circumcision
a senryu27 total reviews
Comment from samandlancelot
Excellent senryu of the human condition. I've often thought that Moses wasn't able in his heart to bear cutting his son's foreskin. He kept putting it off. In his wife's mind, it was the husband's role to do that Godly deed. I think it was always God's plan for Zipporah, Moses' wife to circumcise their son, but she couldn't see beyond tradition. Perhaps Moses also tried to convince himself he needed to do something God didn't give him the ability to do. It still needed to be done. Moses was still the one responsible, but that didn't mean he needed to personally do the deed.
Just my thoughts.
Patricia
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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Excellent senryu of the human condition. I've often thought that Moses wasn't able in his heart to bear cutting his son's foreskin. He kept putting it off. In his wife's mind, it was the husband's role to do that Godly deed. I think it was always God's plan for Zipporah, Moses' wife to circumcise their son, but she couldn't see beyond tradition. Perhaps Moses also tried to convince himself he needed to do something God didn't give him the ability to do. It still needed to be done. Moses was still the one responsible, but that didn't mean he needed to personally do the deed.
Just my thoughts.
Patricia
Comment Written 22-Oct-2010
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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That's a great midrash. You should consider publishing it. Thank for a superb review.
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Thank you Alvin. I'll pray about your suggestion.
Comment from Alan K Pease
Thank you for your notes, the biblical information and interest in qualifying some of Gods actions. I guess God was supposed to be vengeful in the Old Testament and more conciliatory in the New Testament. Maybe God was also influenced by some of Christ's teachings that he had really had in his heart. I like your depiction of irony.
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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Thank you for your notes, the biblical information and interest in qualifying some of Gods actions. I guess God was supposed to be vengeful in the Old Testament and more conciliatory in the New Testament. Maybe God was also influenced by some of Christ's teachings that he had really had in his heart. I like your depiction of irony.
Comment Written 22-Oct-2010
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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I don't think the God of Torah is vengeful. Look at Leviticus 19:34. THANKS FOR A GOOD REVIEW.
Comment from missy98writer
Mystery Writer,
your senryu poem is in excellent form and syllable count. I'm impressed you managed to tell the story from an event in the Bible in seventeen syllables. I enjoyed the way you posed a question to the reader. Wonderful interpretation of Exodus 4:24-26. Your senryu poem is an excellent entry in the 5-7-5 Poem about Event in Bible writing prompt. I wish you good luck in the contest.
Missy.
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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Mystery Writer,
your senryu poem is in excellent form and syllable count. I'm impressed you managed to tell the story from an event in the Bible in seventeen syllables. I enjoyed the way you posed a question to the reader. Wonderful interpretation of Exodus 4:24-26. Your senryu poem is an excellent entry in the 5-7-5 Poem about Event in Bible writing prompt. I wish you good luck in the contest.
Missy.
Comment Written 22-Oct-2010
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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THANKS FOR A GOOD REVIEW. AS I AM SURE YOU KNOW, 5/7/5 ENGLISH SYLLABLE SENRYU IS BASED ON A MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE.
Comment from psalmist
The Bible is filled with such interesting, difficult to explain stories. I like your use of this story. It fits well with the style you chose. Good entry.
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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The Bible is filled with such interesting, difficult to explain stories. I like your use of this story. It fits well with the style you chose. Good entry.
Comment Written 22-Oct-2010
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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Yes, this is one of the strangest stories in the Bible. Thanks for a good review.
Comment from FredCollingwood
Very few people on this site know what a senryu is, or how to write one. You nailed it. This one is excellent. I love the ironic twist, expected in a senryu.
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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Very few people on this site know what a senryu is, or how to write one. You nailed it. This one is excellent. I love the ironic twist, expected in a senryu.
Comment Written 22-Oct-2010
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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You are very kind.
Comment from Gert sherwood
Hi Alvin I like your senryu
So I took time to do some research and I found the following very interesting.---
The most common answer given by the majority of commentators "Because Moses had failed to circumcise his son in accordance with the Abrahamic Covenant" immediately presents a problem as there is nothing in Scripture that condemns a father to be punished by death for not circumcising his son on the eighth day - the only punishment mentioned is that the uncircumcised soul is to be cut off from his people (Beresheet / Genesis 17:14); this would seem to apply to the father in the case of a newborn son - the father being held responsible as the child obviously cannot make decisions for himself - therefore Moses accordingly would be guilty.
However, the fact that Zipporah did the circumcision rather than Moses, creates another difficulty in that Moses would still stand guilty as he did not do the actual circumcision himself. Some commentators have Moses telling Zipporah to do the circumcision as he is sick in bed, struck with a plague by God and unable to move, thereby excluding him from doing it himself. However there is absolutely no Scriptural evidence for this whatsoever and so it must therefore be relegated to mere speculation; however, even if it were true, for reasons discussed below, it would still leave Moses guilty.
Gert
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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Hi Alvin I like your senryu
So I took time to do some research and I found the following very interesting.---
The most common answer given by the majority of commentators "Because Moses had failed to circumcise his son in accordance with the Abrahamic Covenant" immediately presents a problem as there is nothing in Scripture that condemns a father to be punished by death for not circumcising his son on the eighth day - the only punishment mentioned is that the uncircumcised soul is to be cut off from his people (Beresheet / Genesis 17:14); this would seem to apply to the father in the case of a newborn son - the father being held responsible as the child obviously cannot make decisions for himself - therefore Moses accordingly would be guilty.
However, the fact that Zipporah did the circumcision rather than Moses, creates another difficulty in that Moses would still stand guilty as he did not do the actual circumcision himself. Some commentators have Moses telling Zipporah to do the circumcision as he is sick in bed, struck with a plague by God and unable to move, thereby excluding him from doing it himself. However there is absolutely no Scriptural evidence for this whatsoever and so it must therefore be relegated to mere speculation; however, even if it were true, for reasons discussed below, it would still leave Moses guilty.
Gert
Comment Written 22-Oct-2010
reply by the author on 22-Sep-2012
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Yes, that's one of the more interesting midrash on the story. You did your research well. Thank for a good review.
Comment from Swtdreamz
Why did the LORD plan
to kill Moses His prophet?- to teach him a lesson is what I remember anyhow, but I don't recall the reason why, or what he did to deserve it.
Cut foreskin rescues... - what does this mean?
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reply by the author on 22-Oct-2010
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Why did the LORD plan
to kill Moses His prophet?- to teach him a lesson is what I remember anyhow, but I don't recall the reason why, or what he did to deserve it.
Cut foreskin rescues... - what does this mean?
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 22-Oct-2010
reply by the author on 22-Oct-2010
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Thanks for your review. Did you read the author's notes? The Biblical passage explains because Zipporah (the wife of Moses) performed a circumcision on their son, the Lord saved him.
