Revised Edition
''In that selfsame day, Avraham was circumcised.'' 1
Many Torah commentaries pose the question: Why didn't Avraham circumcise
himself beforehand? [The Talmud 2
declares, that Avraham] fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given,
including even [Rabbinical decrees such as] Eruv Tavshilin. [If so, why
didn't he circumcise himself as well?]
To understand this concept, we must first understand [the nature of]
circumcision. [Circumcision is alluded to in the verse,3]
''It is not in heaven that you should say: ''Who shall go up for us to
heaven?'' [The first letters of this phrase] serve as an acronym [for the
Hebrew word] Milah [meaning circumcision]. The final letters of those
words are an acronym for the [Name of G-d] Havayah.
[What is the connection between circumcision and the name Havayah? Besides
the physical deed, circumcision reflects a spiritual service. We find two
references to this concept in the Torah.] One verse4
declares, ‘‘you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart.'' The
second declares,5
''The L-rd, your G-d, will circumcise your heart,'' i.e. there are two
aspects of circumcision: one [performed by man in his striving to elevate
himself] from below to above. [This service] necessitates the circumcision
of the heart, i.e., the service of teshuvah, as it is written,6
''You shall return to the L-rd, your G-d.'' [This return is expressed]
through the fulfillment of Torah and its mitzvos, and [will lead to the
future redemption,] as our Sages declared,7
''If the Jewish people turn [to G-d] in teshuvah they will be redeemed and
if not, they won't be redeemed.''
In regard to the era which follows [the redemption and] the return of the
dispersed remnants [of our people], the Torah declares,8
''(G-d) will bring you to the land...and He will do you good....'' This
represents [the second level of] circumcision, [involving the descent of
G-dliness] from above to below, the level described in the verse, ''And
G-d will circumcise your heart.'' (Therefore, the verse says, ''He [G-d]
will do you good even more than for your fathers,'' i.e., He will reveal
''the great good that You hid....''9
[The connection between circumcision and good can be seen in the case of]
Moshe, who was born circumcised.10
[Concerning his birth, the Torah comments11]
''And she saw that he was good.''
Hence the first level of circumcision is an arousal from below, i.e., a
(striving of man) from below upward. This is followed by the second level
of circumcision, an arousal from above, the revelation of ''and G-d will
circumcise your heart.''
This, the second level of circumcision which will be revealed after the
fulfillment of the entire Torah and the return of the exiles, is the level
of circumcision referred to in the verse, ''Who shall go up for us to
heaven?'' the acronym for circumcision. From this verse, we see that
circumcision is above Torah. Torah is ''not in the heavens'' for it has
descended below. Therefore, the Talmud states,12
''Rav Yehoshua declared, We shall pay no attention to a heavenly voice.''
[Why?] because Torah is not in the Heavens, but below.
Therefore, the Torah is called the Torah of Havayah (Yud-Hay-Vov-Hay) [for
that Name of G-d also implies a process of descent]. Yud - standing for
contraction, Hay - for expansion, Vov - for drawing down, etc. Through
[this name] G-dliness is drawn down below.
However, circumcision is above the Name Havayah. Therefore, in the
aforementioned verse its acronym is alluded to by the phrase's first
letters, and the Name Havayah by the phrase's last letters. Circumcision
is on the level of ''heaven,'' while Torah has descended from these
heavens.
Therefore, our sages declared,13
''Great is the mitzvah of circumcision, behold thirteen different
covenants were established over it.'' [When they declared] ''great,'' they
referred to the greater aspect of circumcision, the revelation from above
to below in which ''G-d will circumcise your heart.''14
This [higher] level is connected with thirteen covenants. For a covenant
also represents [a bond] above intellect and knowledge. When two friends
establish a covenant to continue their friendship, what in fact they do is
compel their feelings of friendship. Even if [at a later time] these
feelings would not be naturally expressed based on their intellect and
knowledge, they force themselves (to express) these feelings, [revealing]
a love that is above the limits of intellect and knowledge.
Similarly, [circumcision is related to thirteen covenants, because] in
order to reveal and draw down the higher level of circumcision (the level
of ''Your great good''), [it is necessary to arouse] the Thirteen
Attributes of Mercy, which also transcend the limits of wisdom. [This
allows circumcision to rise] above the limits of the Name Havayah and
above the limits of Torah (just as the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are
above Torah and therefore are the source for the forgiveness of our sins).
This principle is brought out in the verse, ''Until Your people pass over,
O G-d.''15
[The Name of G-d used in the verse is Havayah. The verse can be
interpreted -] ''Until Your people pass over [and reach a higher level]
than Havayah.'' ([The connection of the world] ''pass over'' to this level
[is emphasized by the fact that] in connection with the Thirteen
Attributes the Torah states,16
[''and G-d] passed over.'')
[With this foundation, we can answer our original question:] Avraham
fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given. Nevertheless, he did not
fulfill the mitzvah of circumcision. Why? Because he wanted to reach the
higher level of circumcision, [the level connected with the revelation]
from above to below. Therefore, he fulfilled the entire Torah that was on
a lower level than circumcision and through those efforts he merited that
higher level of circumcision.
To highlight this, the Torah states, ''Avraham was circumcised,'' [using
the passive voice] and it does not say he circumcised himself. In the case
of Yishmael and the slaves, the active voice is used, for they merited
only the lower level of circumcision [the level that can be achieved by
man's actions in] ''circumcising the foreskin of your heart.'' However,
concerning Avraham, the passive is used because there [the higher level,
the aspect beyond our powers] the level of ''and G-d will circumcise your
heart'' was revealed.
Therefore the Torah declares ''in that selfsame day;'' - [the Hebrew word
for selfsame, etzem, also means ''essence.'' The verse can be interpreted
to mean] ''in the essence of that day Avraham was circumcised.'' [The word
''day'' is a reference to the Era of the Redemption] ''the day which is
all long and all good.''17
The essence of the day refers to the essence of the great revelation that
will take place then, the revelation of ''Your great good'' (and therefore
it is ''all good''). Therefore, when ''the essence of the day'' was
revealed to him, Avraham was circumcised.
14
See also the gloss
of Mikdash Melech to the Zohar, Vol. III, p. 233b; and Likkutei Torah,
[of the AriZal] Parshas Kedoshim, Taamei HaMitzvos, regarding the
sublime levels associated with the mitzvah of circumcision
