CircumcisionbyMoshe

CIRCUMCISION LIBERTY FOR NEW COVENANT ISRAEL

Part Nine In the Series On The Restoration Of Israel
By Rabbi Moshe Joseph Koniuchowsky

Torah teaches us that Israelites for all generations must meet three requirements to be able to eat the Passover as equal heirs in Israel. These basic requirements are found in Exodus chapter 12:
First and foremost, the Israelite or stranger (Ger) must have the desire and compulsion to remain or join permanently with Israel's people. Both an Israelite [Judah and Ephraim after 921BCE] and a Ger are required to stay put in the corporate body of Israel (Exodus12: 48).
Second he must also kill and eat the Paschal Lamb for himself and his
house, and must apply the blood to the doorposts of his home. In the context of the Brit Chadasha, of course, Israelites professing faith in Messiah Yahshua must be apply His covering of atoning blood, to the doorposts of our hearts, which is the home where the indwelling Ruach Ha-Kodesh actually and literally is said to reside.
The third and final requirement was the circumcision of all who ate the Paschal Lamb as they dwelt with the people of Yahweh. Exodus 12:48 teaches us that prior to receiving the Paschal Lamb and the deliverance deeded to a rightful heir in Israel, all males must have undergone prior circumcision or Brit Milah.

The three Passover ordinances were binding as Torah (Exodus 12:49) for all Israel. Both biological Israelites and Gerim. Thus all sharing this
commonwealth were Israelites and had one Torah or set of instructions for set apart living. How radically different Torah really is from modern day Messianic Judaism, where "Gentiles" may be allowed to celebrate the same Torah, if they behave as good little subjected Gentiles. If any of
these so called "Gentiles" should step out of line by seeking or laying claim to Israelite equality, their place as an heir to Torah and the fruits of
obedience to it, they are discouraged, with the worn out reasoning that "Torah is a burden only for the Jews, that you are too weak too carry!"

Is this not a blasphemy against Yahweh, calling His Torah a burden?? Do we not fear contradicting Scripture? [Read Psalm 19, 119 and II Timothy
3:15-17 to see that Scripture (and Torah is Scripture) is not a burden.] Indeed, obedience to Torah is nothing other than a blessing. Why would
we want to bear false witness against Yahweh and His Torah?? Why would we want to discourage Torah observance in any people? Would we fear that they would do a better job than we do, and so replace us? Is the fear that Torah observance would classify all who continue in it, as Israel?
What a lack of faith in the Almighty One who loved us so much that He planned from the very beginning to redeem us by grace, in One who
loved us so much that He gave us His instructions to show us the way to walk, in the Almighty who cut an eternal blood covenant with us!

Considering the eternal nature of these three requirements for divine conversion to Israel by Gerim, along with native biological Israelites, we must address the question of circumcision for
those of returning Ephraim-Israel as well as those of Judah. One thing is clear according to Exodus 12:24 & 42. The Passover celebration is to be guarded forever, and so the three requirements, including male circumcision must also be forever.
Where does that leave Messianic Israelites who claim that heart circumcision is a legitimate fulfilled prerequisite for Passover celebration and Israelite citizenship?

It simply does not meet the literal requirement of Torah. Rav Shaul, also known as Paul, knew that many of the nations he was taking the gospel to would have to undergo this very specified
physical circumcision along with the heart renewal leading to regeneration. He was acutely aware that his mission was to rebuild the Tabernacle of David, also known as the Commonwealth of Israel. In order to do this, he had to rebuild it, according to the Master builder's grand design (First Corinthians 3:9-11). If Rav. Shaul has mistakenly taught non-Jewish believers, who were being rescued from the nations, that they could eat the Passover or even the mini version known as the Master's (Lord's) Supper, then he would be found in direct
contradiction and violation of Torah, and the eternal Torah requirement for partaking of the Passover or "Lord's Supper". When we properly understand that a Jewish rabbi knowing the Torah, would never force new converts to break Torah and illegally eat damnation upon themselves by not discerning the regulations governing the eating of the Passover, we then must agree that it is our thinking and previous mentoring that needs
alteration. We proceed with that alteration. We will take a close up look at the Book of Galatians and the male circumcision issue and attempt to line things up with Scripture.

We are not transformers of the Word, but are called to declare thus saith Yahweh and that alone! Yahweh has ordained that according to
Galatians 6:16 and Ephesians 2:11-19, that all true born-again believers whether through Judah, Ephraim or grafted in non-Israelites, are members of Israel's Commonwealth and citizens of the very nation itself. The constitution and ketuvah (marriage certificate) of that nation is Torah, the written five books of Moshe! What is most interesting is that the Complete Jewish Bible by Dr. David Stern translates Ephesians 2:11 as follows: "Therefore remember your former state. You Gentiles by birth-called uncircumcised (akrobustia) by those who, merely because of an operation of the flesh, are called circumcised (peritome) 2:12 at that time had no Messiah. You were estranged from the national life of Israel.
These returning non-Jews were estranged which according to Webster's Dictionary means "a friend changed. Kept at a distance." Is not that exactly a vivid description of the House of Israel? Family friends changed and now kept at a distance! Until Messiah's coming that is!

The Greek word used in Galatians 2:7 for Paul's ministry to the uncircumcised is the word akrobustia (Strong's Greek #203), which literally means tossed away foreskins (the discarded prepuce or tip). He was stating that even as James and Peter were called to the circumcised
(peritome; Strong's Greek # 4061). The same word peritome is used in describing the mission of James, Peter and John to Jewish-Israel. This
peritome means those living and abiding in circumcised identity or the House of Judah! The Greek word Paul used to describe his ministry to
the uncircumcised in Galatians 2:7, describes just what Paul was doing in the nations or among the Goyim. Was he primarily looking for heathens as is commonly taught? Or was he first looking for lost sheep of the House of Israel (Ephraim), as per Yahshua's instructions? The Greek word Paul used in describing his own mission to the nations is the word akrobustia, which does not mean Gentiles per se, but a subset within the Gentiles! The term akrobustia as opposed to peritome means those who were previously circumcised but through disobedience and outright rebellion, had their foreskins tossed away, thus becoming like one who is born and raised as an uncircumcised (aperitome) Gentile-pagan. The
opposite of a ministry to the peritome (which Peter had) would have been one to the aperitome or never circumcised. Yet Paul did not claim a
ministry to the aperitome or never circumcised, rather his ministry according to his own description was to the akrobustia or those who
had undergone circumcision previously but tossed it all away!

The only people that fit the bill in this context are the House Of Israel, who acted profanely wherever they went among the Gentiles. When living among the Gentiles they refused to fight for their peritome lifestyle of faith and trust as much of Judah did in Diaspora. The House of Israel merely tossed in the towel, succumbing to surrounding paganism. This turned their original peritome status into akrobustia or the circumcised ones who took their circumcision and played the harlot by considering Torah life a burden and something to be tossed away. Had Paul been primarily sent to the pagans first and foremost, he would have used the word aperitome, the exact opposite of peritome, by adding the "a" alpha prefix that negates peritome! Instead he openly declared that he understood his mission by identifying the akrobustia as his primary focus, thus placing his call to the Nations (Gentiles) in search of the
Ten-Tribes of Israel, in line with that of the Master Himself! Remember Paul could have come out and talked about the House of Israel and Judah, but instead went with the healing flow of the Israelite moniker, for both the peritome and the akrobustia to which he was sent!

The often difficult to understand contrasts of Paul in Romans 2: 24-29 about the uncircumcised (akrobustia) practicing Torah, and thus (once
again) becoming circumcised, can be easily, and at long last be understood, when and if we realize that it is the akrobustia (Ephraim-Israelites), whom Rav Shaul is appealing to. It is Ephraim-Israel who
Paul is calling back to their original peritome blessed status. Paul is not telling never-circumcised (aperitome) pagans to become Israelites by simply doing Torah commands! Rather he is calling Ephraim-Israel home
(teshuvah) to their original standing, as faithful Torah-keeping Israel. Romans 2:24 brings all doubt to an end, for Rav Shaul quotes Ezekiel 36:
22-23 as a clear reference to the Ten-Tribes (House of Israel), who were responsible for causing Yahweh's Name to be disgraced among the all the
nations (Goyim) wherever they went!

This understanding is confirmation that believers in Messiah are in fact the akrobustia and peritome of Galatians 2:7 reunited at long last. The far and the near being bonded through Messiah's atoning blood! In James 1:2 we see the epistle being addressed to believers as a clarification of verse
one, where these same believers in Messiah are called the scattered twelve tribes. It doesn't get much more exciting and it does not force the seeker to fish out some hidden meanings through secondary meanings and hyper-spiritualization and manmade metaphors, forced into plain texts
such as these.

The city and Book of Galatians takes its very name, from the Hebrew word for exile, which is Galut. There are no vowels in biblical Hebrew and this G-L-T sequence is found in many other words. The Book of GaLaTians has this Hebrew root embedded within it. The House of Israel taken into exile by Assyria in 721BCE, were to become the early inhabitants of Galatia. Galut or Garut in Armenian with the `R' pronounced like the French as some Jews do. According to historical sources the Galatians were three Celtic tribes that spoke one language and moved to Asia Minor around the 3rd century BCE from Europe. Later on they were subdued by the Romans, served them and were
Hellenized. They very well could have been Israelite tribes trying to get back to the Promised Land, but the fact of the matter is they didn't make
it to Israel. Moreover a few years later, The Hekel (Temple) was destroyed by the will of the Father.

The true reason that non-Jewish disciples were not required to undergo circumcision is not because they had no claims to having Israelite
blood, but because of a far different and yet truly breathtaking discovery in these texts:

"The word uncircumcision does not mean Gentiles in the ReNewed Covenant Scriptures and specifically in Galatians. We must take some time to explain this. To negate a word like circumcision in English, we simply add the prefix `un' to it. In Greek, they did the same thing. Herein lies the problem with the translation into English coming out as uncircumcised or uncircumcision. The regular Greek word for circumcision is peritome (Strong's Greek # 4061). All that is needed to negate it in the Greek is to add a prefix `a' before it. Simple enough! But in the twenty times the word uncircumcised appears in the English
KJV, only once, in Acts 7:51, does it appear in the Greek as a negation of
peritome or aperitome. Surprisingly this one exception refers not to non-Jews but to Jews. The other nineteen times it is an altogether different word, akrobustia; that literally means the outer extremity of the penis, the foreskin that was removed. Perhaps this word akrobustia was too strong for the translators, but in changing its true meaning from foreskinned ones to uncircumcised ones, the true meaning has been lost."

The Hebrew word for foreskins is "arelim," which is masculine plural. In its feminine plural form it is arlot, where the English word "harlot" is derived. The Jews referred to the House of Israel that was carried away into captivity in this derogatory manner. (Ephesians 2:11, in speaking to returning Ephraim Paul states: remember that you being in time past Gentiles (Ethnos) in the flesh who are called "uncircumcision" (akrobustia or "un-foreskinned ones," the foreskin which is in fact cast off or thrown away), by that which is called circumcision (peritome) in the flesh made by hands (Torah keeping House of Judah.) They, the akrobustia, were the castoffs or the castaways. These meanings must be
substituted back into the English verses where the word `uncircumcision' is found, in order to see that it is the House of Israel in exile that is being addressed by Paul whenever he uses this particular word."

The reference in Galatians 2:7 is not to pagan
aperitome peoples who were never circumcised,
but rather to the akrobustia, or those who had tips
of foreskin of the penis removed at a prior time
(House of Israel), only to toss this sign of
submission and obedience to the wind as
mentioned earlier. This term as stated by Rabbi
Klimeck was derogatory in nature, and applied to
a particular castaway group known, not as
uncircumcised pagans or true Gentiles, but as
those who were stupid enough to toss it all away.
They had been circumcised previously, and as the
akrobustia of Israel, did not need further
circumcision. Thus no need to perform a physical
circumcision for the non-Jews accepting Messiah
since they already were circumcised previously in
prior generations. There would be no sense in
repeating the mitzvah!

This very unique and specific term (akrobustia)
would have identified exiled Israel as the subject
of all these texts. This truth cannot be avoided
since 19 out of 20 times in the ReNewed
Covenant, the term akrobustia (not aperitome) is
used, when speaking of non-Jewish disciples!

The entire supposed prohibition against physical
circumcision, which appears only in the Book of
Galatians, is one of the most misunderstood areas
of Holy Writ. The Messianic Jewish movement is
simply satisfied repeating old, worn-out "church"
pabulum arguing that Paul, a Jewish rabbi (he also
calls himself an Israelite in Rom. 11:1) forbid the
token seal of Abraham's Covenant to non-Jews.
Physical circumcision is not a Torah ordinance
alone, but in fact pre-dates the Torah by some 600
years. Thus how could Paul call believers
Abraham's sperma (Greek) or seed in Galatians
3:29, identifying them with the Abrahamic
Covenant, and then withhold Brit Milah or
circumcision the very token and entry point into
the Abrahamic Covenant to all new pagan
(aperitome) converts, especially in the light of the
returning akrobustia?

If Rav Shaul forbids physical circumcision to and
in the assembly that he planted in Galatia and then
turned right around and physically circumcised
his son in the faith, Timothy, then we are faced
with the unpleasant idea that Paul is a first class
hypocrite, teaching one thing and doing another,
especially to a man that was the son of a Greek
father. This is an absolute impossibility, at all
levels of understanding. Timothy was considered
an aperitome or never circumcised non-Jew
because of his Greek father. Paul responds by
sealing him into the Abrahamic Covenant, via
circumcision.

We must understand that peritome or "the
circumcised" in Rav Shaul's writings are
synonymous with Jewish-Israel. It is said that
Peter was sent to the circumcised. Galatians 2:8
talks about Peter's ministry to the circumcised
and Paul in Titus calls Jews the nation of the
circumcised-peritome. In context the entire
Galatian Heresy has nothing to do with Abrahamic
circumcision, but teaching a falsehood that the
Jerusalem brethren were proliferating in Galatia.
Namely, that a person trusting Yahshua by saving
faith, could not be saved without a man-ordained
conversion to become Jewish (peritome) or
convert to Judaism! That is heresy, because the
gospel is free to whosoever will come. Therefore
the Book of Galatians forbids man-made
conversions to Judaism (the peritome or the
circumcised nation), as some sort of necessary
prerequisite to receive the blood of Yahshua's
forgiveness.

Nowhere does he or any other apostle for that
matter forbid the token of Genesis 17:23 to a new
convert. We can rest assured that new converts to
Messiah were being circumcised just as Timothy
was, who being Greek, most likely had Ephraimite
(father) and Jewish (mother) bloodlines. Therefore
Titus must also have been circumcised, in order
for Paul to be consistent. Neither Timothy nor
Titus was biblically Jewish.

Nineteen out of twenty times the English word for
uncircumcised, and by implication translated as
Gentiles, actually means Ephraim (the House of
Israel), the "tossed away foreskinned ones." The
only time that uncircumcised is not akrobustia in
the actual Greek text, is when Stephen condemns
Jewish-Israel's leadership as aperitome. In its sole
usage it ironically is a clear reference to Judah,
not akrobustia-Israel. The argument presented
from Galatians is very strong evidence regarding
the coming home of the exiled akrobustia and the
fact that Paul himself was not as is commonly
taught the apostle to the Gentiles but was sent to
the nations to search first and foremost for the
tossed away akrobustia!

Scripture underscores that Paul's mission trips,
were primarily to all the nations, to find the lost
sheep of the House of Israel in exile, or those that
Scripture refers to as the akrobustia. The
post-Nicean paganization of the Messianic
community does not change the fact that those
Jews and Israelites from all the pagan nations
were still the biological seed of the patriarchs. The
underlying truth that what one believes (even in
global Diaspora) cannot change one's DNA!

There is one gospel to the peritome or Jews. The
other to the akrobustia or tossed away foreskins,
who had spread out and filled the nations with
their waywardness. This so-called division is a
clear statement, that within Israel the corporate
nation, there are faithful Jews who live right, and
there are others who are circumcised but whose
wayward lifestyle relegated them to akrobustia, or
"tossed away ones!" This Torah dishonoring
lifestyle by the ten tribes, places them in the
same exact behavioral category as a true pagan or
an aperitome. Akrobustia is a direct reference to
Israel in Assyrian exile. Thus there are not two
gospels, (Jew and Gentile) but one message sent
simultaneously to the somewhat faithful House of
Judah and one to the harlot House of Israel.
Two-houses; One message! Even this division
finds healing in Yahshua.

In light of these startling insights into the identity
of the akrobustia, peritome and aperitome, how do
those of Messianic Israel walk out these truths?
Let us address each segment of New Covenant
Israel. For those of the House of Judah or the
peritome, you more than likely have been
circumcised and undergone either Brit Milah on
the eighth day or else you were circumcised in
the hospital. In either case abide as you are. For
those who have never been circumcised and have
not yet come into the revelation of your true
identity in the nation of Israel, do not act, but abide
as you are and stay in an attitude of supplication
and prayer. Only when the Ruach has revealed
your place in the Commonwealth of Israel should
you act, as He would have you to. Remember that
as a professing Israelite you are still are called
into the Brit Milah in order to properly participate
and discern Yahweh's Passover.

Finally for those of Ephraim-Israel, my counsel is
this: You need to be circumcised, since your
ancestors at one time were, only to have tossed
their foreskin away as an act of defiance and
rebellion. You have the opportunity now, to
reverse that rebellious spirit! According to
Romans chapter 2: 24-29, if you are from the
returning akrobustia of the exiled House of Israel
(Ephraim), you need to perform the righteous
requirements of Torah, (which would include Brit
Milah) as well as exercise saving Messianic faith
in Messiah Yahshua, to have your peritome or
circumcised state returned and restored to you
spiritually as well as physically. The returning
House of Israel should look upon Brit Milah
(circumcision) much as it views mikvah (baptism).
They are both exciting opportunities to perform
obedient acts of Torah, even as Messiah Yahshua
Himself underwent both mitvzot!

Having said that, there are two other most valid
points. If you are either Judah or Ephraim
peritome or akrobustia, and you have undergone
hospital circumcision or wish to renew your place
in Messianic Israel as an Israelite you may
undergo HaTafat Dam. This procedure is just a
pricking of the male organ and the drawing of just
a tiny drop of blood. Many from both houses are
renewing their faith in Israel's Messiah, Torah and
people, by participating in this simple procedure.
The Hatafat Dam can be likened to a renewal of
marriage vows or of a mikvah (baptism) done with
bible faith, as opposed to an infant baptism where
no biblical expression of faith was required. One
way or another ultimately all will hopefully
manifest the token of the Abrahamic Covenant of
which Scripture says believers are a part of! In
much the same way, as baptism does not save us
from sins, but is an outward manifestation of an
inward reality. If we take that approach, eventually
through the leading of His Ruach, all in Messianic
Israel will be both spiritually and physically
circumcised.