Circumcision, practised by many peoples of the ancient East, took on a religious character with the Jews. According to tradition, it commemorates the covenant (Hebrew: brit-milah) made by God with Abraham: “You shall circumcise the flesh of the foreskin as a sign of your covenant with me” (Gen. 17:11).
The birth of a male offspring has always been a joyous moment in the life of a Jewish family. On the eighth day, in accordance with the biblical injunction, boys undergo a circumcision procedure. After being brought into the synagogue, the infant is laid for a moment in the seat of the prophet Elijah, who mystically participates in every such ceremony. They are then transferred to the lap of the caretaker holding the child during the procedure, which is carried out by a trained mohel (Hebrew: shochet). At the end of the ritual, the child is given a Hebrew name.
Various utensils are used during the circumcision ceremony. These include knives, which, according to their intended use, must have the right shape of blades - flat, straight, rounded at the end (Judaica ze zbiorów Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie, ed. E. Martyna, Warsaw 1993, p. 136). Originally flint knives were used for this purpose, but over time these were replaced by knives made from precious metals, mainly silver.
The circumcision knife in the collection of the District Museum in Leszno has a straight blade with a truncated gentle triangle, unsharpened tip that prevents jamming. The handle is decorated with a floral ornament. On the handle, two maker's marks were also placed: "shovel" for marking small items and the initials "IE".
The item was purchased in 2015 from Mariusz Maćkowiak from Rydzyna, who had previously auctioned it online.
Dariusz Czwojdrak
