He Shall Surely Be Circumcised and the Laws It Teaches

"He shall surely be circumcised" (Genesis 17:13) - this teaches both the cutting and the uncovering, the cutting and the removal of the shreds. "He shall surely be circumcised [himmol yimmol]" - from here we learn that the one who circumcises [the mohel] must himself be circumcised. "He shall surely be circumcised" - this comes to include one who was born already circumcised. It was taught: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says, the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel did not disagree concerning one born circumcised, that one must draw from him the blood of the covenant, because his is a hidden foreskin. About what did they disagree? About a convert who converted while already circumcised, for the House of Shammai say one must draw from him the blood of the covenant, while the House of Hillel say it is not necessary. Rabbi Eliezer son of [Rabbi Yose the Galilean] says, the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel did not disagree about either case, that one must draw from him the blood of the covenant. About what did they disagree? About one born circumcised whose eighth day falls on the Sabbath, where the House of Shammai say one must draw from him the blood of the covenant, and the House of Hillel say it is not necessary. And the law follows the words of the disciple. "And an uncircumcised male" (Genesis 17:14) - and is there such a thing as an uncircumcised female? Rather, from the place where it is recognizable whether one is male or female, from there one circumcises him. "He has broken My covenant" - this refers to one whose foreskin has been drawn forward. It was taught: one whose foreskin was drawn forward must be circumcised. Rabbi Yehudah says, he should not be circumcised, because his is a hidden foreskin. They said before Rabbi Yehudah: were there not many like this in the days of ben Koziva, and to all of them sons were born, and they were circumcised again? This is what is written, "He shall surely be circumcised" - even four or five times.