I'd have to check sources but there was a tradition of swearing on your genitalia in the area. This may be the reason or it may be that he was making a covenant about Avrahams descendants. Cutting the skin of your nose wouldn't have the symbolism. (symbolism is important for all esoteric and spiritual matters). As for the seed, Judith'll have to get the exact word but all commentary I've read refers to descendents. My seed is my children, their children, etc. "You (the snake) will strike them in their heel and they will strike you in your head" or something of the sort. Again, I need a Chumash. "The life is in the blood". Blood sacrifice has always been the norm. It goes back to symbolism. Your giving of life. It may be life you raised or life in place of yours but its life. Produce is something that is just there on the ground. You may labor to grow it but it's no where near the same. Think of it. Does it hurt to dig up a carrot? No. Does it hurt to kill a bull? Yes. To sacrifice anything means that your actually doing something. You're putting yourself into the action much more than just saying a prayer or digging up a root. To quote a standard of ritual magic, "A sacrifice is as much for the person doing the sacrifice as it is for who the sacrifice is for". For a man of peace, a shepherd, to take his child (symbolically), a creature he has nurtured, raised and maybe even loved (shut up gel) and sacrifice him for any reason shows real dedication. I'm quite sure there's more but without books in front of me I have to go on memory and practice. And no, I've never sacrificed an animal to God. It's currently illegal (religiously) as the only sacrifices are to be in the temple (which is a whoooole other story).
At 01:16 PM 12/17/01, you wrote: >Ok Michael, you opened up a big can of worms here. Jim would like to >"discourse" with you. See below. > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Bates, Jim L. > > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 9:15 AM > > To: Fleischer, Beth > > Subject: RE: Bizarre Question For Judith the Scholar > > > > Beth, > > > > Do you think that your friend, this Judith the scholar, would welcome a > > little discourse on this subject? I have some questions for her. > > > > I understand the covenant thing with Abraham, once again our English word > > scenario. But why didn't God have them remove skin from their nose? There > > is obviously some significance here. We humans attribute all of these > > glorious attributes to God, then turn around and make Him out to be some > > freak.... I don't get it. If He is omnipotent, and omniscient, thus > > omnipresent, this would mean that He knows all things, has always known > > all things, and can never have a new thought. The thoughts of God, then, > > are eternal and real. Not like a man with a blueprint of an idea that some > > day would be made manifest. But God's thoughts are eternal. Then He is not > > making this up as He goes along, neither is He doing things by chance. So, > > the act of circumcision, as a covenant with Abraham must be part of His > > eternal plan. (in my way of thinking). > > > > But the bigger question is: What was the significance or meaning of the > > statement in Genesis, Where God tells the serpent that He was going to put > > enmity between the serpent's SEED, and the Woman's SEED? What are the > > Hebrew words and their meanings? What was the significance of a blood > > sacrifice, wherein God accepted Abel's bloody lamb, but not Cain's more > > beautiful sacrifice, the fruit of the field? > > > > Your interesting friend, > > > > Jim > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Fleischer, Beth > > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 8:36 AM > > To: Bates, Jim L. > > Subject: FW: Bizarre Question For Judith the Scholar > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 8:21 AM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: Bizarre Question For Judith the Scholar > > > > (sung to the tune of spam) > > Drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs > > drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs > > smoking drugs, shooting drugs > > snorting drugs, doing drugs drugs drugs drugs... > > > > Circumcision is an English word to define an act that in Hebrew is called > > a > > bris. This literally means covenant and that's what it was all about. A > > covenant between God and Avraham (and through him, his decendants). I > > think > > your friend has misread the place of HaSatan (literally the adversary) in > > all this. There are places that say he possessed the snakes body and in > > others that the snake was just his agent. In either case, the snake at > > that > > time had limbs, more like a snake man than anything else. It gets into a > > lot of commentary and some esoteric stuff. To say that the snake had sex > > with Chava (Eve is a Hellenized version which really screws up) is an > > interpretation that (I believe) is very modern in origin. > > > > At 12:08 PM 12/17/01, you wrote: > > >Judith. > > >a friend of mine asked me a bizarre question about judaism and I > > >thought I would pass it on to you. > > > > > >He would like to know the religious significance of circumcision. > > > > > >He is a guy who interprets the bible that the serpent in adam and eve was > > >really an apelike creature created by the devil and that eve mated with > > it - > > >he thinks one of her kids is of this serpent and the other of adam. He > > read > > >a 15th century poem by a rabbi that had a line in it that said that we > > >circumcise to remove the "serpents seed" - he was interested if you would > > >have any information that would help him. > > > > > >He is a most interesting guy. > > > > > >Cheers, > > > > > >Beth Fleischer > > >Certified Advanced Cold Fusion Developer > > >Internet Programmer > > >Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your ad could be here. Monies from ads go to support these lists and provide more resources for the community. http://www.fusionauthority.com/ads.cfm Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
