For the source text click/tap here: Yevamot 72
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We have already learned (in the first Mishnah in this perek, or chapter – 70a) that a kohen who is an arel – a Jewish man who has not been circumcised – cannot eat terumah. The Gemara on our daf discusses the case of a mashukh – a person who had a brit milah and then had his skin stretched back so that it would appear to be a foreskin, in order to hide his circumcision. This type of operation was done during certain times in Jewish history – for example, under Greek/Hellenistic rule – when being circumcised was an embarrassment for someone who was interested in assimilating into the dominant culture, which viewed circumcision as mutilation. It should be noted that under the Greeks, sporting events – including the original Olympic Games – were held with the participants unclothed.
We explore the ancient practice in Greece of decircumcision as well as the cultural implications for those in Palestine wishing to assimilate.