אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר גו' וביום השמיני ימול בשר ערלתו (ויקרא יב, ב-ג). רבים מקשים מה שייכות זה לביום השמיני גו'. והנראה, דהנה יש התעוררות עליון שהקדוש ברוך הוא מרחם על ישראל בשביל מדתו שנקרא רחום וחנון אשר לזה ברא כל העולמות כמאמר רבותינו ז"ל בגין דיתקרי רחום כו'. ויש שהקדוש ברוך הוא מרחם על ישראל מחמת התעוררת מלמטה כאשר ישראל מבקשים מלפניו יתברך לרחם עליהם אז מרחם עליהם כמאמר רבותינו ז"ל (יבמות סד:) מנין שהקדוש ברוך הוא מתאוה לתפילתן של צדיקים כו'. ובאמת אצל הקדוש ברוך הוא חביב יותר התעוררות מלמטה על רחמים מן התעוררות מלמעלה. וזהו הרמז אשה כי תזריע, כי העולמות נקראים בבחינת אשה שהם מקבלים תמיד מהקדוש ברוך הוא זהו אשה כי תזריע, כאשר העולם שהם ישראל מעוררים הרחמים. וילדה זכר, כלומר רחמים גדולים וחזקים הרחמים הם בבחינות זכר וכו'. ומבאר הפסוק שהרחמים שהם מהתעוררות מלמטה הם חביבים אצל הקדוש ברוך הוא. וזהו וביום השמיני ימול בשר כו', על דרך שמבואר ברבותינו ז"ל שאל האי מינא מי נאה מעשה הקדוש ברוך הוא או מעשה בשר ודם כו' למה הקדוש ברוך הוא ברא את האדם ערל כו', והשיב לו שהקדוש ברוך הוא רצונו לזכות את ישראל. ונמצא מזה מוכח שהתעוררות מלמטה חביב אצל הקדוש ברוך הוא מהתעוררות מלמעלה. וזהו וביום השמיני ימול, מוכח שהתעוררות מלמטה חשוב יותר מהתעוררות מלמעלה:
Leviticus 12,2. “when a woman brings forth seed and gives birth to a male infant,….on the eight’s day the flesh of his foreskin must be removed.” Many scholars have asked what conceptual link there is of the circumcision having to be performed on the eight’s day after infant’s birth. [Naturally, the Torah’s command, dating back to the circumcision of Yitzchok was accepted without question. Ed.] [The reader may not find the author’s answer to the question below as fitting the question after having read it. I therefore take the liberty of prefacing his treatment of the subject by reminding the reader that the commandment to be circumcised is addressed to the person himself, not to his father or some other authority. The author addresses the question of why the timing of the circumcision has been advanced so much by the Torah that the infant in question evidently is unable to perform the act himself. In other words, the question as to the timing when the circumcision has to be performed could equally well have been asked if the Torah had decreed the ninth day after the child’s birth, when according to halachah, the function of the penis as a male organ becomes relevant for the first time. Ed.] We have learned in the Zohar II,13 that G’d created the various universes in order that He be perceived by His creatures as רחום וחנון, ”compassionate and graceful;” on occasion G’d’s compassion is “awakened” by acts performed by the Jewish people, as our sages said in Yevamot 64 where the question is asked from where we have proof in the holy Scriptures that G’d longs to hear the prayers of the righteous. Apart from quoting a verse in Isaiah, the proof is deduced from the fact that Sarah, Rivkah and Rachel were not granted children until they had turned to G’d in prayer. What we learn from the above is that although G’d initiates compassion and grace, He prefers the human input, i.e. when human beings demonstrate their belief in Him through praying to Him for their needs. This is the allusion contained in the opening verse of our portion אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, “when the woman (simile for human beings in their capacity as “recipients,”) wishes to arouse heavenly compassion, תזריע, (as simile for the source of all compassion), וילדה זכר, as a result she will give birth (successfully awaken) the masculine attribute of G’d, the source of all compassion, (compassion spelled with a capital C.) The overall message of our verse is that when G’d’s compassion is awakened through action by His creatures, it is strengthened immeasurably. This concept is reflected in the commandment to circumcise the new born infant already on the eight’s day of his life. The whole idea is explained best when we consider the story of the blasphemer who wanted to know from Rabbi Akiva whether man’s creative actions are more impressive and pleasing than G’d’s actions. (Compare Tanchuma Tazria 5) Without repeating the entire debate related there in which the blasphemer argued that man could not create a universe, Rabbi Akiva who had first pointed out that the fact that we must cut the baby’s umbilical cord, proves that man’s actions are more important. Rabbi Akiva goes on to explain that man’s being born with a foreskin which subsequently is removed is not proof of G’d’s inadequacy, but, on the contrary, is proof that G’d desires for man to perform the “final” touch before a human being (male) is complete, i.e. perfect. G’d chose the earliest possible time in the infant’s life to do this, i.e. the eight’s day, as prior to this the operation endangers the life of the infant. By performing this commandment at the correct time, the father/mohel becomes the instrument that opens the gates to G’d’s compassion in the celestial regions.
אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר גו' וביום השמיני ימול בשר ערלתו (ויקרא יב, ב-ג). רבים מקשים מה שייכות זה לביום השמיני גו'. והנראה, דהנה יש התעוררות עליון שהקדוש ברוך הוא מרחם על ישראל בשביל מדתו שנקרא רחום וחנון אשר לזה ברא כל העולמות כמאמר רבותינו ז"ל בגין דיתקרי רחום כו'. ויש שהקדוש ברוך הוא מרחם על ישראל מחמת התעוררת מלמטה כאשר ישראל מבקשים מלפניו יתברך לרחם עליהם אז מרחם עליהם כמאמר רבותינו ז"ל (יבמות סד:) מנין שהקדוש ברוך הוא מתאוה לתפילתן של צדיקים כו'. ובאמת אצל הקדוש ברוך הוא חביב יותר התעוררות מלמטה על רחמים מן התעוררות מלמעלה. וזהו הרמז אשה כי תזריע, כי העולמות נקראים בבחינת אשה שהם מקבלים תמיד מהקדוש ברוך הוא זהו אשה כי תזריע, כאשר העולם שהם ישראל מעוררים הרחמים. וילדה זכר, כלומר רחמים גדולים וחזקים הרחמים הם בבחינות זכר וכו'. ומבאר הפסוק שהרחמים שהם מהתעוררות מלמטה הם חביבים אצל הקדוש ברוך הוא. וזהו וביום השמיני ימול בשר כו', על דרך שמבואר ברבותינו ז"ל שאל האי מינא מי נאה מעשה הקדוש ברוך הוא או מעשה בשר ודם כו' למה הקדוש ברוך הוא ברא את האדם ערל כו', והשיב לו שהקדוש ברוך הוא רצונו לזכות את ישראל. ונמצא מזה מוכח שהתעוררות מלמטה חביב אצל הקדוש ברוך הוא מהתעוררות מלמעלה. וזהו וביום השמיני ימול, מוכח שהתעוררות מלמטה חשוב יותר מהתעוררות מלמעלה:
Leviticus 12,2. “when a woman brings forth seed and gives birth to a male infant,….on the eight’s day the flesh of his foreskin must be removed.”
Many scholars have asked what conceptual link there is of the circumcision having to be performed on the eight’s day after infant’s birth. [Naturally, the Torah’s command, dating back to the circumcision of Yitzchok was accepted without question. Ed.]
[The reader may not find the author’s answer to the question below as fitting the question after having read it. I therefore take the liberty of prefacing his treatment of the subject by reminding the reader that the commandment to be circumcised is addressed to the person himself, not to his father or some other authority. The author addresses the question of why the timing of the circumcision has been advanced so much by the Torah that the infant in question evidently is unable to perform the act himself. In other words, the question as to the timing when the circumcision has to be performed could equally well have been asked if the Torah had decreed the ninth day after the child’s birth, when according to halachah, the function of the penis as a male organ becomes relevant for the first time. Ed.]
We have learned in the Zohar II,13 that G’d created the various universes in order that He be perceived by His creatures as רחום וחנון, ”compassionate and graceful;” on occasion G’d’s compassion is “awakened” by acts performed by the Jewish people, as our sages said in Yevamot 64 where the question is asked from where we have proof in the holy Scriptures that G’d longs to hear the prayers of the righteous. Apart from quoting a verse in Isaiah, the proof is deduced from the fact that Sarah, Rivkah and Rachel were not granted children until they had turned to G’d in prayer.
What we learn from the above is that although G’d initiates compassion and grace, He prefers the human input, i.e. when human beings demonstrate their belief in Him through praying to Him for their needs.
This is the allusion contained in the opening verse of our portion אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, “when the woman (simile for human beings in their capacity as “recipients,”) wishes to arouse heavenly compassion, תזריע, (as simile for the source of all compassion), וילדה זכר, as a result she will give birth (successfully awaken) the masculine attribute of G’d, the source of all compassion, (compassion spelled with a capital C.) The overall message of our verse is that when G’d’s compassion is awakened through action by His creatures, it is strengthened immeasurably. This concept is reflected in the commandment to circumcise the new born infant already on the eight’s day of his life.
The whole idea is explained best when we consider the story of the blasphemer who wanted to know from Rabbi Akiva whether man’s creative actions are more impressive and pleasing than G’d’s actions. (Compare Tanchuma Tazria 5) Without repeating the entire debate related there in which the blasphemer argued that man could not create a universe, Rabbi Akiva who had first pointed out that the fact that we must cut the baby’s umbilical cord, proves that man’s actions are more important. Rabbi Akiva goes on to explain that man’s being born with a foreskin which subsequently is removed is not proof of G’d’s inadequacy, but, on the contrary, is proof that G’d desires for man to perform the “final” touch before a human being (male) is complete, i.e. perfect. G’d chose the earliest possible time in the infant’s life to do this, i.e. the eight’s day, as prior to this the operation endangers the life of the infant. By performing this commandment at the correct time, the father/mohel becomes the instrument that opens the gates to G’d’s compassion in the celestial regions.