“Circumcision, then, [according to the Midrash] completes a man and makes him ready for a theophany. Through the act of circumcision, one may stand in the presence of God. This merit is deserved not only because circumcision is a sign of the covenant, but also because men may meet God only as women. And circumcision makes them desirable women.”

–Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, God’s Phallus