LEV756 For many Jews, the circumcised penis is the defining mark of being a Jew. Theologically and legally speaking, this is simply an error, for Jewish identity is confirmed by parentage or conversion, not by any sign on the body. Yet the idea that circumcision confers Jewish identity has a deep and powerful hold on many Jews, even those not otherwise particularly observant.... The first part of [Leviticus 19:28) is a source or cutting one's clothes rather than oneself as a sign of mourning. The second part gives me pause. Isn't circumcision incising a mark upon oneself and therefore prohibited? Surely there must be powerful reasons for this practice, in the face of what seems a clear commandment that human flesh should be left intact. What, then, are the reasons given for circumcision? … [Extended discussion of various proffered reasons for circumcision omitted – AJL]. … it is in this concept of patriarchy that I believe we have reached the real meaning of circumcision. For circumcision is above all a male-to-male transmission of Jewish identity, one that dramatically centers Judaism on fathers and sons and marginalizes mothers and daughters.... We have traveled far in this discussion of the Jewish male body. I have used our reluctance to discuss the penis, its hiddenness, as a metaphor for the hidden dimensions of the male soul, seeing in both the maintenance of patriarchal authority by cloaking masculinity in mystery. When I was asked to contribute to this volume on Jewish choices and voices regarding the body, I was not surprised to discover that the discussion had come to focus on women's bodies. But in this focus on women I find not the voice of feminism but rather the voice of patriarchy. Our world is deeply gendered. The cultural dichotomy between mind and body corresponds to a dichotomy between the masculine and the feminine, with women coming to be seen as stupified bodies-- that is, sex objects, and men becoming disembodied intellects. Emphasizing the embodiedness of men therefore de-privileges rather than re-privileges men. It is egalitarianism, not exhibitionism. Attention to the male body not only will help empower women, as it reveals the hiddenness of male privilege, but is in men’s real human interest too. Seeing men as essentially minds rather than bodies creates role models of Jewish men as scholars rather than athletes. This is not to in any way diminish the value of the ideal of the Jewish scholar but rather to lament how Jewish men have not as fully developed the potential of their bodies, to our great loss. I intend through this essay to challenge as patriarchal the practice of circumcision and, more broadly, our reluctance to discuss the secrets men keep and the rituals by which their power is kept and to call for their full and frank discussion. (By Harry Brod)