Vayerah וירא Bris Milah -Flawed Perfection

. והיתה בריתי בבשרכם לברית עולם, “and this My covenant shall remain on your flesh as an eternal covenant.” According to the plain meaning of the text these words mean that the removal of the foreskin will remain an irreversible sign that the person who has undergone this procedure believes in G-d and in His uniqueness. He will not change his belief either while he is alive on this earth or thereafter. It was part of the purpose of this commandment that G-d become the national G-d of the descendants of Avraham, as we read in verse seven of this chapter. A Midrashic approach to our verse views the commandment as similar to the offering of a sacrifice. Just as when a person offers a sacrifice on the altar and the blood of the offering achieves atonement for him, so the blood lost by the person being circumcised acts as atonement for him. This is why this rite has to be performed on the eighth day of the baby’s life. Just as an animal sacrifice is not admissible as such until the eighth day of the animal’s life (compare Leviticus 22, 27: ומיום השמיני והלאה ירצה, “and from the eighth day on it will be welcome as a sacrifice for G-d. In connection with the sacrificial offering the Torah writes (Exodus 29,33) ואכלו אותם אשר כפר בהם, “They- who received atonement through them (the offerings)- shall eat them;” so we make a festive meal to celebrate the induction of the circumcised baby into the Jewish community. In fact, the effect of the circumcision is far greater than that of an animal sacrifice. An animal sacrifice represents only a financial sacrifice by the donor whereas the rite of circumcision involves his body. The organ which is cut is one that radiates feelings to all parts of the body of the person concerned. This is why it is called ראש הגויה, “head of the whole body” in Negaim 6,7. This is why this organ was chosen to serve as a demonstration of self-sacrifice and why someone who undergoes circumcision is considered in the eyes of G-d as if he had sacrificed his entire body on G-d’s behalf. This is also why in Psalms 50,5 the psalmist Assaph describes circumcision as “who made a covenant with Me over sacrifice.” G-d Himself describes His pious as having made a covenant with Him by means of circumcising themselves. In Bereshit Rabbah 21,14 we find that Rabbi Abba interprets the words (Genesis 3,24 ) את החרב המתהפכת, as a reference to circumcision. He explains his reason as being Joshua 5,2 where the instruments used to circumcise the people are described as חרבות צורים “swords of flint.” The other Rabbis consider the word חרב in that verse in Genesis 3,24 as referring to the Torah. They point to Psalms 149,6 וחרב פפיות בידם, “and a two-edged sword in their hands,” as their reason. Rabbi Abdimai also interprets the entire verse there as connected to both Gehinom and circumcision; he considers circumcision as an insurance against a Jew becoming a permanent victim of Gehinom. G-d is portrayed as asking; “who will save My children from the blazing fire (in Gehinom)? The answer given is that the rite of circumcision will be the instrument saving Jews from Gehinom and its fires. In Pirke d’Rabbi Eliezer chapter 29 we are told that Avraham circumcised himself on Yom Kippur. This is based on Leviticus 23,28 וכל מלאכה לא תעשו בעצם היום הזה, “you shall not perform any work on this very day.” We find the same expression בעצם היום הזה here where Avraham is described as circumcising himself in verse 26 with the words: “on this very day.” G-d reviews the blood of Avraham’s circumcision every year on that day and this contributes to His granting atonement for his descendants who continue to circumcise themselves. A rational-investigative approach to our verse: It is a well-known fact that surgery, i.e. removal of a person’s organ weakens the body of the person undergoing such surgery. There is not a single organ of a person’s body which if removed does not result in weakening his whole physique. The commandment of circumcision was designed to weaken sexual desire and to diminish the degree of physical enjoyment which results from sexual activity. Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 80,11 have already made this point when they said that when a Jewish girl (Dinah) has sexual relations with an uncircumcised male it is more difficult for her to resist the temptation to repeat the experience. On the other hand, circumcision does not interfere in any way with a male’s ability to beget children. This is one of a number of natural abilities, and remains unimpaired. The ability to procreate is such a natural ability. The reason the Torah commanded that this commandment be performed on the eighth day of the baby’s life is because prior to that the baby is too weak to undergo the procedure without danger to its well being. It has not yet been weaned from its pre-natal condition. This is the way Maimonides explains the matter. A kabbalistic approach: the words והיתה בריתי בבשרכם לברית עולם mean that “My covenant on your flesh” shall be a symbol of an eternal covenant, ברית עולם. This is the deeper meaning of what Solomon said in Proverbs 10,25 וצדיק יסוד עולם, “and the righteous has an enduring, everlasting foundation.” This is also the meaning of Numbers 18,19 ברית מלח עולם, a covenant containing salt is enduring.” We derive this from an unusual nuance in our verse which by rights should have read והיתה בריתי בבשרכם לעולם, (without the word ברית being repeated). The repetition of the word לברית means that the covenant the Torah speaks of is between the legs of the male which are known as נצח והוד, “eternal and glorious.” This is also what is meant by the sages who coined the phrase המאיר עיני הלב, “who enlightens the eyes of the heart.” We find a comment in Eychah Rabbati 2,3 on the words (Lamentations 2,1) ולא זכר הדום רגליו ביום אפו, “and He would not remember His footstool on the day of His wrath.” The word הדום is viewed as an allusion to the blood between Avraham’s legs when he circumcised himself. On the day of His wrath G-d did not want to remember this deed in favour of the Jewish people. [The word הדום is understood by the Midrash as a double-entendre, meaning both something serving the legs and blood. Ed.] Seeing that the emanation מלכות is close to the emanation יסוד and we have demonstrated that the righteous is considered the foundation (יסוד) of the world, our sages interpret the Talmudic dictum מל ולא פרע כאלו לא מל, “if someone performed the removal of the foreskin without at the same time revealing the flesh beneath it, i.e. removing a thin membrane under the foreskin, a procedure known as פריעה, he might as well not have circumcised himself (or the baby) at all” (compare Shabbat 137). The reason is that such a person is considered as if he first separates something and then detaches it, whereas the purpose of any commandment is to “unite something.” This “uniting” symbolises the Oneness of G-d. Students of Kabbalah will understand what I mean.

(19) True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit;
God, You will not despise
a contrite and crushed heart.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, etc. It is written, To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Eccl. 3:1). There was a season when circumcision should be given to Abraham In the self same day was Abraham circumcised (Gen. 17:26); there was a season when his descendants were to neglect it as it is written, For all the people that came out were circumcised; but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, had not been circumcised (Josh, 5:5). Why should he not have circumcised himself at the age of forty-eight, when he recognised his Creator? In order not to discourage proselytes. Then why not be circumcised at the age of eighty-five, when [God] spoke with him between the pieces? In order that Isaac might issue from a holy source. Then let him be circumcised at the age of eighty-six, when Ishmael was born? Said R. Simeon b. Lakish : [God said] : ' I will set up a cinnamon tree in the world: just as the cinnamon tree yields fruit as long as you manure and hoe around it, so [shall Abraham be] even when his blood runs sluggishly and his passions and desires have ceased.

It is from the roots of this commandment [that it is] because God wanted to establish in His nation, that He separated to be called by His name, a permanent sign on their body; to separate them from the other nations in the form of their bodies just like they are separated from them in the form of their souls, the going out and coming in of which are not similar. He established this difference in the 'golden fountain,' because this is the reason for the existence of people, besides being a completion of the physical body as we mentioned. God wanted to complete His plan with the chosen nation. He wanted men to complete the creation of his body, as He did not create him complete from the womb; [so as] to hint to him that just like the completion of the form of his body is through him, so [too] is it in his hand to complete the form of his soul, by refining his actions.

The letters of the term the Satan [haSatan] in numerical value is 364, which equals the number of days of the year, except for Yom Kippur, during which he has no power. And Rami bar Abba said: It is written “Abram,” and after he was commanded to perform circumcision it is written “Abraham” (Genesis 17:5). Initially the Holy One, Blessed be He, enthroned him as ruler over 243 limbs, which is the numerical equivalent of the letters of the word Abram. And in the end, after he was circumcised, He enthroned him as ruler over 248 limbs, which is the numerical equivalent of the letters of the word Abraham. These are the additional limbs: Two eyes, and two ears, and the tip of the sex organ. Following his circumcision, he had total control over them, and they performed only according to his will.

(4) Open your hearts to the LORD,
Remove the thickening about your hearts—
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem—
Lest My wrath break forth like fire,
And burn, with none to quench it,
Because of your wicked acts.