OUR sages deduce from the words "On the eighth
day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised,"
[353] that circumcision,
milah, is to be performed only during the day and not at night.
[354]
Since this statement only came after the Torah was given, the law prohibiting milah during the night[355] began as well only after the Torah was given; prior to G-d's giving the Torah to the Jewish people, milah could be performed not only during the day, but at night as well.
Thus the Midrash relates[356] that while the Jews were still in Egypt, just prior to the Exodus, many of them had yet to be circumcised. After G-d made the aroma of the Paschal offering waft over the entire land of Egypt, Jews came to Moshe and asked to partake of his Paschal offering. Moshe told them that they could only partake if they were circumcised. Upon hearing this, those Jews who were as yet uncircumcised readily agreed to circumcise themselves.
We see from this Midrash that many Jews circumcised themselves on the night of Pesach.[357] This requires further clarification. While it is true that prior to Mattan Torah milah was permissible at night, why, however didn't G-d bring about circumstances that would motivate those Jews who were as yet uncircumcised to perform the circumcision during the daylight hours -- wouldn't it even then have been better to perform milah during the day?
There are those[358] who respond to this question by stating that since the night of the Exodus was on a plane[359] of "night shone like the day,"[360] therefore it was considered as if their circumcision had actually taken place during the daytime.
But why the necessity of having "night shine like day" with regard to the circumcision at the time of the Exodus, when the Jewish people could have just as easily circumcised themselves during the day?
The exodus from Egypt was entirely in a manner of "Pesach" -- "leaping,"[361] above and beyond the physical confines of nature. For in the natural order of things it was absolutely impossible for the Jewish people to escape from Egypt.
This was so both on a physical plane -- Egypt was so mighty that not even a single slave could escape,[362] let alone an entire nation, as well as on a spiritual plane -- the Jews were so mired in the morass of Egyptian depravity and unholiness that on their own they could not extricate themselves from this muck.[363]
Only by dint of a Divine illumination that completely transcended the order of nature[364] -- where light and darkness, day and night, were truly as one -- were all the material and spiritual straits and limitations of Egypt abolished, and the Jews were able to leave the land of Egypt as a free people, free in body and free in spirit.
This is why the preparation to leave Egypt consisted of the Pesach offering and circumcision, for both these commandments are indicative of spiritual services that transcend limitation:
Pesach, as mentioned earlier, denotes "leaping," while milah is an eternal covenant with G-d -- an everlasting bond that knows no boundaries and limitations.
This also explains why both Pesach and milah are novel in that failure to perform these positive commandments results in the punishment of Kares,[365] excision of the soul's connection with G-d, something not found with regard to other positive commandments.
For when we are dealing with such transcendent levels of holiness the possibility of intermediate levels simply does not exist -- either one is eternally and infinitely bound up with G-d, or he lacks this vital connection.
This is why the revelation of "night shining like the day" has a specific connection to milah, for "night shining like the day" denotes the utterly transcendent level of a Jews' service, which finds expression in the spiritual service of milah.
This true "leap" of the mitzvah of milah is expressly prior to Mattan Torah, for only then was the "leap" truly boundless -- it took the Jews out of the domain of unholiness and inserted them within the orbit of holiness.
Moreover, the milah of the Jewish people prior to the Exodus removed them from the depths of the 49 Portals of Unholiness and united them with the revelation of G-d in His "full glory and essence." Truly, this was a "leap" that knew no bounds. Consequently, all boundaries between day and night disappeared as well.
Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XVII, pp. 125-130.
Notes:
- (Back to text) Vayikra 12:3.
- (Back to text) Toras Kohanim, Tazria; Megillah 20a.
- (Back to text) Megillah ibid.
- (Back to text) Shemos Rabbah 19:5; Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1:12.
- (Back to text) See also Rashi, Bo 12:6, Baal HaTurim, ibid.
- (Back to text) Responsa Yad Eliyahu, Section 51; Simchas HaRegel (of the Chidah), section beginning Ma'aseh b'Rebbe Elazar.
- (Back to text) Zohar, Vol. II, p. 38a.
- (Back to text) Tehillim 139:12.
- (Back to text) See Rashi, Bo 12:11; Mechilta (and Rashi) ibid., verse 13. See also Likkutei Torah, Tzav 13d; Toras Chayim, Shemos 191a ff.
- (Back to text) Mechilta, Yisro 18:11; Rashi ibid., verse 9.
- (Back to text) Zohar Chadash, beginning of Yisro.
- (Back to text) See Likkutei Torah, ibid.
- (Back to text) Mishnah, beginning of Kerisus.
Shemini