English translation — לך לך ג

Sicha 3<pg>53</pg>

A.

The Rambam wrote in Sefer HaMitzvos: "Mitzvah 215 is that He commanded us to circumcise the son,

and it is His saying, may He be exalted, to Avraham<sup>1</sup>

Every male among you shall be circumcised."

However, in the enumeration of the commandments at the beginning of Sefer HaYad<sup>2</sup>

he wrote "to circumcise the son, as it is said, 'And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised' — which is a verse in Parshas Tazria<sup>3</sup>.

And we need to understand the reason for the change,

that in the enumeration of the commandments he brought the source for this commandment from the verse in Parshat Tazria and not

(as in the Book of the Commandments)

from the command that was said to Avraham⁴.

And additionally perplexing: in the enumeration of the commandments the Rambam⁵ is precise

in his language to say "to circumcise the son"⁶,

that simply his intention is that the obligation is upon the father to circumcise his son

[and especially that he changed from what is written

(in an impersonal language)

in the heading to the laws of circumcision "to circumcise the males on the eighth day"]⁷

; and if so, seemingly it would have been appropriate for the Rambam to bring the verse of Avraham,

where it is proven that the father is commanded to circumcise his son⁸,

and not the verse "and on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" where it is not mentioned that the obligation is upon the father⁹.

At first glance, one could say that this change depends on the dispute between the Bavli and the Yerushalmi,

that in the Bavli¹⁰

they learned the obligation of the father to circumcise his son from what is written¹¹

regarding Avraham: "And Avraham circumcised Yitzchak his son,"

and in the Yerushalmi¹²

they learned from what is written "And on the eighth day<pg>54</pg>

the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised"

(which "is certainly not incumbent upon the infant to do, only upon the father" — Korban HaEidah),

and in the Book of the Hand, the Rambam adopted the exposition of the Yerushalmi.

But this itself requires a reason,

why did the Rambam in the Yad HaChazakah adopt like the Yerushalmi and not like the Bavli&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;

(And particularly according to the well-known rule&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;

that the Rambam brings the simpler exposition,

and behold, in the verses of Avraham it is explicit and simple

(more)

the obligation of the father&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;).

B.

And now, simply, one can explain this according to the well-known words of the Rambam in his Commentary on the Mishnah&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;,

and this is his language:

"Set your heart on the great principle..

that everything that we distance or do today we do only by the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him; not that the Holy One, blessed be He, said this to the prophets before him, such as..

We do not circumcise because Avraham Avinu, peace be upon him, circumcised himself and the men of his household, but because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us through Moshe Rabbeinu that we should circumcise as Avraham Avinu, peace be upon him, circumcised.

And likewise the sciatic nerve: we do not follow the prohibition of Yaakov Avinu, but the commandment of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him. Do you not see what they said: "Six hundred and thirteen commandments were said to Moshe at Sinai, and all of these are among the commandments."

And therefore the Rambam did not cite in the Book of the Hand the verse that was said to Avraham

(namely "the prophets before him" of Moshe)

but rather the portion of Tazria&lt;sup&gt;17&lt;/sup&gt;,

which is the command that "the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us through Moshe Rabbeinu"&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;.

But according to this, it is more difficult that in the Sefer HaMitzvos he brings the verse of Avraham and does not mention at all the verse of Parshas Tazria?

And beyond this: in the Sefer HaMitzvos the Rambam emphasizes "and He said, may He be exalted, to Avraham: circumcise for yourselves every male" — that is, not only does he bring the verse of Avraham,

but he adds and emphasizes that the commandment to Israel

(that He commanded us)

to circumcise&lt;pg&gt;55&lt;/pg&gt;

etc. it is the command that was to Avraham — the opposite of the "great principle" in the Commentary on the Mishnah,

"that everything that we..

do today we do only by the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, not that the Holy One, blessed be He, said this to the prophets before him".

3.

And one can say, prefacing additional explanation in the words of the Rambam above in the Commentary on the Mishnah,

that seemingly one must ask¹⁹

:

Since the commandment of circumcision that is incumbent upon us is not the commandment of circumcision that was commanded to Avraham Avinu,

but rather its foundation and essence is — "the commandment of the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him" — why is this commandment called by the name "covenant of Avraham Avinu",

to the extent that this name is established in the wording of the blessing²⁰

— "to bring him into the covenant of Avraham Avinu"?

And we also find that the connection of this commandment to the covenant of Avraham Avinu is mentioned and emphasized in the Yad HaChazakah,

in his writing regarding the greatness of the elevation of the covenant of circumcision and the severity of its violation — "Not²¹

was Avraham Avinu called complete until he circumcised..

And anyone who violates the covenant of Avraham Avinu..

And all the commandments of the Torah, three covenants were made upon them..

And upon circumcision, thirteen covenants were made with²²

Avraham Avinu".

And a similar emphasis we also find in the commentary on the Mishnah there itself,

and his language is: "

(We do not circumcise because Abraham our father, peace be upon him, circumcised..

but because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us through Moses our teacher)

that we circumcise just as Abraham our father, peace be upon him, circumcised" — at first glance&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;

what is the reason for this addition "that we circumcise just as Abraham our father, peace be upon him, circumcised",

after he established that we only circumcise because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us through Moses?

[And as in the continuation immediately after in the commandment of the sciatic nerve,

the Rambam did not write that "the commandment of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him" was not to eat the sciatic nerve just as Jacob and his sons did not eat&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt;].

4.

And one can say the explanation of this — simply:

The "great principle" that the Rambam wrote — that this that we fulfill the commandments is not because of the commandments that preceded the commandments through Moses our Teacher at Sinai — his intention is to say that all the obligation placed upon us in the fulfillment of all the commandments comes only and exclusively from the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moses our Teacher,

without connection and attachment to the commandments that were said through the "prophets before him"; but this does not pertain to the essence of the commandments and their substance,

and it is possible indeed that their definition and substance of the commandments after the Giving of the Torah have a connection and similarity to their matter before the Giving of the Torah — and even that their substance and matter are one.

And in our subject — the commandment of circumcision: certainly only the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moses our Teacher is what obligates us to fulfill this commandment,

and not the commandment to Abraham; and together with this the substance of the commandment of circumcision that we were commanded is precisely the covenant of Abraham our father — the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us

(through Moses our Teacher)

to bring the son

(through the covenant of circumcision)

into the covenant that He, may He be blessed, made with Abraham our father.

&lt;pg&gt;56&lt;/pg&gt;

And based on this, it is found,

that in the commandment of circumcision there is a great novelty regarding the rest of the commandments that were commanded before the Giving of the Torah:

In the rest of the commandments, the commandment as given at the Giving of the Torah is a new commandment that is not connected with the command that was before the Giving of the Torah,

and in the manner of "the Torah was given and the law was renewed"²⁵

; and even when the body of the commandment did not change — there is no connection and relationship of the content and essence of the commandment that we fulfill to the commandment that was before the Giving of the Torah,

And for example — a limb from a living animal: that we are forbidden in eating a limb from a living animal has no connection to the prohibition of a limb from a living animal that was practiced before the Giving of the Torah.

And also regarding the prohibition of the sciatic nerve which is explained in the Gemara&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

"that it was written in its place

(in Parshat Vayishlach)

to know for what reason it was forbidden to them",

that the reason we were commanded

(after the Giving of the Torah)

not to eat the sciatic nerve is because "

(therefore..)

for he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sciatic nerve"&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;

— this is only the reason for the commandment,

that the prohibition of eating the sciatic nerve is a memorial to the event that occurred with Jacob,

but in the essence and substance of the commandment there is no connection between them.

But not so regarding circumcision,

that the connection of this commandment which we fulfill to the commandment of circumcision of Abraham our father is not only a reason and a memorial,

but rather it is the same matter itself&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;,

that the content of our commandment of circumcision is that we bring the circumcised one "into the covenant of Abraham our father".

[And this is even more than what the Bach wrote&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;

regarding the mitzvah of sukkah,

that the intention of the mitzvah — "so that your generations may know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out etc."&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;

— is part of the mitzvah itself,

and without this intention "he did not fulfill the mitzvah properly"

(for although Scripture attributed "many mitzvot"&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;

to the Exodus from Egypt,

nevertheless,

regarding the other mitzvot they are only a reason and a remembrance,

but not so regarding the mitzvah of sukkah, for this intention is part of the essence of the mitzvah),

For there, after all, it is only an intention and a remembrance,

except that they are a part and a detail of the fulfillment of the mitzvah; but not so in our case — the mitzvah of circumcision,

that the concept of "the covenant of Abraham our father" is not only a detail and a part of the mitzvah,

but rather it is the essence of the mitzvah,

that through this mitzvah one brings the circumcised into "the covenant of Abraham our father",

as above].

And this is the intention of the Rambam in his adding "that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us through Moshe Rabbeinu that we circumcise just as Avraham Avinu, peace be upon him, circumcised" — to emphasize the novelty in the commandment of circumcision that we fulfill,

that the "covenant" effected through our circumcision is the same "covenant" that the Holy One, blessed be He, made with Avraham Avinu.

And it can be said,

that this is emphasized even more in that most of the details of the obligations of circumcision are learned from the verses of Avraham³²,

and even that the obligation of excision is stated

(and only)

regarding Avraham³³

(and not in the parshah<pg>57</pg>

Tazria)

— to emphasize that our mitzvah of milah is itself "the covenant of Avraham Avinu".

5.

And based on this, one must explain the reason for the difference between Sefer HaMitzvos,

where the Rambam brought the verse of Avraham,

and Minyan HaMitzvos at the beginning of Sefer HaYad,

where he brought the verse of Parshas Tazria:

From the differences between Sefer HaMitzvos and the enumeration of the commandments in Sefer HaYad is:

Sefer HaMitzvos is not a book of halacha,

but only an explanation of the 613 commandments,

a brief description of the commandment and its source in the Written Torah and its laws

(in general)

in the Oral Torah³⁴

; and likewise in our subject,

since the main part of the portion of circumcision is — the verses about Avraham from which most of its details are learned,

and there is explained the essence of the commandment,

that it is a "covenant" between Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He

(the covenant of Avraham)

— the Rambam brings the verse "You shall circumcise every male among you"; and therefore emphasizes there that the command was "to Avraham" — because this is the essence of the commandment of circumcision,

"the covenant of Avraham our father",

as above³⁵.

But not so in the counting of the commandments at the beginning of the Book of the Hand — the book "Laws of Laws"&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;

— the Rambam brings the verse whose essence

(not the essence and definition of the commandment,

but)

the source of the obligation to fulfill this commandment as one of the 613 commandments that were said to Moses at Sinai; and since "everything that we distance ourselves from or do today we do only by the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, not that the Holy One, blessed be He, said this to the prophets before him",

it is understood,

that one must bring the verse from after the Giving of the Torah,

which is

(simply&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;)

"the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moses our teacher",

for the applicability of the obligation of this commandment is specifically from this verse.

6.

This novelty in the commandment of circumcision

(that the essence of the covenant of circumcision is — "the covenant of Abraham our father",

which is before the speaking)

— will be understood more from what we have explained elsewhere&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;,

that in the commandment of circumcision there are two matters:

a)

a particular commandment,

one of the 613 commandments of the Torah.

b)

A general matter — "covenant" between Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He,

"This is My covenant..

between Me and you"³⁹,

that the covenant of circumcision pertains to the essence of the holiness of Israel.

And it can be said that this is also the main intention of the Rambam in what he said

(in the seal of the laws of circumcision⁴⁰)

"The foreskin is repulsive, by which the nations are disgraced, as it is said⁴¹

for all the nations are foreskinned",

to emphasize,

that the matter of circumcision pertains to the entirety of "Israel"

[therefore,

also a Jewish man who cannot fulfill the commandment of circumcision in practice

(because his brothers died from circumcision and the like⁴²)

is called "circumcised"⁴³,

and the reason can be said,

because the essence of the name "circumcised" is not due to the act of circumcision,

but rather due to his obligation to enter into this covenant,

which exists also in one who cannot fulfill the commandment in practice⁴⁴].

And for further explanation: also the "particular commandment" of circumcision is called by the name "covenant" — except that there are two matters in the "covenant" between Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He: a)

the covenant regarding the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos&lt;sup&gt;45&lt;/sup&gt;,

&lt;pg&gt;58&lt;/pg&gt;

b)

the "covenant" and connection between the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel, from the aspect of their essence of Israel&lt;sup&gt;46&lt;/sup&gt;.

And this is the general matter of the covenant of circumcision,

that in addition to its being a particular commandment

(one of the 613 commandments of the Torah)

it is a sign of the covenant that belongs to Israel.

And as is explicit in the statement of our Sages&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;

that the Rambam brings

(in continuation of "the foreskin is repulsive, etc.")

"And whoever&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;

violates his covenant of Abraham etc., even though he has Torah and good deeds, he has no portion in the World to Come" — because the covenant of circumcision preceded the covenant of Torah and good deeds,

that first must be&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;

the existence of Israel

(and the covenant with him),

and afterwards&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;

the covenant of Torah applies&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt;.

[And it can be said that this is the intent of the midrash&lt;sup&gt;51&lt;/sup&gt;

"If a person is not circumcised he cannot learn Torah, as it is said&lt;sup&gt;52&lt;/sup&gt;

He declares His words to Jacob, to one who is circumcised like Jacob, not&lt;sup&gt;52&lt;/sup&gt;

He has done so for any nation because they are uncircumcised" — and the covenant of circumcision preceded the Torah,

because Torah and commandments were given specifically to Israel and not to the nations of the world,

and Israel is connected to the covenant of circumcision].

7.

And with this one can explain the reason that not only did the commandment of circumcision begin with Abraham our father,

but moreover — that the commandment of circumcision which we fulfill after the giving of the Torah is connected to Abraham, to the extent that it is called "the covenant of Abraham our father":

"The covenant of Avraham Avinu" is not a cutting of a covenant on the observance of the Torah and commandments,

because the matter of the Torah begins from the time of the giving of the Torah,

and as above from the Rambam that our commandments do not come from the commandments before the [divine] speech; rather the "covenant" with Avraham,

"between Me and between you and between your seed after you",

is with the Jewish people,

that the beginning of the Jewish people is from Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov⁵³,

and from then began the covenant and holiness of Israel

[Not to mention according to the opinions⁵⁴

that the Patriarchs left the category of Bnei Noach,

but even according to the opinions⁵⁴

that they did not leave the category of Bnei Noach — this is only regarding the observance of their commandments and the like,

but the existence of the Jewish people began from the Patriarchs].

And it is found,

that even though our commandments are not connected to the commandments before the Giving of the Torah — nevertheless, the existence of the Jewish people begins from the Patriarchs.

And from this — the two aspects in the commandment of circumcision: the body of the commandment and the obligation of the commandment of circumcision

(as one of the 613 commandments)

is not related to the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, to Abraham,

but only to the commandment&lt;pg&gt;59&lt;/pg&gt;

Hashem through Moshe Rabbeinu; but the content of the covenant effected by this mitzvah — which pertains to the Jewish people — this is "the covenant of Avraham Avinu",

it is a continuation of the covenant that Hashem made with Avraham,

"This is My covenant..

between Me and you and between your seed after you".

8.

Based on this, there is further to explain a halacha in the Rambam:

Regarding the blessing of circumcision, the Rambam ruled in Hilchos Milah⁵⁵

: And the father of the son recites a different blessing etc. to bring him into the covenant of Avraham Avinu,

It is a commandment upon the father to circumcise his son, additional to the commandment with which Israel is commanded that they should circumcise every uncircumcised one among them; therefore, if his father is not there, others do not recite this blessing.

And there is one who instructed that the court or one of the people should recite it, and it is not proper to do so.

That is: according to the opinion of the Rambam,

the blessing "to bring him into the covenant of Avraham Avinu" was instituted specifically for the father of the son,

because of his additional and special commandment that he has

("additional to the commandment with which

(all)

Israel")

to circumcise his son.

And therefore "if his father is not there, others do not recite this blessing."

And the meaning of the matter is,

that this that through the covenant of circumcision one brings the circumcised one "into His covenant of Abraham our father",

belongs

(mainly)

specifically to the father's commandment.

Some explained⁵⁶

according to what it learns in Kiddushin⁵⁷

that the father's commandment to circumcise his son is from that it is written⁵⁸

And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son,

and it is found that the father's commandment pertains to "His covenant of Abraham our father"

(from which we derive the obligation of the father).

But besides this that in the book Yad

(in the Counting of the Commandments)

the Rambam brings

(as above)

the verse of Parshat Tazria and not the verse of Avraham⁵⁹

— behold also the explanation itself requires examination,

since also the obligation that is upon the court,

and likewise the obligation of the son himself,

are learned in Kiddushin there from the verses regarding Avraham,

and if so also the obligation of all Israel

(the court)

and of the son himself belong to "His covenant of Avraham our father",

and the obligation of the father is not different from their obligation in this matter.

9.

However according to what we have learned in the explanation of the expression "His covenant of Avraham our father" — one must explain the connection specifically to the commandment of the father:

The name "Israel" depends on birth,

that comes to the newborn as an inheritance from his father and mother,

that by being a child of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

(and a daughter of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah)

he has automatically the name Israel in actuality

[in contrast to the "covenant" of Torah,

even though he is obligated in Torah and mitzvos automatically by being a person

(and a woman who is)

Israel — nevertheless,

the actual fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos depends on his choice].

And it is found,

that the essence of the mitzvah of circumcision

(that is, the general concept within it — "the covenant of Abraham our father")

is a continuation of the birth of the son,

that then he enters

(automatically,

by virtue of birth)

into the category of Israel,

and the completeness of the name Israel comes to him at the time of the covenant of circumcision

(and a woman is considered as if she was circumcised⁶⁰).

And one could say that this is the reason that in the commandment of circumcision there is a special commandment upon the father "beyond the commandment that Jews are commanded"

[And the simple meaning of the language is,

that this that the commandment is upon the father is not only because it is impossible for a minor to circumcise himself and therefore&lt;pg&gt;60&lt;/pg&gt;

the Torah placed this obligation upon the father&lt;sup&gt;61&lt;/sup&gt;,

but that this is essentially the duty and commandment of the father&lt;sup&gt;62&lt;/sup&gt;]

:

The obligation of all Israel "that they circumcise every uncircumcised among them" is primarily from the aspect of the category of obligation of the commandment,

that because of the severity of this commandment,

the Torah imposed an obligation upon all Israel

(the court)

"that they circumcise every uncircumcised among them"; but not so the commandment upon the father is a continuation of the birth of the son,

for since the parents of the son⁶³

they are the ones who brought him into the community of Israel

(through his birth⁶⁴),

therefore upon the father it is to finish and "to complete" for him this entry into Israel,

through the covenant of circumcision.

And therefore they instituted the wording "to bring him into the covenant of Abraham our father" specifically in the commandment of the father — because the bringing in "into the covenant of Abraham our father",

the completeness of the matter of Israel,

belongs primarily to the father,

who brought him into the community of Israel.

(From the talks of Purim and 16 Adar 5747)