Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin”
(Genesis 17:24-25)

Abraham had lived his whole life one way, but at the command of God he was willing to change. It was uncomfortable. It hurt. There was recovery time. It wasn’t easy. He still obeyed. He went through the ordeal and came out the other side the same, but also different. Changed in a private way that would forever remind him of his covenant with God.

This act of obedience or the resulting condition is not what made Abraham righteous. The circumcision did not alter his spiritual state. It was evidence of the righteousness Abraham had received by his trust in God YEARS earlier. It was a sign of what already existed through trusting God. It was the external symbol of the inward reality.

Ishmael was an obedient son. He was thirteen years old. Certainly old enough to cause a ruckus. Old enough to run away. Probably old enough to overpower a ninety year old man – no matter how fit Abraham was. But instead, Ishmael submitted to his father’s authority and received circumcision.

The sage Rabbeinu Bahya writes: ‘בהמולו בשר ערלתו, “when he was circumcised on the flesh of his foreskin.” The procedure followed exactly the instructions he had received in verse 11. The Torah teaches us here that this commandment leaves a permanent mark on the flesh of a person so that this mark can be considered the sign of the covenant. This is why this commandment is known for short simply as אות, “sign.” There are a total of three commandments in the Torah which are called אות, “sign.” They are: circumcision, Sabbath, and phylacteries. All of them, i.e. performance of them by a Jew are testimony to his belief in G-d and His Torah. It is not appropriate for a Jew to not have at least two of these commandments as his advocates. Maintaining a claim to something successfully requires that the claim be supported by two valid witnesses (Deut.19,15). This is why a Jew needs to constantly move in the company of two such witnesses. They are the circumcision and the commandment of the תפילין, the phylacteries. They should never deport from him. A Jew who is careful to mind this may say of himself as did Rabbi Zeyra (Megillah 28) “I have never walked four cubits without Torah and without the phylacteries.” On the Sabbath, when the commandment to wear phylacteries does not apply, one still has both the Sabbath and the sign of the covenant on one’s flesh as the two valid witnesses which one should never be without. From the above we learn that observing the commandment to wear phylacteries fastidiously means that one is never without the protection of these two witnesses who may testify on one’s behalf. A Midrashic interpretation (Tanchuma Lech Lecha 20) on the words בהמולו בשר ערלתו: “the commandment is an important one as anyone who has undergone this procedure will not descend to Gehinom. This is based on the verse here ביום ההוא כרת ה’ ברית עם אברהם, “on that day G-d concluded a covenant wirh Avraham,” and a verse in Leviticus 12,3 ובים השמיני ימול, “and he shall be circumcised on the eighth day.” Who is it that is liable to descend to Gehinom? The one concerning whom it is written afterwards את הקיני, ואת הקניזי, ואת הקדמוני, “and the Keyni, the Kenizite, and the Kadmoni all of whom were of uncircumcised heart.” All the wicked people will descend to Gehinom as we know from Ezekiel 32,18 בן אדם נהה על המון מצרים והורידהו….שם אשור וכל קהלה שם משך תובל וכל המונה….כולם ערלים מחללי חרב, שמה נסיכי צפון. “ Ben Adam, wail for the multitude of Egypt and cast it down,….there is found Ashur and all her multitude, there is found Meshech, Tuval and all their multitude; all of them slain who fall by the sword and who descend uncircumcised to the bowels of the earth for they spread their terror in the land of life.” The author quotes verses of similar meaning from Isaiah 5,14, indicating that those who inherit Gehinom are the ones who do not have the legislation of מילה. On the other hand, we have a verse promising those who observe the ברית מילה covenant that they will not experience such a fate. For instance we read in Zechariah 9,11: גם את בדם בריתך שלחתי אסירך מבור אין מים בו,”You, for Your part have released your prisoners who have undergone the blood of your covenant from the pit without water.” Another verse alluding to the same promise is found in Proverbs 31,21 לא תירא לביתה משלג כי כל ביתה לבוש שנים, “her house does not need to be afraid of snow seeing her entire house is insulated with wool.” The Midrash understands the word שלג, snow,” as a reference to Gehinom. Thus far Tanchuma. This is why it has become customary to even perform the rite of circumcision on babies who died before this rite could be performed on them while they were alive. (compare Yore Deyah 263). The Jewish people merited this commandment as a result of which they have received three promises. 1) The kingdom of the house of David. that would endure forever. 2) the gift of the land of Israel which would remain our inheritance forever. 3) that the Presence of G-d would be manifest over the people of Israel. All these three promises have been hinted at in this paragraph. The promise involving the dynasty of the house of David is alluded to in the words ונתתיך לגוים ומלכים ממך יצאו “I will give you to be nations, and kings will come forth from you.” (17,6). This verse speaks of the consequences of this covenant. We also have a verse in Psalms 89,4-5 concerning David which uses similar language. כרתי ברית לבחירי נשבעתי לדוד עבדי עד עולם אכין זרעך ובניתי לדור דור כסאך סלה, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to My servant David ‘I will establish your offspring forever, I will confirm your throne for all generations.’” The gift of the land of ארץ ישראל is hinted at in our paragraph when the Torah writes (verse 8 in our chapter) ונתתי לך ולזרעך אחריך את ארץ מגוריך את כל ארץ כנען לאחוזת עולם, “and I have given to you and to your descendants after you the whole land of Canaanas an eternal possession.” The meaning of this verse is that though there may be times when others occupy this land it will never be theirs, and the Jewish people will return to it in due course after their exile.” The proof of the truth of this promise is that no nation which tried to settle in this land ever succeeded to make it a land of milk and honey as it had been when occupied by the Jewish people. It remained largely desolate ever since the destruction of the Holy Temple. The reference to he third promise that G-d’s presence would be manifest over the Jewish people is based on 17,8 והייתי להם לאלוקים, “I will remain as their G-d.” This means that only the Jewish people will be able to claim G-d as their exclusive national G-d. Hail to the nation to whom three such assurances have been given. No other nation has ever received such a package of promises. This is what David had in mind when he said (Psalms 144,15) אשרי העם שככה לו, אשרי העם שה’ אלוקיו “hail to the people who have it so; happy the people whose G-d is the Lord.”’