transitive verb. 1 : to perceive the odor or scent of through stimuli affecting the olfactory nerves : get the odor or scent of with the nose. 2 : to detect or become aware of as if by the sense of smell I smell trouble. 3 : to emit the odor of. intransitive verb. 1 : to exercise the sense of smell.
The command is compulsory for Jews. Circumcision is also practised by secular Jews and connects Jews of all tendencies, from orthodox to reform, with another. It is not only a tradition but a central part of the Jewish identity. It is of essential significance and constitutive for being a Jew.
This page just brings many of those threads together. The role of infant circumcision in the United States of America is mysterious. The US is the only country in the world where the majority of baby boys have part of their penises cut off for non-religious reasons. Yet this extraordinary custom is very much taken for granted.