HATAFAT DAM

Males who are converting to Judaism and are already circumcised participate in a ritual of token or symbolic circumcision known as Hatafat Dam Brit, or drawing a small drop of blood from the shaft of the penis.  Hatafa is non-invasive and painless, and is typically performed on the same day the candidate for conversion visits the mikah (ritual immersion).  While the ritual can be enacted by a physician or even the conversion candidate himself, it is typically done by a mohel on-site at the mikvah immediately prior to immersion.

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Hatafat Dam can also be performed at a birth ceremony for an infant who was circumcised in a hospital for medical or other reasons.

 

Arrangements for Hatafa can be made either through one’s sponsoring rabbi or directly with the mohel.

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Click here to contact Rabbi Cooper about Hatafat Dam.