Habits

Guy I know is a Jewish drop out. He came from a modern, moderately frum home, but went to a black hat yeshiva where he was screwed over big time. Now, he doesn't even look Jewish anymore. Shabbos and kashrus were left behind a long time ago. Guy had his first son recently, and he did a bris. It was small, and held in his house and he probably didn't have a minyan present. But the guy hired an Orthodox mohel, and gave his son a kosher bris.

Via Chardal, I see similar sentiments are alive and well in Israel Despite what you hear about secularism, and Hooters, and Israelis who want to be like everyone else, 97 percent of them continue to perform the milah ritual on their sons. 97 percent. What can explain this?

PS: Now it not the time or place to reveal that Robert Alter has written that our foreskin removal ritual originated as a replacement for child sacrifice. Rather than kill the kid, as was common in some ancient cultures, a small piece of him was offered up as a gift for the deity.