English translation — לך לך ג

Sicha G<pg>53</pg>

A.

In the source of the law that circumcision overrides the Shabbat,

we find

(in general)

three teachings,

two in the Talmud<sup>1</sup>

and one in the Mechilta<sup>2</sup>

:

according to the opinion of R' Nachman bar Yitzchak³

we learn the matter from a gezeirah shavah: we judge the matter of covenant and generations from the matter of covenant and generations

(by Shabbos it is written⁴

"for it is a sign"⁵,

"for their generations an eternal covenant"⁶,

and by circumcision it is written in our parshah⁷

"and it shall be for a sign of the covenant etc." "and at eight days old shall be circumcised among you every male throughout your generations"⁸).

according to the opinion of R' Yochanan we learn from the verse⁹

"on the eighth day shall he be circumcised" — "on the day¹⁰

even on Shabbos".

And in the Mechilta on the verse¹¹

"And the children of Israel shall keep the Shabbos, to make the Shabbos" it says: "Rabbi Eliezer says: a thing that the covenant is cut upon it, and which is this? This is circumcision,"

and the commentators wrote¹²

that the intention of the Mechilta [is] on the continuation of the verse "for their generations an everlasting covenant"¹³,

"this is circumcision that is permitted to do it on Shabbos."

And now, at first glance, the difference between these three teachings is: according to Rabbi Eliezer in the Mechilta, the teaching that circumcision is permitted on Shabbos is from the verse that is said in the portion of Shabbos; according to Rabbi Yishmael in the Gemara, the teaching is from the portion of circumcision

(in the portion of Tazria)

; whereas according to Rava, the law is learned from a verse in our portion

(by a gezeirah shavah)¹⁴,

in the portion of the circumcision of Avraham Avinu.

<pg>54</pg>

And one can say,

that from the distinction in the source of the words also emerges a distinction in the definition of the law of circumcision¹⁵

overrides the Shabbos¹⁶

:

According to the opinion that is learned from the verse in Parshas Tazria

("On the eighth day he shall be circumcised"),

it is found,

that that which we circumcise even on Shabbos is from the laws of circumcision

(and not from the laws of Shabbos),

for even though the prohibitions of Shabbos were already stated

(and they exist)

the prohibitions of Shabbos,

there is a special law in circumcision that it overrides Shabbos.

And according to this manner it implies that that which circumcision overrides Shabbos is in the category of being pushed aside¹⁷,

or also permitted¹⁷,

for in relation to the fulfillment of the commandment of circumcision on the eighth, the prohibition of Shabbos is permitted¹⁸

;

According to the Mechilta that is learned from the verse in the portion of Shabbos, implying that it is from the laws of Shabbos¹⁹,

<pg>55</pg>

And one can say,

That is, not only is it a condition in the prohibitions of Shabbos²⁰,

that originally they were not stated in place of circumcision at its proper time,

but rather this is the fulfillment of the commandment of Shabbos,

"And the children of Israel shall keep the Shabbos, to make the Shabbos throughout their generations an everlasting covenant",

that from the ways "to make the Shabbos"²¹

is to circumcise on Shabbos²²,

for through this they "guard and perform" the

(holiness of)

Shabbos²³.

And as understood simply,

for Shabbos, indeed,

(as the continuation of the verse)

"between Me and the children of Israel it is a sign forever"²⁴,

and the fulfillment and completeness of the sign and covenant of Shabbos is through the fulfillment of the sign and covenant of circumcision,

which is a covenant and a sign in the flesh,

as it is said²⁵

My covenant in your flesh for an everlasting covenant²⁶.

However, according to the exposition of Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak that the source of this law is from the portion of circumcision that was said to Avraham,

behold it is found,

that this that we circumcise on Shabbat is from the time of Avraham Avinu²⁷,

before the Torah was given and before the entire portion of Shabbat was said.

And it can be said that according to this,

it is not only a law from the laws of circumcision or the laws of Shabbat,

but rather it is above the measurement of the Torah,

and above any definition of Shabbat²⁸

[And along the lines of the language of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed,²⁹

"Great is circumcision, for which thirteen covenants were cut<pg>56</pg>

(But not so regarding "all³⁰

the commandments of the Torah, for which three covenants were cut")³¹..

that overrides Shabbat".

2.

And we must explain this with the known introduction,

that the content of the commandment of circumcision emphasizes the matter of self-sacrifice,

and as our Rabbis of blessed memory said on the verse³²

“For on Your account we are killed all the day long” — “And is it possible for a person to be killed every day? Rather, this is circumcision.”³³

and as is explained at length in the Midrashim that the commandment of circumcision is like the matter of a sacrifice,

and “greater³⁴

is its power than the sacrifice,

for the sacrifice is with his money and the circumcision is with his body…”

And therefore it is considered for him as a binding and a sacrifice, as if he bound himself, and it is written³⁵

“Those who cut My covenant upon a sacrifice”,

and so it is explained in many places in the Zohar³⁶

that when a Jewish person circumcises his son, it is as if he offered him up.

And behold, the matter and power of self-sacrifice that exists in all of Israel is an inheritance for us from our forefathers,

as the Alter Rebbe explains in the Tanya,³⁷

and especially from Abraham our father,

as is known³⁸

that Abraham “opened the pipe” for self-sacrifice.

And superficially, explanation is needed in this,

behold the matter of self-sacrifice that exists in Israel is that they give their souls for the unity and sanctity of His name, blessed be He,

to fulfill the Torah and the commandments,

which was given to each one of Israel at the giving of the Torah,

and how does this come by inheritance from Abraham who was before the giving of the Torah and before the entire matter of the Torah and the commandments

[and as it is in the commandment of circumcision in its simple sense,

that "we do not&lt;sup&gt;39&lt;/sup&gt;

circumcise because Abraham our father, peace be upon him, circumcised himself and the men of his household, but rather because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us through Moses our teacher that we should circumcise".

And one can say the explanation in this:

The innovation of the Giving of the Torah is explained in the Midrash&lt;sup&gt;40&lt;/sup&gt;,

that before the Giving of the Torah there was a decree that the upper ones should not descend to the lower ones and the lower ones should not ascend to the upper ones,

and at the Giving of the Torah the decree was nullified,

"And I began",

that "And the Lord descended&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;

upon Mount Sinai",

and afterwards "And to&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;

Moses He said, Ascend to the Lord",

and therefore the holiness of Israel and its strength that is brought about through the Torah and commandments after the Giving of the Torah,

this is completely above what it was before the Giving of the Torah,

before the nullification of the decree.

However, all the boundaries of upper ones and lower ones are boundaries that pertain to the boundaries of the world,

but in this aspect that is completely above the boundary of upper&lt;pg&gt;57&lt;/pg&gt;

and lower,

it is not applicable to say that regarding Him there exists a decree between upper and lower.

And in the style of Chassidus,

behold, His Essence is found in upper and lower without any distinction at all,

and just as it is not applicable to say regarding this a distinction in place,

so too it is not applicable a distinction in time of before the Giving of the Torah and after the Giving of the Torah.

And this that is explained in the Midrash that the novelty of the Giving of the Torah is the nullification of the decree between upper and lower,

it is in relation to and from the perspective of the definitions of "upper" and "lower",

that in the upper and lower themselves is given the power to connect them in the Giving of the Torah,

by means of the Torah and commandments of the children of Israel.

And based on this it is understood regarding Bnei Yisrael,

that this that at the Giving of the Torah a special holiness was placed upon them,

is from the aspect of the level of the "revelation" of the souls of Yisrael,

for from the aspect of the essence of the soul,

this that the essence of the soul is unified with Him blessed be He in a manner that they are one thing, as it were,

it does not apply to distinguish between before the Giving of the Torah and after the Giving of the Torah,

for just as regarding His essence blessed be He, any category of decree does not apply,

so it is regarding the essence of Bnei Yisrael.

And the innovation of the Giving of the Torah is in the level of revelation,

that this matter,

as it is in its truth from the aspect of the essence of Bnei Yisrael,

will be felt in the powers of man as they are clothed in the body in this world.

3.

And based on this is understood that the matter of the self-sacrifice of the children of Israel after the giving of the Torah is an inheritance for us from our fathers,

for Abraham our father

(and the patriarchs in general)

indicates the aspect of the essence of the children of Israel⁴³,

that from this side there are no boundaries of upper and lower,

and from this aspect comes the power of self-sacrifice⁴⁴.

However, at the giving of the Torah it was innovated,

that this aspect of self-sacrifice is drawn down also into the boundary of revelations,

of upper and lower.

And one can say,

that they are the two definitions in the matter of self-sacrifice:

a)

self-sacrifice as it is according to the definitions of the Torah, which is in the three⁴⁵

transgressions regarding which we were commanded "be killed and do not transgress";

b)

Self-sacrifice in general and in all his affairs, that he always stands ready to give his soul to the Holy One, blessed be He, even when he is not obligated in this according to the law of the Torah⁴⁶,

And beyond this,

Even when according to the Torah there are questions and doubts about whether it is permitted to give his soul⁴⁷

— This self-sacrifice is from the aspect of the level of Israel that is above the Torah⁴⁸,

And as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said⁴⁹

The thought of Israel preceded everything,

Even the thought of the Torah.

And this is that according to Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, we derive circumcision on Shabbat from the verses in the portion of circumcision of Avraham,

For it speaks about this category in circumcision⁵⁰

<pg>58</pg>

that is above the commandments of the Torah,

that from this aspect there is in every Jew the nature to give his life for the unity of His name, may He be blessed,

even when he is not obligated in this according to Torah

[and this also applies to the matter of circumcision in its simple sense,

as it is brought in the books⁵¹

that the matter of circumcision is "to refine..

Israel..

and this refinement is a test and trial whether he will give his life for the sanctity of His name, may He be blessed, and when he accustoms himself from his youth in one of his limbs it will be easy in his eyes also when he grows old to give all his life to heaven"]⁵².

4.

And now, since this definition that is in circumcision,

the definition of self-sacrifice that is above the Torah,

is learned from this that circumcision overrides Shabbat,

it must be said,

that there is an expression of this also in the actual deed of the mitzvah of circumcision on the day of Shabbat.

And one may say,

that this thing is seen in this itself that a Jewish man circumcises a minor from Israel on the Sabbath day:

Even though it is discussed regarding an expert mohel and this is a distant concern that he will botch the circumcision,

behold it is possible that he will not finish the circumcision properly,

and he is found to desecrate the Sabbath,

as is implied in the Gemara⁵³

that this is possible also with an expert⁵⁴.

Furthermore,

that even when he circumcises properly,

why does he need to insert himself into this and perform an action of Sabbath desecration⁵⁴.

Granted, the father—this is his commandment to circumcise his son⁵⁵

on the eighth day,

but another for whom this is not his commandment⁵⁶,

and he circumcises in place of the father⁵⁷,

why should he perform an action opposite of his safeguarding of the Sabbath⁵⁸?

Rather,

according to that the definition of the matter of circumcision on Shabbat, its matter is the revelation of the essence of Israel that is above the Torah,

and therefore this is also emphasized in the action of circumcision,

that the mohel is prepared to give over his soul in spirituality,

to do an act of desecration of Shabbat to circumcise the infant.

And a mohel who is not prepared to give over his soul and to circumcise on Shabbat,

cannot circumcise even on a weekday,

for behold, through circumcision is made the beginning of the entry of this holy soul&lt;sup&gt;59&lt;/sup&gt;,

and this is the essential connection of Israel with the Holy One, blessed be He, that is above the Torah,

and this matter is possible if this quality is seen in the mohel who comes to circumcise the infant to bring him into the covenant of Abraham our father, peace be upon him.

&lt;pg&gt;59&lt;/pg&gt;

5.

And it must be said,

that this matter,

that from the circumcision of Avraham came and was drawn to Yisrael this matter that is in circumcision which is above the boundaries of the Torah,

is also seen in the actual circumcision of Avraham:

It is stated in Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer⁶⁰

that the circumcision of Avraham was on Yom Kippur⁶¹.

And at first glance it requires understanding,

that since Avraham Avinu fulfilled the entire Torah in its entirety before it was given⁶²

how did he circumcise himself on Yom Kippur,

and behold, a circumcision not at its proper time does not override Shabbos nor does it override Yom Tov⁶³?

And behold, according to the simple meaning it is not difficult,

because then he was commanded regarding circumcision,

that "on that very day that He commanded him" from the circumcision of the 64th,

this is circumcision in its proper time which overrides Shabbat and Yom Tov.

But according to the inner aspect of the matters it can be said,

that because the circumcision of Avraham was in that level which is above the boundaries of the Torah,

therefore also his actual circumcision was in a manner that the fulfillment of the mitzvah overrode Shabbat and also the Shabbat of solemn rest of Yom Kippur.

And according to the above — that that which we learn from the portion of the circumcision of Avraham that circumcision overrides Shabbat,

is connected to the essential attachment of Yisrael to the Holy One Blessed be He and the matter of self-sacrifice which is above the Torah — it will be most sweetened that the circumcision of Avraham was specifically on Yom Kippur,

because this is connected to the atonement of Yom Kippur,

and as it is brought in Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer there

(in continuation of the teaching that on Yom Kippur Avraham was circumcised,

"it is derived 'bone' 'bone' from Yom Kippur")

"and every single year the Holy One Blessed be He sees the blood of the covenant of the circumcision of Avraham our father and atones for all our iniquities as it is said

for on this day He will atone for you to purify you etc.",

because the true atonement of Yom Kippur is that the essence of the day atones,

and its matter is the revelation of the essential attachment of Yisrael to the Holy One Blessed be He which is above any boundary of defect

(and above the Torah),

and in this level the entire matter of sins and iniquities does not reach from the outset,

therefore when this level is revealed in Yisrael all the defects are atoned for automatically,

as is explained elsewhere at length.

6.

And this is that the three studies mentioned above express three matters that exist in circumcision:

a)

That it is one of the 613 commandments of the Torah,

except that in this itself it is greater⁶⁹

than them and therefore it overrides the commandments of Shabbat.

b)

That it is a general commandment,

which is equivalent to all the commandments⁷⁰,

and therefore its fulfillment is also on Shabbos,

for this effects perfection in the letters of the Holy One, blessed be He, in Israel,

between Me and between<pg>60</pg>

the children of Israel are a sign forever,

My covenant in your flesh for an everlasting covenant⁷¹.

3)

This that it is above the measurement and limitation of Torah and mitzvos,

which belongs to the covenant and essential connection of Bnei Yisrael with the Holy One, blessed be He,

and this connection is expressed in the circumcision of Avraham himself,

"On that very day Avraham was circumcised"⁷²,

that he was circumcised on Yom Kippur,

the Sabbath of Sabbaths.

(From sichos of the night of Shemini Atzeres 5751; Shabbos Parshas Nasso 5741)