G-d commanded our
Patriarch Avraham to circumcise himself and his male children (and other
males amongst his household), and when he fulfilled this command he became
the first one to those that are circumcised i.e. first one to all those
that enter in the covenant between G-d and each and every Jew.
At the circumcision of a Jewish child, the father of the child
makes a blessing: “blessed are you G-d king of the universe, that has
sanctified us with his mitzvos and has commanded us to enter him
into the covenant of our Patriarch Avraham”. The covenant of
circumcision that is taking place now, is connected and associated with
that of our Patriarch Avraham. Since he is “our Patriarch
Avraham” he gives as an inheritance to each and everyone of
his children the inheritors the power to enter unto a covenant with G-d.
An inheritance does not depend at all upon the situation and the
preparation of the child to inherit, since even a baby that is one day
old can inherit everything.
From
this it is understood that the covenant of each Jew is “the covenant of
our Patriarch Avraham”, because his power and preparation to enter in
this covenant comes to him as an inheritance from our Patriarch Avraham.
But
this needs further clarification:
The Rambam
writes with regards to this mitzvah: “we don’t circumcise
ourselves because our Patriarch Avraham has circumcised himself and
the members of his Household, we rather do it because G-d has commanded us
through Moshe our master that we should circumcise”. It is
therefore understood, that although the power for the fulfillment
of the mitzvah of circumcision is inherited from our Patriarch
Avraham, nevertheless then mitzvah itself (the manner in which we
are obligated to fulfill it), is not a continued inheritance of
“the covenant of our Patriarch Avraham”, but it is based upon and begins
with the command of G-d through Moshe – so why is this mitzvah
referred to as “the covenant of our Patriarch Avraham”?
Specifically in accordance with the statement by our sages of
blessed memory
“All the mitzvos which the Patriarchs performed before You were ethereal,
but the mitzvos that we fulfill are compared to oil”. This
implies that with our fulfillment of the mitzvos there is an
advantage over their performance through our Patriarchs, just like the
advantage of the oil over its aroma. How is it then possible, that the mitzvah
of circumcision that we fulfill, is considered “the covenant of
our Patriarch Avraham”?
One also needs to understand: the language of the blessing “the
covenant of our Patriarch Avraham” emphasizes the concept of our
Patriarch Avraham. At first glance it seams that it is more important to
emphasize that the covenant is with G-d, i.e. to “bring him in to
the covenant with G-d”.
It would become understood by introducing the words of
Alter
Rebbe in his Shulchan Aruch:
that “the first stage of
the entry of the holy soul is
etc. with the mitzvah of circumcision”.
At
first glance, this is not understood: even before a child is born, while
he is still in his mother’s womb, “they teach him the entire Torah”,
so even before he is born there exists within him the holy soul that she
is the one that learns ”the entire Torah” - so how does this tie in
with the quoted above that the beginning of the entry of the holy soul is
during the performance of circumcision, which takes place when the baby is
eight days old?
The explanation thereof: “the entry of the holy soul”
means – the inner connection of the Neshomoh with the physical
body, till its essential unification as one entity, when the
accomplishment of the Neshomoh in the body becomes recognized and
visible; however when the fetus is in the womb of its mother, although the
holy soul exists within him, nevertheless not only has his neshomoh not
yet “entered” and become united with his body (as mentioned above),
even the effect of his neutral soul is not yet recognized and felt
in his body – since he eats and drinks and receives his nourishment from
what his mother eats etc.
Even after he is born, when the soul has already become connected
with the body; what is recognized and revealed in his body is not
the accomplishment and the connection of the neshomoh (which is
still within him in a state of concealment), only the neutral soul’s.
The inner entry of the holy soul in the body and its revealed
connection is accomplished and recognized only through the covenant of
circumcision, because then ““My covenant will be an eternal
bond in your flesh.”
– that the covenant with G-d is engraved in the flesh of the physical
body, till it becomes a “covenant (that is visible also to the nations)
of the world”.
This
is the advantage of the mitzvah of circumcision over other mitzvos:
All mitzvos
connect the person who fulfills them with G-d the commander. But unlike
the mitzvah of circumcision, in all other mitzvos this
connection is unrecognizable in the body of the person fulfilling the mitzvah;
for instance: the hand that gives out charity, although this mitzvah definitely
effected a change also in the physical existence of the hand – this is
not a change that is visible and recognizable in the physical flesh
of the hand. Furthermore – the entire concept of this mitzvah
(circumcision) is that the change through the covenant with G-d
should be recognizable in the flesh of the body – to the eyes of a human
being, and also to gentiles (as mentioned above).
In this point, the advantage of the covenant of circumcision is
greater than the covenant that G-d made with the Jews on Mount Sinai (and
similar covenants): the covenant that G-d made with Jews in Sinai and in
the Plains of Moav, was also with those that were not present there in
their body, merely in their Neshomoh, as it says:
“with whoever is here today etc. and whoever is not with us here
today”, and it is explained in Pirkei Drabi Eliezer
that the making of this covenant was also with the past generations and
also with the future generations, i.e. that the making of this covenant
was with the Neshomos which were all present at that event (of
Mount Sinai).
Furthermore:
those that were present there in their physical bodies, they also entered
the covenant only through Hearing the words of the covenant from
Moshe; that although the sound is heard by the ear, one of man’s
physical limbs, nevertheless the ear is merely a medium through
which the Neshomoh hears (with her spiritual power of
hearing), and accepts (upon herself) the things that she heard. It is
evident from this, that the covenant made in the Plains of Moav (and those
similar to it) was mainly with the Neshomos of the Jews; however
the covenant of circumcision, that her concept is to be “my covenant in
your flesh for an eternal covenant”, that (also) the flesh of the
physical body should be connected in an eternal covenant with G-d (as
mentioned above). Through this a dwelling is made for G-d in the lower worlds.
This is the entire concept of the Mitzvah of
circumcision: when the child is eight days old, while he is still negated
from the entire concept of knowledge and understanding, and due to the
revelation of the neshomoh and his spiritual powers he is not able
to enter into a covenant with G-d; nevertheless the Torah obligates him to
become circumcised in this age – because the entire concept of the
covenant of circumcision is that the flesh of his physical body should be
connected in a covenant with G-d (as mentioned above), and this is
possible even (and even the more so) by a child who is merely eight days
old.
Accordingly it can be explained also the language of the blessing:
“to enter him into the covenant of our Patriarch Avraham”:
Reb Menachem Mendel Horodoker
explains the tremendous trial of our Patriarch Avraham by the akeidah,
that although many Jews (even simple people) throughout the ages withstood
the trial of mesiruth nefesh (even in similar cases to the akeidah)
even without hearing an explicit command to do it from G-d himself –
nevertheless the trial of our Patriarch Avraham is tremendously great –
and the reason is, because our Patriarch Avraham was the first one who
withstood this trial and to be the “first one” is pretty difficult.
But once the “first one” paved the way – then it becomes easier for
those who fallow him, because they are following his ways.
But this only applies to a concept that depends upon a person’s
understanding and feeling and upon his service of G-d, that in order he
should be able to overcome with his own powers the hardships and
preventions in this concept – when he knows and when he feels that the
“first one” already preceded him with this (especially when this
“first one” is his father) and paved the way “for him and for all
the Jews” it helps him in his own service of G-d. But when the case is
something that is not connected with his knowledge and his activity, just
an activity that is done in his body without any preparation by him –
especially by a child who does not have any control and influence over his
spiritual powers – then the fact that this deed was already performed in
the past does not help him in any manor; so in this regard there is no
difference between him and the “first one” – in this activity he is
the “first one”, because he does not receive any help from the one who
proceeded him.
This applies also to an adult (and a convert) who is fulfilling the
mitzvah of circumcision – although he already possesses knowledge
and feeling etc. – since the whole idea of the Mitzvah of
circumcision is to enter the physical flesh (through a physical activity) in a covenant with G-d (as explained above at great length); it is
understood that the help that comes through the spiritual powers and
accomplishes with and through them, does not accomplish anything in the
activity of the covenant itself (i.e. that the power that comes from the
first one (even the one that comes as an inheritance) has a connection
only to the spiritual preparation to enter the covenant of circumcision,
but not to accomplishing and engraving the covenant in the physical body).
As a result, each and every person who fulfills the mitzvah of the
covenant of circumcision, whether he is a child or an adult, he is on the
same level as the first one in this regard.
With this it would become understood why we say “to enter him
into the covenant of our Patriarch Avraham”: because the concept
and advantage of our Patriarch Avraham is that he was the first one (as
mentioned above); and since every Jew that fulfills this mitzvah is
also on the level of the “first one”, so he his actually entering
“the covenant of our Patriarch Avraham”.
Accordingly we can explain an additional concept that demands
explanation: why is the concept of a covenant of circumcision connected
with a thing that causes “pain for the child”? Specifically – since
happiness and joy is basic in the service of G-d – as it says
“serve G-d with joy”, so why were we commanded by G-d to do this Great
Mitzvah in a manner of pain – the opposite of the concept
of happiness and joy?
Although this that the activity of circumcision causes pain is
because this is the nature of the body in all similar
activities (incisions) – but since all concepts of the world are
precisely and exactly the way these things are above in their source
(since “they have evolved from them”)
and even the more so in a concept of a Mitzvah – it is evident
that the concept of pain in the covenant of circumcision is with a
specific intent and purpose.
Especially according to the opinion of Acharonim that the mitzvah
of circumcision must be through pain (and therefore one can’t put the
circumcised through either complete or partial anesthesia, in order that
he should not feel the pain) – definitely the pain is a basic concept in
the mitzvah of circumcision.
The
explanation thereof:
The concept of the mitzvah of circumcision is to draw down
G-dlines also in the physical flesh in the body, through which it becomes
“a dwelling in the lower worlds” for G-d, i.e. that even in the lowest
level, while it still retains its low status – one makes a dwelling for
G-d, and therefore it has to be in the flesh the way it remains in its natural
state; defined in all its properties – that also in such a flesh that
feels pain in a thing (mitzvah) in which it should have an opposite
effect (joy and happiness), even in such a low level one accomplishes that
it should be connected in an eternal covenant with G-d.
The
directive from this:
The Alter Rebbe writes in his Shulchan
Aruch:
“a person has absolutely no permission over his body whatsoever etc. to
cause it any kind of pain”, it is simply evident from here that a person
is not allowed to look for an occupation in a manner that would cause him
pain. Nevertheless when the issue at hand is a concept of a mission to
make for G-d a dwelling in the lower worlds, then, on the contrary, he is
not allowed to refrain from this due to the pain that is connected with
this, and perhaps only in this manner is he fulfilling his job and
mission.
From this it is understood that one upon who it was placed a job
off such a “mission” can’t rely on his own opinion whether to accept
this mission or not, because a person is close to himself
and it is possible that he should tilt and taint his mind as long as he
can walk away from the mission due to the pain it might cause him,
although one may say that he has to notify the sender that according to his
opinion (of the Shliach) he would have pain etc. but the decision
itself has to be from the one who sends out the emissaries (who definitely
has no ax to grind, G-d forbid).
And
to the contrary, when he would devote himself to his job with all of his
powers, in addition to the power of the sender, definitely he would
succeed and fulfill his mission the way it needs to be done – and
without pain and troubles, just with joy and happiness and a good heart
– and he would make a dwelling for G-d in the lower worlds.
Orach Chayim Mahadurah Tinyanah, 4:2.
