Though the Torah clearly states that circumcision is to be performed on the eighth day – and therefore we need no further source to substantiate this law – the Gemara also makes this matter clear when discussing the readiness of a baby to be circumcised. A mishnah in Perek Rabbi Eliezer d’Mila (Shabbos 137a) states: “An infant is circumcised on the eighth day…. An infant who is ill is not circumcised until he recovers.” Samuel, in the Gemara, elaborates: “When his temperature subsides we give him a full seven days for his recovery [before we circumcise him].” Normally, however, a baby boy is circumcised on the eight day following his birth.
In light of these facts, why do the Arabs, who claim descent from Abraham, circumcise their children at age 13?
(To be continued)