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What Toaff Documents in Passovers of Blood
1. Powdered Foreskin or Blood as a Healing Ritual
Toaff cites medieval Ashkenazi customs involving the ceremonial mixing of a child’s foreskin blood with wine. In that version, the mohel, along with the child and mother, might taste it, accompanied by a prophetic blessing such as “Thanks to your blood, you live!” Additionally, any remaining mixture could be poured beneath the synagogue’s Ark—believed to ward off harm to the community. This practice was still noted in places like Worms into the 17th century .
2. Magical and Exorcistic Symbolism
Toaff frames this as more than just medical tradition—it rooted circumcision in a cosmic and protective ritual. The blood (and foreskin) symbolized a metaphoric bond with divine protection, exorcising threats both worldly and spiritual .
3. Empirical Tradition Beyond King’s Law
These practices appear in kabbalistic handbooks and compendia of magical remedies—known as segullot—preserved within Ashkenazi tradition. Medical texts from the German-Jewish milieu even recommended powdered dried blood to staunch wounds—not just circumcision, but also nasal bleeding .
