“Until the day is great and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense” (Song of Songs 4:6). “Until the day is great” – Rabbi Abbahu and Rabbi Levi: one said: When Abraham our patriarch circumcised himself, his sons, and the members of his household, he made a hill of their foreskins, and the sun shone upon it and they became infested with worms. Their scent ascended before the Holy One blessed be He like the fragrance of the incense of spices and like the fragrance of the handful of frankincense that is burned upon the fires.87It was as pleasing to God as the scent of the incense and the frankincense burned together with a portion of the meal offering in the Temple.
The Holy One blessed be He said: When this one’s descendants will commit sins and evil deeds, I will remember this scent and I will be filled with mercy toward them and I will transform the attribute of justice into the attribute of mercy. What is the reason? “I will go to the mountain of myrrh [and to the hill of frankincense].” Rabbi Levi said: When Joshua circumcised the children of Israel, he made a hill of their foreskins, and the sun shone upon it and they became infested with worms.
Their scent ascended before the Holy One blessed be He like the fragrance of the incense of the spices and like the fragrance of the handful of frankincense that is burned upon the fires. At that moment the Holy One blessed be He said: When the descendants of these will commit sins and evil deeds, I will remember this scent and I will be filled with mercy over them and I will transform the attribute of justice into the attribute of mercy.
What is the reason? “I will go to the mountain of myrrh [and to the hill of frankincense].” It is written: “On that very day, Abraham was circumcised” (Genesis 17:26). Rabbi Berekhya said: Had Abraham circumcised himself at night, his generation would have said: Had we seen him we would not have allowed him.
Instead, “on that very day Abraham was circumcised” – anyone who is bothered by it, let him speak. Rabbi Abbahu bar Kahana and Rabbi Levi:88These Sages address the question of why the verse states that Abraham “was circumcised” rather than stating that he circumcised himself. Rabbi Abbahu said: He felt it and he suffered,89The verse states that Abraham “was circumcised” in order to indicate that he suffered like anyone else who undergoes circumcision. so that the Holy One blessed be He would multiply his reward.
It is written: “One born in your house or purchased with your money shall be circumcised [himol yimol]” (Genesis 17:13). The Holy One blessed be He said: Shall one impure come and tend to one who is pure; is that possible?90Shall an uncircumcised person circumcise one who is in the process of purification? Rather, one who is circumcised [hamul] shall circumcise [yimol]. I am pure and Abraham is pure; it is appropriate for the pure to tend to the pure.
Rabbi Avin said in the name of Rabbi Shimon: The Holy One blessed be He joined His right hand to Abraham’s and circumcised him, as it is stated: “You established the covenant with him” (Nehemiah 9:8).