Drasha (Recent Sermons)

Abraham and Circumcision

Shalom Adventure August 10, 2023

3,500 years of Circumcising

In Judaism circumcising a male child is as natural as changing his diaper. This procedure has been done since the time of Abraham almost 3,500 years ago. God threatened to kill Moses because he had not circumcised his sons. There are proven health benefits as a result of circumcision. Many hospitals in many parts of the world routinely offer circumcision to parents of both Jewish and non-Jewish sons. Yeshua was circumcised on the eighth day of his life. Paul was circumcised on the eighth day of his life. Muslims circumcise their sons at the age of thirteen.

For all those reasons it seems strange that in the first century there was a big ongoing debate regarding circumcision that has affected millions since then.

613 Commandments – what still applies today?

This also brings into question which of the 613 commandments of the Torah still apply today? Some will give a quick answer; “all!” But included in the 613 are things such as which Levitical families carried which pieces of sanctuary furniture through the wilderness. I think we can all agree that does not apply for today.

I believe there is a simple “formula,” or “test” that can be applied to all 613 commandments to see which ones still apply today to everyone who wants to truly follow God. Does circumcision pass that “test”? What about the Holy days? Or what we eat? Or Sabbath?

Circumcision

In this sermon we will be looking at the topic of circumcision in the context of Genesis 17 when God first introduced the topic to Abraham. We will also be answering some questions such as; why do Muslim’s circumcise their sons at thirteen years of age and not on the eighth day of life? How old was Abraham when he was circumcised? Should circumcision still be done? Should the feasts still be kept? Are pigs now acceptable to eat? As well as other important insights that impact our lives.