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Dear Yeshiva Family:
First of all, I would like to encourage and thank everyone for their feedback and comments. The Bris of Eisav This week's parshah recounts the birth of Yaakov and Eisav. Of course, Yitzchok performs a bris for Yaakov on the eighth day, as prescribed by Halacha. The Rambam (Melachim 10:7) rules that Eisav did not require a bris, sourcing this from the passuk (28:4), where Yitzchok blesses Yaakov, passing on the berachos of Avraham to him and his descendants. The Brisker Rav raises a question: why did the Rambam not quote the Gemara, which states that Eisav did not require a bris from the Passuk (21:12) "through Yitzchok, offspring will be considered as his own." The Gemara derives from the phrase BeYitzchok ("through Yitzchok") that not all of Yitzchok's descendants would require a bris, specifically excluding Eisav.
(In a fascinating halachic point, the Gemara continues (and the Rambam cites it in 10:8) that the sons of Keturah must undergo a bris by Torah law even today. After Yitzchok married Rivkah, as recorded in last week's Parshah, the Torah tells us that Avraham also married Keturah, from whom he had many children. The Gemara in Sanhedrin teaches that these children are also required to undergo a bris. The Rambam, in contrast to other Rishonim, holds that even today, any descendant of Keturah and Avraham must be circumcised. Since it is impossible to distinguish whether a specific Arabic non-Jew descends from Yishmael or from the children of Keturah, all Arabs are required to circumcise themselves according to Torah law. This is similar to the seven Noahide laws, which are incumbent upon all non-Jews. According to this Rambam there is an eighth rule for those descended from Keturah, which means that Arabs are required to undergo circumcision according to Torah law. When Moshiach comes, and Torah law is fully implemented across the world, people of Arab descent will be obligated to perform a bris on their eighth day, just as Jewish children are.)
Returning to our question, the Brisker Rav explains that at the time of the twins' birth it was known through prophecy that one would be a rasha (evil one) and the other a tzaddik (righteous one, but until they turned 13, it was not clear who would be the rasha and who would be the tzaddik, and therefore only after Yaakov received the Berachos from Yitzchok did it become clear that Yaakov, not Eisav, was the true heir of Avraham. This is why the Rambam, when explaining that Eisav and his descendants do not need a bris, does not quote the passuk of "BeYitzchok", because it was only at a later time, when Yaakov received the blessings, that it was evident that it was Eisav that did not require a bris.
However, this raises a question: Why then did Eisav not have a bris? If, at the time of their birth, there was uncertainty about who would be the true heir, and Eisav was not yet considered a Rasha, why was Eisav not circumcised?
The Daas Zekeinim (25:25) cites a Medrash which explains that initially, due to Eisav's reddish appearance, Yitzchok thought that Eisav was unwell, perhaps suffering from some condition that would prevent him from having a bris. As a result, Yitzchok delayed the bris. However, after some time, Yitzchok realized that Eisav's appearance was simply his natural complexion, and there was no medical reason to delay the bris. At that point, Yitzchok decided that since he already missed the correct time to perform the bris, on the eighth day, he may as well wait until Eisav turned 13, since this was when Avraham performed the bris for Yishmael. Then, at 13 years of age, when Yitzchok attempted to give Eisav a bris, Eisav refused to allow Yitzchok to do so, and Eisav certainly did not do the bris himself, so he therefore never had a Bris Milah.
Understanding the Medrash Yet, this just raises other questions: Why did Yitzchok delay the bris simply because he missed the eighth day? There is a dispute among the Poskim about the significance of missing the eighth day for circumcision. The Rema (Y.D. 261:1) rules that even after the eighth day has passed, every additional day of delay is a violation of the mitzvah to perform the bris. According to this opinion what license did Yitzchok have to delay the bris any further? Although, the Shaagas Aryeh (Hachadashos – 6:2) holds that once the eighth day is missed, there is no further violation for delaying the bris, as long as there is an intention to eventually perform it, nonetheless, even according to this opinion, there remains the concept of Zerizin makdimin lemitzvos—the principle that one should perform a mitzvah as soon as possible, without unnecessary delay. Thus, even according to the Shaagas Aryeh, Yitzchok should not have waited so long to circumcise Eisav. Why then did he delay?
Additionally, the delay in Yishmael's circumcision was circumstantial, as it was only at that time that Hashem commanded Avraham to circumcise all the males in his household. There does not seem to be any inherent significance to the age of 13 for the mitzvah of Milah; rather, it simply happened that Yishmael was 13 when the command was given. Furthermore, the Medrash suggests that Yitzchok's decision to delay Eisav's circumcision was based on his realization that he had initially waited improperly. Once he recognized this, Yitzchok decided to follow the example of Avraham with Yishmael and wait until Eisav turned 13. However, had Yitzchok delayed the circumcision because Eisav indeed was unwell, the implication is that he would have performed the bris as soon as Eisav was well. If there is a legitimate reason to push off the bris until Eisav was 13, then why does it depend on why he initially delayed the bris?
To answer these questions, we must first refer to a Gemara in Sanhedrin (89b), which records a conversation between Yishmael and Yitzchok. Yishmael taunted Yitzchok, claiming that he was superior because he had his bris performed with his own consent, while Yitzchok's bris was done when he was an infant. Yitzchok responded, "You only shed three drops of blood for Hashem, while I am willing to give my entire life for Him." (Because of this exchange Hashem tested Yitzchok with the Akeidah.) From this exchange, we understand that there is a special merit to performing the bris with the consent of the one receiving it. This would suggest that there is indeed an advantage to circumcising a child when he is old enough to consent, as Yishmael did. However, this does not answer our questions, for even though there is an advantage to performing it later, it still seems prohibited to delay it any further, as the Rema states, and even like the other opinions, we should still perform a mitzvah as soon as possible as we stated above.
The Mitzvah of Milah before and after Matan Torah The Gemara in Sanhedrin (59b) notes that prior to Matan Torah, the mitzvah of milah did not override Shabbos, but after the Torah was given, the bris could be performed even on Shabbos. Some authorities ask why milah is permitted to override Shabbos, considering that, according to the Gemara (Eiruvin 96a), Tefillin is not worn on Shabbos because Tefillin is worn as a "sign" (Le'ois al yadecha) and Shabbos itself is a "sign" (the "sign" of the covenant between Hashem and Klal Yisrael – ois hee leoilam), and one need not wear a "sign" if there is already one "sign". With this in mind we ask, why should milah, another 'sign' (17:11), override Shabbos?
R' Moshe Feinstein (Drash Moshe, Vayikra 12:3) explains that before Matan Torah, milah was simply a "sign" (an ois) of the covenant between Hashem and Avraham, indicating that Hashem rewards those who observe the mitzvos. After the giving of the Torah, however, the nature of Milah changed: it became a sign of total servitude to Hashem. Thus, although Tefillin and milah are both signs, they represent different things—Tefillin reflects the covenant and the reward for mitzvos, while milah signifies that we are fully dedicated servants of Hashem. This explains why milah can override Shabbos, while Tefillin cannot. Tefillin, Shabbos and Milah prior to Matan Torah all reflected a sign of the original covenant, and therefore one would not need to double them up, however the "ois" – sign of Milah after Matan Torah reflected a further idea than the original "ois", this reflected full servitude, and therefore would override the "ois" of Shabbos. This also explains the Minhag to wear Tefillin by a bris (Magen Avraham 25:28) even though Tefillin are not worn on Shabbos. For even though Tefillin is a sign, and bris is a sign, they represent two separate signs.
What the sign of Milah represents Perhaps we can expand on R' Moshe Feinstein's explanation regarding the "sign" of the bris, particularly in light of the changes that occurred after Matan Torah. R' Moshe explains that before the Torah was given, the primary purpose of the sign of circumcision was to display that we are part of a treaty with Hashem, and it marks our ability to serve Hashem and receive rewards for our actions. We can explain that this manifestation of our covenant with Hashem, which is centered on the performance of Mitzvos assumes that the mitzvah is carried out in the proper way, at the proper time.
This brings us to the situation with Yitzchok and Eisav. When Yitzchok noticed that Eisav might be ill, he chose to delay the bris, thinking that it could be done at a later time, once Eisav recovered. Had Eisav been genuinely ill, it would have been entirely appropriate to delay the bris until he was well. The delay would not have detracted from the mitzvah, as the bris would still have been performed at the correct time, which would have been when he recovered. However, once Yitzchok realized that the delay was unnecessary, and Eisav was not ill after all, he understood that the bris was no longer being performed in the optimal way. This realization led Yitzchok to reconsider his approach and adopt a different perspective, deciding to wait until Eisav was 13, just as Avraham had done with Yishmael.
This decision to wait was not without purpose. Yitzchok recognized that, since the bris was not performed at the "optimal" time, the next best option would be to perform it with mesiras nefesh—the willingness to undergo the procedure even with great personal sacrifice, just as Yishmael had done at 13. Yitzchok understood that even though zerizus (alacrity) is a fundamental value in mitzvah performance, the hiddur mitzvah (enhancement of the mitzvah) of performing it with Mesiras nefesh could override it. The idea is that if a mitzvah cannot be performed at the ideal time, performing it with mesiras nefesh, with a deeper level of commitment and sacrifice, adds an extra layer of holiness to the act.
This principle is reflected in a teaching of the Chasam Sofer, who explains that when it comes to mitzvah observance, hiddur mitzvah—the manner in which one enhances and beautifies the performance of the mitzvah—can take precedence over the speed with which it is performed (zerizus). In this case, since the bris could still be performed later, and Yitzchok now understood that Eisav had no medical excuse, he chose to wait for a time that would allow the bris to be done with the greatest level of dedication, as mesiras nefesh would impart a higher degree of spiritual significance.
However, after Matan Torah, the mitzvah of circumcision evolved into something more profound. Now it became not only a sign of our relationship with Hashem but a symbol of our complete servitude and total commitment to Him. This 'sign' representing the deeper relationship no longer necessitated that the mitzvah be performed in the right way or even the most optimal way, since it was no longer a sign about mitzvos, rather a sign about total servitude. Therefore, the Rema rules that a bris must be performed as soon as possible, and every day delayed is a further violation of the mitzvah of Milah.
Have an amazing Shabbos,
Rabbi Moshe Revah Rosh HaYeshiva, HTC - Beis HaMidrash LaTorah moshe.revah@htc.edu |
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