The Bruchim Podcast Bruchim

In this episode, Eli and Max are joined by Dr. Na’ama Carlin to discuss her book Morality, Violence, and Ritual Circumcision. They talk about Dr. Carlin’s distinction between two types of violence: Manichaen violence, which is done by and to people; and generative violence, which helps to create identities." They discuss the contemporary circumcision debate and how Jewish circumcision resists its logic. Further, they talk about Derrida’s book Circumfession and how Na’ama leans on it for her u...

In his second appearance on The Bruchim Podcast, Jeff presents his view on the ethics of circumcision, and Max and Eli respond with their own views on the matter. They discuss the right to bodily integrity, the right to self-determination, the differences and similarities between male and female genital cutting practices, and the possibility that circumcision wrongs people without harming them.Show NotesEli’s Text Study Video:https://youtu.be/w_7xv6V68b8?si=YVdN3Jv53JTuOKv1Eli’s Essay on the ...

In the third part of this series, Eli and Max are joined by the moral philosopher Jeff Helmreich. After Jeff gets up to speed on the conversation, he complicates matters by introducing a fifth option for the relationship between ethics and Jewish law. The group digs into the "Oven of Akhnai," a famous story from the Babylonian Talmud. Jeff then talks about the process he went through when deciding to circumcise his son and articulates his position, followed by discussion of how his posi...

In the second part of this series, Eli is joined by Bruchim’s Director of Education, Max DuBoff, to look at an essay by Rabbi Ethan Tucker that is directly relevant to the relationship between Ethics and Jewish law. After a brief introduction to Rabbi Tucker’s place in the Jewish world, they try to understand how Rabbi Tucker's view fits into the categories delineated in the first part of the series. They conclude by discussing Tucker’s comments in this essay on the topic of circumcision.Show...

Are Jewish law and ethics in conflict? Eli is joined by Max DuBoff, Bruchim's Director of Education, to explore this question. They begin by defining their terms and explaining what they mean by ethics and what they mean by halakha, Jewish law. Max then proposes four possible positions that one might take regarding the relationship between the two, based on two questions: 1) Can ethics and Jewish law conflict?; and 2) If they can, what should we do about it? Max and Eli each explain which pos...

In this episode, Eli is joined by Bruchim’s Executive Director Rebecca Wald. Rebecca talks about the decision not to circumcise her son and the consequences of that decision. Eli and Rebecca then discuss Rebecca's website Beyond the Bris and how it became one of the premier Jewish websites on the subject of circumcision. They also talk about Rebecca’s book Celebrating Brit Shalom and the founding of Bruchim. Here they clarify the unique position that Bruchim occupies in the world and talk abo...