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Circumcision and procreation for Noahides
#8
You asked "whether a Gentile can decide to have himself circumscised at any point in time beyond 12 months, integrating either a set time span into his decision or waiting for a certain event, not knowing when in the future it will come about," in view of Rambam's statement about a Gentile who makes a decision to do this, and then delays for more than 12 months.

I think this can be conceptually compared to the case of Jew who, during the time of the First or Second Holy Temple, made a conditional (versus immediate and unconditional) decision to take on a nazarite vow (see Numbers 6:2-5). About such a person, Rambam writes (Mishneh Torah, Laws of a Nazarite Vow 10:14):
Quote:When a person says: "I will be a nazarite if I do this and this" or "...if I do not do [this or this]," he is a wicked man, and a nazarite vow of this type is one of the nazarite vows taken by the wicked. If, however, a person takes a nazarite vow to G-d in a holy manner, this is delightful and praiseworthy.
In other words, my point is that if a Gentile man thinks the permitted Torah-based spiritual practice of circumcision is the right thing for him to do, then he should do it forthwith for the sake of G-d. If not, or if not yet, then he shouldn't make any conditional promise of doing it at some distant time. Planning to do it in the far future (more than 12 months away) is like a conditional plan. If he says he will do it, and it gets delayed for a few days, weeks or months (up to 12 months), the short delay will not be held against him.
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Messages In This Thread
RE: Circumcision for Noahide boys - by rabbiyitz - 07-04-2007, 05:07 AM
procreation and circumcision - by noahidecanada - 01-27-2009, 02:02 AM
RE: Circumcision and procreation for Noahides - by Joachim ben Noach - 04-30-2010, 09:47 PM
RE: Circumcision and procreation for Noahides - by Director Michael - 05-05-2010, 03:43 AM

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