History of male circumcision of the glans. Later during the Talmudic period (500–625 CE) a third step, known as "Metzitzah", began to be practiced. In this step the "mohel" would suck the blood from the circumcision wound with his mouth to remove what was believed to be bad excess blood. As it actually increases the likelihood of infections such as tuberculosis and venereal diseases, modern day mohels use a glass tube placed over the infant's penis for suction of the blood. In many Jewish ritual circumcisions this step of Metzitzah has been eliminated. First Maccabees tells us that the Seleucids forbade the practice of
If This Is a Man not merely its lexical but also its inner faithfulness." Robert S. C. Gordon writes that Levi went on to develop a close relationship with Reidt. The German edition contains a special preface addressed to the German people, which Levi said he wrote out of passionate necessity to remind them what they had done. "If This Is a Man" is often published alongside Levi's second work of witness, "The Truce" (Italian title: "La Tregua"). The book is introduced by a poem. The construction "If .." invites the reader to make a judgment. It alludes to the treatment of people as "Untermenschen"