The Messiah or the Seven Cut Circumcision

Something strange has happened to me and I need to share it with the readers. It is a bit personal in nature but also it may concern others therefore after long soul searching I decided to make this information public. The issue I would like to describe on this page is related to the manner in which I have been circumcised. 

Maimonides and his description of circumcision

Many Jewish laws and behavioral interpretations have been established by Maimonides. Among other prescriptions and laws, there is a directive given by him related to the manner in which Jewish infants are to be circumcised. The procedure consists of three steps. The first of those constitutes the cutting away of the foreskin. This act is accomplished in a very short time. It is performed with a knife used to perform a singular cut.

My expectation would be that Maimonides described in his work the method being used by the mohels of old. Most importantly, because of the huge influence Maimonides has on the Jewish community, any mohel performing the bris after him would repeat exactly his instructions. Thus he would perform the circumcision quickly, with one cut of a knife.

Seven Cut Circumcision

When I look at the circumcision I wear on my body, it seems to have been done with a number of cuts. To be precise there must have been done seven cuts and in a different manner than I would expected while reading the works of Maimonides.

In my case, the mohel instead of cutting away the skin at the front, moved it in the other direction beforehand. In that way he must have exposed the glans and the coronal ridge. That resulted in accumulation of the skin above it. He then proceeded with cutting away the folds of that skin. In effect he made seven such horizontal cuts removing the folds of the skin one by one. When this healed the effect looks like seven healed lacerations (darker lines) running across and around.

I have made a drawing that shows the effect of such procedure. If you want to see it click on this link: circumcision.

I am almost 49 years old now and I would like to establish the reasons for me been circumcised in this manner. I tried to get this information from my mother but she refuses to be drawn into the subject. I do not have contact with my father which complicates the matter even more.

While I am getting older and still do not know an explanation to something that is so personal in nature, I decided to approach some Jewish congregations and ask them for an advice. In fact I wrote letters to many Orthodox and Ultra Orthodox congregations both in the United States and England and asked them what they think about it. My hope was that maybe a group of Jews in Poland was performing this form of circumcision and that some of the Jews in America or England would know about it.

My letters were directed to the Rabbis and to the Mohels (or were forwarded to them by the Rabbis). My question was a very simple one. "Have you heard about this form of bris?"; "If so could you direct me to the people who perform this right in such manner?"

All the persons I have approached gave me the same answer. "We have never heard about this form of circumcision." That included the Hasidic communities in New York and in London. I had a discussion with a Hasidic mohel in London who is a well renowned authority in this area and he was very much convinced that this form of circumcision is not known to any Jewish circle. I contacted the Orthodox Union in the United States, Chabad-Lubavitch in New York, and a number of other Orthodox congregations throughout the Jewish world. All of them gave me the same answer, that is, that they have never heard of this form of circumcision.

I talked about this with an Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi in New Zealand. He is a representative of Chabad-Lubavitch to New Zealand. He told me that I should accept the statements coming from the mohels I have contacted so far, and treat it as being representative of the entire community. The community is tight close together and if this form of brit milah was ever performed by any of its sections, then it would have been known throughout. What he advised me on was that, instead of searching for others who would be circumcised as I am, I should accept my case as being of singular nature and to try to find the reason or explanation to it taking place.

Thus he would say:
"You are the only one who is circumcised in this manner. Now try to explain why this is the case."

Could I be the Messiah?

In such a case it is a natural question to ask: "Would a mohel circumcise me in this manner, if he did not think me to be the Messiah?" Mohels perform legal acts. They perform the circumcision as an act of inclusion into the covenant with God, but also as legally binding inclusion into the nation. They would certainly not decide to perform any special form of circumcision without a solid reason and thorough consideration. In Judaism the circumcision is one of the most important rights, and it is always treaded with the utmost seriousness.

Judaism is concerned with the legal consequences of statements and judgments. Any right performed by a Rabbi is seen as a precedence which needs to be interpreted within the binding law. A mohel performing an act of circumcision is completely aware of his legal responsibilities and rights. Because of this it seems to be impossible not to assume that the statement the mohel was providing while performing brit on me may only be interpreted within the Messianic context.

The Seven Spirits of God

There is something else that needs to be mentioned here. It is called the Seven Spirits of God. The name is a bit misleading as it suggests that God has seven spirits. In fact one should think about them as seven aspects of the Spirit of God, or maybe as seven manifestations of the Spirit of God.

There is a problem with describing them. The problem is that God interacts with an individual person, and on a very private level. People usually seek some miracles or confirmations outside of their bodies. But the actual interaction always takes place within ones soul.

I have experience of interacting with the Spirit of God. Together with my wife we tried to describe it in our book. Both of us have this experience.

The point is that the Messiah should encounter the entire structure of God's spirituality. In particular the Seven Spirits of God. We have described this in our book, and I have encountered all seven of them.

I have attached relevant paragraphs taken from our book. They describe how one may perceive those interactions. Please read this page if you are interested in the subject.