“It was on the way at the lodging, the Lord met him, and sought to kill him” (Exodus 4:24). “It was on the way at the lodging” – circumcision is dear, as Moses’s punishment for [not performing] it was not delayed for even one moment. Therefore, when he was on the way and was preparing the lodging and was indolent in circumcising his son Elazar, immediately, “the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.”
You find that it was an angel of mercy,10“The Lord” is the name that represents the attribute of mercy. and, nevertheless, “He sought to kill him.” Tzipora took flint, cut her son’s foreskin, and cast it at his feet; she said: You are to me a bridegroom of blood” (Exodus 4:25). “Tzipora took flint” – how did Tzipora know that it was over matters of circumcision that Moses was endangered? Rather, the angel came and swallowed Moses from his head to the [place of] circumcision.
When Tzipora saw that he swallowed him only until the circumcision, she understood that he was being harmed due to matters of circumcision. She realized just how great the power of circumcision is, as he was unable to swallow him beyond there. Immediately, “she cut her son’s foreskin, and cast it at his feet.” “She said: You are to me a bridegroom of blood” – she said: ‘My bridegroom, may you be given to me thanks to this blood of circumcision, as I fulfilled the mitzva.’
Immediately, “he let him alone” (4:26). “He let him alone. Then she said: A bridegroom of blood regarding the circumcision” (Exodus 4:26). “Then she said: A bridegroom of blood regarding the circumcision” – she said: How great the power of circumcision is, as my bridegroom was liable to be executed because he was indolent in performance of the mitzva of circumcision, and were it not for it, he would not have been saved.11Once he was liable to be killed, it was only the performance of circumcision that caused him to be saved.