After the final temple period, circumcision was considered the prime sacrifice to God. For here one's lower animal nature was symbolically cut off, while dedicating one's spirit to God as sanctified son. Hence the Talmud states: "Blessed are they who are the sons of God" (Kiddushin 61a)
Although Judaism conventionally sanctified rebirth of their nation, the esoteric strain secretly sanctified rebirth of the individual. The Merkabah stated the divine person above the throne in the Book of Ezekiel, and the Son of Man in the Books of Enoch and Daniel, signified the prophets' higher, sanctified self, as a "son of God", now twice born.
The highest symbolic interpretation reveals Ezekiel's four emanations and seven heavens to the throne as the prophet's internal journey to the Godhead. So like the primordial shaman, Ezkiel's altered states revealed secret truths to initiates who were to become priests or holy persons.
Finally the Zohar reveals an esoteric reading of the Sh'ma:"Hear O Israel, YHVH Elohaynu [and] YHVH [are] one." signifying both immanence and transcendence, female and male are merged as one. So blessed also are the daughters of God. Once merged in mystic union there is neither male nor female, only one's new self twice born to achieve higher being.
Christianity, the offshoot of Judaism, made the esoteric concept of personal rebirth public. (John 3:3-6; Gal. 4:29; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9) The highest inspirational catalyst for rebirth here is the story of God's reversing the sacrifice and giving his own first born Son as a sacrifice to humankind so all can be saved. Thereby all can also be priests by partaking of the sacrifice themselves in the holy supper or Eucharist.
Here circumcision was replaced with baptism, derived from the Jewish Baptist cult, but now manifest as symbolically crucifying the old self and resurrecting as a new self into higher being. "Many of us were baptized into Christ's death. And just as Christ was raised - even we shall be raised into new life. Knowing your old self was crucified ... you should no longer be a slave to sin." (Rom. 6:3-6)
Then the secret meaning of the Sh'ma was also made public. "For the many of you who were baptized in the Christ: there is no longer slave nor free, male nor female.... And if you are now all one, you are all Abraham's heirs according to the promise."
