While I have been writing about Zipporah the circumciser, the Jewish Transcript ran an article about the circumcision controversy in California. At the same time Parent Map, the local parent resource guide, published an article about whether or not to circumcise. The ancient rite is certainly a contemporary issue! Zipporah saved her family by picking up a flint and cutting her son. Can her dramatic action shed any light for modern readers thinking about whether or not the ritual of circumcision continues to be meaningful? Read more…

I dedicate this article to my mother-in-law, Judith Zipporah Cohn, also known as Zippy. We have been enriched beyond measure by having a Zipporah in our midst.