Q&A: A Father’s Obligation to Circumcise His Son
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
A Father’s Obligation to Circumcise His Son
Question
Until when does the father’s obligation to circumcise his son apply? It is stated in Maimonides’ Commentary on the Mishnah, Sabbath 19:6: “If the child grew up and reached the age of liability for punishment, the obligation is removed from every other person, and he himself becomes obligated to circumcise himself immediately.”
Can it be said that the reason the obligation of the father and the religious court falls away is that it cannot be that both the father and the son are commanded when fulfillment of the obligation depends on the son’s consent?
Thank you.
Answer
Possibly. It stands to reason that once the son grows up, he is responsible for himself, and responsibility for him can no longer be placed on someone else.