the divine soul of the individual and the collective with absolute certainty proclaimed for an extended period that the connection to the divine trumps physical life. Inherently, this changed them, because it repaired the soul and made it one whole again. 

Our struggle is no different, we see that one of the biggest challenges is lack of self-value, and this stems from the fact that we don’t know how to frame what is true human value. Amalek is a struggle we still relate to, and in order to reveal the light of the soul we must overcome it, so when it is time to give your son or yourself a Bris, do not have any doubts, be certain of yourself and your innate desire to bring your child or yourself into the Covenant of the Bris.

And have a Happy Purim, without a doubt!

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

One of the themes of the Jewish Purim celebration is the eternal struggle with Amalek. Historically, Amalek was the first group to fight against the Jewish people after the Egyptian exodus, and notably the first Anti-Bris movement in history, they simply couldn’t stand the notion of a G-dly covenant. 

It is one of the few, if not the only, instance in the Torah where there is a command to eliminate a whole group of individuals without exception, contradictory to the Torah’s inclusivity when it comes to the refinement of mankind. 

While in today’s world we can point out select individuals who possess the traits of inherent evil and destruction like Hitler and Stalin and their cohorts who are categorized as the modern day incarnations of Amalek, we can still see the effects of Amalek within the collective psyche of mankind and in the individual conscious. Unlike other forms of spiritual negativity such as hatred and anger, Amalek does not represent any specific negative trait per se, rather it is manifest in mockery, self-doubt and a sense of emotional and mental lack. This is termed “coldness” in the Kabalistic writings.

Let us bring a basic example of Amalek and its affect; an individual is excited about a project which he believes will benefit many people, yet crumbles and loses all excitement when someone mocks him and his project. If he was provided with some sort of constructive advice this would not crush him, but the criticism was intended to crush him. Mockery is interesting in that it does not truly have a logical basis, if someone has a problem then let him bring it up and prove it! Yet, that is why it is so painful. It does not attack a person’s ideas or actions, rather mockery directly attacks the person himself at his very core and essence. 

There is an old adage: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” This is a very misconstrued message. Really, words will always hurt. Sticks and stones might hurt his body but an insult will always hurt his soul. This why a person can recover from injury but sometimes never recuperates from humiliation.

The codex of Jewish Law very first Halacha (Jewish Law) is that a person should be bold and strong in the face of those who put him down, which is interesting because Jewish wisdom starting from the Talmud and onwards is so broad, that any claim or question should be able to be answered. Based on this, the Shulchan Aruch (codex of Jewish Law) should have first advised everyone to peruse the Talmud and its following commentators in order to be able to refute any question or claim. Yet, this is not the advice, the advice is to be bold and courageous, because only inner strength and courage that originates in the essence of a person’s soul can combat the mockery that comes in order to attack it.

In our lives, the message is self-evident, we must recognize that everything we do originates in our soul’s inner goodness to positively affect the cosmos and never let anyone’s mockery get in the way of that and more importantly, we should never insult another. 

Above all have an easy fast and be strong!

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com

BH

One the hallmark features of a Bris is that it is done on the eighth day of a baby’s life.  In fact, the eighth day is so significant that if the Bris is done before that point, the baby should undergo a Hatafas Dam Bris (extracting a drop of blood from the site of the Bris in order to rectify and issues with the Bris when it was performed). Simply put, the eighth day is a requirement because the Torah says so explicitly. Nevertheless, we must look for the underlying significance of the eighth day for the Bris, and then in our own lives as a whole.

According to the kabalistic sages, the number seven represents the natural worldly cycle i.e. seven days of a week and on higher levels, the seven kabalistic emotional traits that define a person’s character.

Further, the number eight represents reaching beyond the natural and the worldly. For the baby, this means that his Bris reaches deeper than any worldly and physical definitions and wholly relates to something much greater.

Generally, we do things that we understand, enjoy or feel an obligation or responsibly towards. We don’t participate in activities that make no sense or provide no sense of enjoyment or personal fulfillment. This is the precise reason why we bring a baby into the covenant of the Bris without any understanding be it intellectual or emotional. And mind you, we don’t even ask the baby his opinion on the matter (though every adult I have given a Bris to would have preferred getting it as an infant)!

This is the message we give to the baby; the foundation of your life and relationship with the Almighty and the world goes beyond your understanding, beyond your emotions and sometimes even beyond your own will and it might sometimes even hurt a bit. This is the significance of the number eight, going beyond ourselves in order to make this world a better place.

The practical lesson for our lives is that we must do what is right not because it feels right, but rather because it is right… and this sense of righteousness cannot be explained because it’s beyond explanation.

Sometimes we might not enjoy what we are doing and may question our life mission, we might feel that we did not sign up for this. If you ever throw up your hands and say “I don’t get it!” then, perfect! You are (most likely) exactly where you are supposed to be, and with the Almighty’s help, you will feel better and you will relate to it! However this is the foundation of our lives and this is the goal we must strive for, that every day of our lives should be an eighth day.

Signing off,

Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, Certified Mohel

BrisUSA.com