Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

(Genesis 15:16) One who takes leave of the dead should not say to him, "Go to peace," but rather "Go in peace," as it is said, "and you shall go to your fathers in peace" (Genesis 15:15). One who takes leave of a living companion should not say to him, "Go in peace," but rather "Go to peace," for behold, David said to Absalom, "Go in peace" (2 Samuel 15:9), and he went and was hanged; Jethro said to Moses, "Go to peace" (Exodus 4:18), and he went and prospered.

"And you shall go to your fathers in peace" (Genesis 15:15): He brought him the good tidings that his father has a portion in the World to Come. "You shall be buried in a good old age": He brought him the good tidings that Ishmael would repent in his days. "And you shall go to your fathers in peace" -- but does the soul leave the body, and that is peace? Rather, the righteous come forward to greet it and say to it, "Come in peace." And it is written, "and he was gathered to his peoples" (Genesis 25:8): all the souls return, the righteous with the righteous and the wicked with the wicked, as it is said, "and he was gathered to his peoples."

(Genesis 15:17) "And it came to pass, when the sun went down, and there was thick darkness" -- it was pitch dark -- "behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch." Rabbi Shimon bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Yochanan said: He showed him four things -- Gehenna, the kingdoms, the giving of the Torah, and the Temple. He said to him: As long as your children occupy themselves with two of them [Torah and the Temple service] they will be saved from two of them [Gehenna and the kingdoms]; if they withdraw from the two, they will be judged by the two; and the Temple is destined to be destroyed and the sacrifices abolished. By which do you wish your children to descend, by Gehenna or by the kingdoms? Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa said: Abraham chose the kingdoms for himself. Bar Chanina said: The Holy One, blessed be He, chose the kingdoms for him, as it is written, "were it not that their Rock had sold them" (Deuteronomy 32:30) -- this is Abraham; "and the LORD had delivered them up" -- this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with his words. Rav Huna in the name of Rav Acha said: So Abraham sat wondering all that day, by which shall I choose, Gehenna or the kingdoms? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Cut off this doubt from your heart -- choose the kingdoms for yourself, as it is written, "you have caused men to ride over our heads" (Psalms 66:12), you have made the nations ride over our heads, "we went through fire and through water." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: He showed him also the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, as it is written, "which passed between the pieces" (Genesis 15:17), as you say, "to Him who divided the Sea of Reeds into pieces" (Psalms 136:13).

(Genesis 15:18) "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram." Seven fathers cut a covenant. Of Abraham it is written, "On that day He cut a covenant," etc. Of Isaac it is written, "and I will establish My covenant with Isaac" (Genesis 17:21). Of Jacob it is written, "then will I remember My covenant with Jacob" (Leviticus 26:42). Of Moses it is written, "I have cut a covenant with you" (Exodus 34:27). Of Aaron it is written, "My covenant was with him, of life and peace" (Malachi 2:5). Of Phinehas it is written, "and it shall be to him, and to his seed after him, a covenant" (Numbers 25:13). Of David it is written, "I have cut a covenant with My chosen" (Psalms 89:4). Seven fathers lay in the glory of the world, and the worm had no power over them. And these are they: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses and Aaron and Miriam; and Benjamin son of Jacob. And some say, also David, as it is said, "therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also dwells in safety" (Psalms 16:9).

"To your offspring I have given this land" (Genesis 15:18). Rav Huna and Rabbi Dostai in the name of Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani said: even the mere utterance of the Holy One, blessed be He, is already a finished deed, as it says "I have given," for it is not written here "I will give" but rather "I have given." Likewise it is not written "Let the redeemed of the LORD say, whom He will redeem" but "whom He has redeemed." "For the LORD will ransom Jacob" is not written here, but "For He has ransomed" (Jeremiah 31:10). "I will whistle to them and gather them, for I will redeem them" is not written here, but "for I have redeemed them." "And the LORD will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion" is not written here, but "and the LORD has created" (Isaiah 4:5), for it is already created and made ready. "The Kenite and the Kenizzite" (Genesis 15:19-21). Because the Hivvite is not mentioned here, He brings the Rephaim in their place. It arose in the mind of the Omnipresent to give Israel an inheritance of ten nations: the Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite are three; and the others, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite, making ten. Yet He gave them only the seven. Which are the three He did not give them? Rav says: the Arabians, the Shalmites, and the Nabateans. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: the Damascenes, the Asians, and the Spaniards. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: Asia, Turkey, and Carthage. The Sages say: Edom, Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon are the three He did not give them in this world, as it says of Edom "For I will not give you of his land as a possession" (Deuteronomy 2:5), and of Moab it is written "Do not harass Moab." The Kenite is Esau; the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite are Ammon and Moab. In the days of the Messiah they will return and belong to Israel, to fulfill the word of the Holy One, blessed be He: "They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon shall obey them" (Isaiah 11:14). But for now He has given them the seven, as it says "seven nations greater and mightier than you" (Deuteronomy 7:1). Rav Yitzchak said: a sow grazes among ten, but a ewe lamb not even with one. All these the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham that He would give him, the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the rest, and still "Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children" (Genesis 16:1).

It is written, "Do not rob the poor" (Proverbs 22:22). By what is a poor man's name called before you? A rich man's name is called after his gold and silver and precious stones and pearls; but by what is a poor man's name called before you? After his son. How so? His son stands and reads from the Torah, and one asks, "Whose son is this?" and the answer is, "The son of so-and-so, a poor man." And so it says, "For the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them." Once I was passing from place to place and I met a certain old man. I said to him, "Master, why are the householders of Israel held back from having children?" I said to him: My son, because the Holy One, blessed be He, loves them with a complete love and rejoices in them, and refines them so that they will multiply mercy-pleas before Him. Go and learn from Abraham and Sarah, who were childless of Isaac for seventy-five years and multiplied prayers until Isaac came and they rejoiced in him. Go and learn from Rebecca, who was barren twenty years and multiplied prayers until Jacob came and they rejoiced in him. Go and learn from Rachel, who was barren fourteen years before her two children and multiplied prayers until both came and she rejoiced in them. Go and learn from Hannah, who was barren nineteen years and six months until Samuel came and she rejoiced in him. "And Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children." "A woman of valor who can find, her worth is far above pearls" (Proverbs 31:10). What is "her worth"? Her conceiving, as you say "your birth and your nativity." Abraham was a year older than Nahor, and Nahor a year older than Haran; thus Abraham was two years older than Haran, one year for Milcah's gestation and one for Iscah's. Haran fathered children at six years old [text uncertain], and Abraham fathered none. "And Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children." Rabbi Yehudah says: to him she had not borne, but had she married another she would have borne. Rabbi Nehemiah says: neither to him nor to another. How then does Rabbi Nehemiah uphold "she had borne him no children"? She had no womb at all, but God fashioned one. And she had a Egyptian handmaid, a melog-slave, for whose maintenance he was responsible and whom he was not permitted to sell. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: Hagar was Pharaoh's daughter. When Pharaoh saw the wonders done for Sarah in his house, he gave her his daughter, saying, "Better that my daughter be a handmaid in this house than a noblewoman in another house." This is what is written, "and she had an Egyptian handmaid whose name was Hagar," that is, "here is your reward." Abimelech too, when he saw the miracles done for Sarah in his house, gave her his daughter as a handmaid, saying, "Better that my daughter be a handmaid in this house than a noblewoman in another house." This is what is written, "Kings' daughters are among your honored women" (Psalms 45:10), the daughters of kings, "the queen stands at your right hand" -- this is Sarah.

"And Sarai said to Abram, Behold now, the LORD has held me back from bearing" (Genesis 16:2). Sarah said: I know the source of my affliction. It is not from witchcraft, nor from any amulet that I need; rather, "the LORD has held me back" from bearing. "Perhaps I will be built up through her." It was taught: anyone who has no children is as though dead, and as though demolished. As though dead, as it says, "And she said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I am a dead woman" (Genesis 30:1). As though demolished, as in "perhaps I will be built up through her," for one builds only what is demolished. "And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai" -- to the voice of the Holy Spirit within her, as you say "and now, listen to the voice of the words of the LORD." "And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar" -- she took her with words. She said to her: Happy are you that you cling to this holy body.

Our Rabbis taught: if a man married a woman and stayed with her ten years and she did not bear, he is not permitted to remain idle. He must divorce her and give the marriage settlement, for perhaps he was not granted the merit to have children from her. And although there is no proof of the matter, there is a hint of it, as it says, "at the end of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan" (Genesis 16:3). This teaches you that dwelling outside the Land does not count in the reckoning. Therefore, if he was sick, or she was sick, or both were imprisoned in confinement, those years do not count for them in the reckoning. Rava said to Rav Nachman: let us learn instead from Isaac, of whom it is written, "And Isaac was forty years old" and "Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them" (Genesis 25:20, 26). He said to him: Isaac was sterile [and could not father earlier]. If so, Abraham too was sterile? Rather, that verse is needed for the teaching of Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: why were the years of Ishmael counted? In order to reckon by them the years of Jacob.

"And he gave her to Abram her husband as a wife" -- to Abram and not to another, as a wife and not as a concubine. "And he came to Hagar and she conceived" (Genesis 16:4). From the first union she conceived. Rabbi Elazar said: a woman never conceives from the first union. They objected to him: but is it not written, "and the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father" (Genesis 19:36)? Rav Tanchum said: they gained mastery over themselves and brought forth their nakedness, and so conceived as if from a second union. Rabbi Chanina ben Pazi said: these thorns are neither hoed nor plowed nor sown, yet of themselves they come forth and rise up; but this wheat, how much pain and how much toil until it comes up. And why were the matriarchs made barren? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, desires their prayer and desires their conversation. This is what is written, "My dove in the clefts of the rock," why have I made you barren? For the sake of "show me your countenance." Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa said: so that they would be cherished by their husbands through their beauty. Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: so that most of their years would pass without the yoke of pregnancy. Rabbi Meir says: so that their husbands might delight in them, for as long as a woman is bearing children she grows worn and loathsome to her husband; thus all ninety years that Sarah did not bear, she was like a bride within her wedding canopy. Noblewomen would come to inquire after her welfare, and she would say to them, "Go out and inquire after the welfare of this afflicted one." And Hagar would say to them: Sarai my mistress, her hidden self is not like her public self. She seems righteous but is not righteous; if she were righteous, see how many years she did not conceive, while I conceived in a single night. And Sarai said: shall I take notice of this one's words? Would that I might contend with her Master. "And Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be upon you" (Genesis 16:5). Rav Yudan in the name of Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Simon said: you wrong me with words, for you hear my disgrace and stay silent. Rav Abba bar Kahana said: she said, let the judgment fall upon you. A parable of two men imprisoned in confinement: the king passed by, and one said, "Demand my justice." The king said, "Release him." His companion said to him: let the judgment be against you; had you said "demand justice for us," he would have released me as he released you; but now that you said "my justice," he released you and not me. So Sarah said: had you said "we go childless," then as He gave to you so He would give to me; but since you said "and I go childless" (Genesis 15:2), He gave to you and not to me. Rabbi Nehemiah in the name of Rav Avin said: she wronged her to his face. And the Rabbis say: four traits are said of women -- gluttonous and the rest -- also quarrelsome.

Rabbi Chanan said: whoever hands over judgment against his fellow is himself punished first, as it says, "And Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be upon you" (Genesis 16:5), and it is written, "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her" (Genesis 23:2). And this applies only when there is a judge on earth [to whom one could have appealed instead]. Rabbi Yitzchak said: woe to the one who cries out more than to the one cried out against. It was likewise taught: both the one who cries out and the one cried out against are included [in punishment], but they hasten to punish the one who cries out more than the one cried out against.

Three things call a person's sins to remembrance: a leaning wall, scrutinizing one's prayer [expecting it to be answered because one prayed with concentration], and handing over judgment against one's fellow.

"May the LORD judge between me and you" (Genesis 16:5). It is written "and your son." But it has already been written "and he came to Hagar and she conceived," so why does it say "behold, you are with child" (Genesis 16:11)? Rather, it teaches that the evil eye entered her and she miscarried her fetus. Rabbi Chanin said: had the prophet Elisha said this by the Holy Spirit, it would suffice. "And Abram said to Sarai, Behold, your handmaid is in your hand" (Genesis 16:6). He said to her: I care neither for her good nor for her harm. It is written, "you shall not deal with her as a slave" -- yet now that we have caused her grief, are we to enslave her? I care neither for her good nor for her harm. It is written, "to a foreign people he shall have no power to sell her" (Exodus 21:8) -- yet this one, after we made her a mistress, shall we make her a handmaid? I care neither for her good nor for her harm. "And Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from before her." Rav Abba bar Kahana said: she withheld her from the duty of the marriage bed. Rabbi Berekhiah said: she struck her on the face with a slipper. Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: she made her carry water buckets and bath-towels to the bathhouse. "By the way of Shur" -- by the road of Chalutza. "And he said, Hagar, handmaid of Sarai" (Genesis 16:8-11). A proverb says: if one man tells you your ears are a donkey's, do not believe it; if two tell you, make yourself a halter. So Abraham said, "Behold, your handmaid is in your hand," and the angel said, "Hagar, handmaid of Sarai," and she said, "I am fleeing from before my mistress Sarai." From where comes the saying people say, "if your friend has called you a donkey, fasten a saddle on yourself"? As it is written, "And he said, Hagar, handmaid of Sarai," and "the angel of the LORD said to her, Return to your mistress," even though you will be afflicted under her hand.

How many angels were paired with her? Rav Chama bar Chanin said: five, for everywhere that 'saying' is mentioned there is an angel. The Rabbis say: four, for everywhere that 'angel' is mentioned. Rabbi Chiya said: come and see how great is the difference between the later generations and the earlier ones. Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God" (Judges 13:22), yet Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, sees five angels one after another and is not afraid of them. Rabbi Chiya said: the fingernail of the patriarchs and not the belly of the children! Rabbi Yitzchak said, "She watches over the ways of her household" (Proverbs 31:27) - the members of Abraham our father's household were watchers, and she was accustomed to seeing them. "And you shall call his name Ishmael" - he was called by his name before he was born, and so on (as is written in remez 45). "And he shall be a wild man" (Genesis 16:12). Rabbi Yochanan said: because all others grow up in a settled place and he grows up in the wilderness. Resh Lakish said: a wild man indeed, for all others plunder money and he plunders souls. "His hand against all and the hand of all against him." [Read it as 'his dog'] - his hand and the hand of his dog are alike: just as his dog eats carcasses, so too he eats carcasses. Rabbi Elazar said: when is 'the hand of all against him'? When that one comes of whom it is written, "and wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens He has given into your hand and made you ruler over them all" (Daniel 2:38). This is what is written, "Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck" (Jeremiah 49:28) - for he hemmed them in within the wilderness and killed them. "And he shall dwell before the face of all his brothers." Here it says 'he shall dwell,' yet elsewhere you say "before the face of all his brothers he fell" (Genesis 25:18). Rather, all the days that Abraham our father was alive, 'he shall dwell'; once Abraham died, 'he fell.' Before he stretched out his hand against the Temple, 'he shall dwell'; once he stretched out his hand against the Temple, 'he fell.' In this world, 'he shall dwell'; but in the time to come, 'he fell.'

"And she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her" (Genesis 16:13) - by means of an angel. Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon: never did the Holy One, blessed be He, find it necessary to converse with a woman except with that righteous one [Sarah], and even that was on account of a cause. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana in the name of Rabbi Biri said: how many words and how many circlings He circled in order to speak with her, as it is said, "And He said, No, but you did laugh" (Genesis 18:15). But is it not written, "And she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her"? Rabbi Yehoshua bar Rabbi Nechemiah in the name of Rav Idi: by means of an angel. But is it not written, "And the LORD said to her" (Genesis 25:23)? Rav Levi in the name of Rav Chanina bar Rav Chama said: by means of an angel. Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: by means of a divine Name. "You are the God of seeing." Rabbi Eibo said: You are the One who sees the humiliation of the humiliated. "For she said, Have I even here seen after Him who sees me?" She said: it is not enough that I was found worthy of speech, but even of royalty, as you say "For You have brought me even here [halom]" - it is not enough that I was made worthy together with my mistress, but even alone, between myself and myself. Rabbi Shmuel said: a parable of a noblewoman to whom the king said, Pass before me. She passed before him while leaning on her maidservant, and she narrowed her face and did not see the king, but the maidservant saw.

(Genesis 17:1) The eighth trial. "And Abram was ninety-nine years old." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: until now you were not whole before Me, but circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and be whole, for the foreskin is a disgrace, as it says "for it is a disgrace to us" (Genesis 34:14), and the foreskin is the most impure of all impurities, as it is said, "for no more shall there come into you the uncircumcised and the impure" (Isaiah 52:1). Rabban Gamliel says: Abraham sent and summoned Shem son of Noah, and he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin and that of Ishmael his son. "In the midst of that day" (verse 26) - in the strength of the sun, at midday, on the tenth of the month, on the Day of Atonement. It is written there, "You shall do no manner of work in the midst of this day," and it is written here, "In the midst of this day he was circumcised" (verse 26). And in each and every year the Holy One, blessed be He, sees the blood of the covenant of the circumcision of Abraham our father, and atones for the iniquities of Israel, as it is said, "For on this day He shall make atonement for you."

"Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel; like the first-ripe fruit on a fig tree in its first season I saw your fathers" (Hosea 9:10). This fig tree - at first they gather it one by one, and afterward two by two, and afterward three, until they gather it in baskets and with rakes. So too, at first "Abraham was one" (Ezekiel 33:24), and afterward two, Abraham and Isaac, and afterward Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob "were fruitful and swarmed," and so on. Just as this fig has no waste except its stem - remove it and the blemish is gone - so too "Walk before Me and be whole," there is no waste in you except the foreskin; remove it and the blemish is gone. "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose." There was a set time for Abraham our father, when circumcision was given to him: "In the midst of this day Abraham was circumcised" (verse 26). There was a time when his sons would be circumcised: "for all the people who came out were circumcised" (Joshua 5:5). Should he have been circumcised at forty-eight, when he recognized his Creator? Rather, so as not to lock the door before converts. And should you say, let him be circumcised at seventy, when He spoke with him at the covenant between the pieces? Rather, so that Isaac might come from a holy drop. Let him be circumcised at eighty-six, when Ishmael was born. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: like cinnamon I establish you in the world; just as this cinnamon, as long as you fertilize and hoe it, it produces fruit, so too Abraham, from when his blood was bound, from when his impulse ceased, from when his desire ceased. He said: if circumcision is so beloved, why was it not given to the first man? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Abraham, it is enough that I and you are in the world; and if you do not take it upon yourself to be circumcised, it is enough for My world until here. He said: until I was circumcised, they would come and join with me; perhaps now that I am circumcised, will they come and join with me? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: it is enough for you that I am your patron; and not for you alone, but it is enough for the world that I am its God, that I am its patron.

"I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]." I am the One who said to My world, Enough [dai], for had I not said to the heavens and the earth, Enough, they would have gone on stretching out until now. I am the One for whom the world and its fullness are not worthy of My divinity. Rav Levi said: a parable of a noblewoman to whom the king said, Pass before me, and she passed before him and her face went pale. She said: perhaps he has found a blemish in me. The king said to her: there is no waste in you except that the fingernail of your little finger is a bit long; remove it and the blemish is gone. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: there is no waste in you except the foreskin alone; remove it and the blemish is gone. "Walk before Me and be whole." Rabbi Yishmael said: Abraham was a high priest, as it is said, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psalms 110:4). He said: if he should be circumcised in the ear, he is not fit to offer; in the mouth, he is not fit to offer; in the heart, he is not fit to offer. You must say, this is the foreskin of the body. Rabbi Akiva says: there are four foreskins. A foreskin is mentioned regarding the ear, "behold, their ear is uncircumcised"; a foreskin regarding the mouth, "and I am of uncircumcised lips" (Exodus 6:12); a foreskin regarding the heart, "and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart"; and it was said to him, "Walk before Me and be whole." If he is circumcised in the ear, he is not whole; in the mouth, not whole; in the heart, not whole; and from where shall he be circumcised so as to be whole? You must say, this is the foreskin of the body. If he is circumcised in the ear, he cannot hear; in the mouth, he cannot speak; in the heart, he cannot think. You must say, this is the foreskin of the body. (Genesis 17:2) Rav Huna in the name of Bar Kappara said: Abraham sat and expounded an analogy of identical phrasing. A foreskin is mentioned regarding a tree, and a foreskin is mentioned regarding a person: just as the foreskin mentioned regarding a tree is at the place that produces fruit, so too the foreskin mentioned regarding a person is at the place that produces fruit. Rabbi Chanina ben Pazi says: but had analogies of identical phrasing already been given to Abraham? This is astonishing. Rather, He hinted a hint to him: "And I will set My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you," and so on. Rabbi Tanchum said: it is reasonable, for this verse says, "and the uncircumcised male" (verse 14). But is there an uncircumcised female? Rather, from the place where it is recognized whether male or female, from there they circumcise him.

A foreskin is mentioned regarding a tree: "And when you come into the land and you shall regard its fruit as forbidden [literally, you shall treat its foreskin as foreskin]" (Leviticus 19:23). The tree mentioned here is none other than the grapevine. And if they do not cut off its foreskin, all the fruit it produces are small, plucked clusters, not good to look at. After they cut it off, the fruit it produces is good to look at, and their wine is chosen to be offered upon the altar. So too our father Abraham: until he was circumcised, the fruit he produced was not good in its deeds and was disqualified from upon the altar; and when he was circumcised, the fruit he produced was good in its deeds and was chosen to be offered upon the altar. From here you learn that anyone who brings his son near for circumcision is as if a high priest were offering his meal-offering and his libation upon the altar. From here they said: a person is obligated to make a feast and rejoicing on the day he merits to circumcise his son.

Rabbi says: great is circumcision, for of all the commandments that Abraham our father performed, he was not called whole until he was circumcised, as it is said, "Walk before Me and be whole." (Genesis 17:2-4) Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, "Walk before Me and be whole," trembling seized him. He said: perhaps there is something disgraceful in me. Once He said to him, "And I will set My covenant between Me and you," his mind was immediately set at ease. Rabbi Hoshaya said: whoever makes himself whole, the hour stands by him, as it is said, "Walk before Me and be whole, and you shall be a father of a multitude of nations." Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah says: loathsome is the foreskin, by which the wicked are disgraced, as it is said, "for all the nations are uncircumcised." Rabbi Yishmael says: great is circumcision, for thirteen covenants were cut over it. Rabbi Yosei the Galilean says: great is circumcision, for it overrides the stringent Sabbath. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha says: great is circumcision, for Moses our teacher was not granted even a single hour's delay over it. Rabbi Nechemiah says: great is circumcision, for it overrides the laws of plague-marks. Great is circumcision, for without it the Holy One, blessed be He, would not have created His world, as it is said, "Were it not for My covenant day and night, I would not have set the ordinances of heaven" (Jeremiah 33:25). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha says: great is circumcision, for all the merits that Moses our teacher had accrued did not protect him in the hour that he was lax about the circumcision, as it is said, "And the LORD met him and sought to kill him" (Exodus 4:24). Rabbi Yosei said: heaven forbid that Moses our teacher was lax about the circumcision. Rather he said: shall I circumcise and set out? It is a danger, as it is said, "And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain" (Genesis 34:25). Shall I delay three days? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to me, "Return to Egypt." Then why was he punished? Because he busied himself first with lodging, as it is said, "And it came to pass on the way, at the lodging place" (Exodus 4:24).

Another interpretation: great is circumcision, for it is weighed as equal to the entire Torah, as it is said, "For according to these words I have cut a covenant with you." "Walk before Me and be whole" (written in remez 50).

This is like a king who had a certain friend, a provincial, and the king wished to promote him and make him a duke, but he could not, because there was a blemish in him. The king said to him, "Gird on your weapon, and I will make you a duke." He said to him, "My lord the king, teach me how I am to gird it on." He said to him, "As I have shown you, so do." So too with Abraham: the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him. This is what Scripture says (Psalms 45:4), "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one," and so forth.

Another interpretation. This is like a noblewoman who came in to inquire after the welfare of the king. The king said, "How beautiful she is, except that she has a slight blemish." She said to him, "I beg of you, tell me what my blemish is." He said to her, "Trim your nails and you will be perfect." She said to him, "I do not know how to trim them." The king stretched out his hand and trimmed them. So Abraham said to Him, "Remove my reproach" (Psalms 119:39), and immediately, "and made a covenant with him." And it is written (Song of Songs 7:2), "The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the work of a craftsman's hands."

(Genesis 17:5) From where do we learn notarikon [reading a single word as an acronym] from the Torah? As it is said, "For a father of a multitude of nations have I made you" [Hebrew: av hamon goyim]. The word [av-hamon] teaches: a father have I made you among the nations; chosen have I made you among the nations; beloved have I made you among the nations; a king have I made you among the nations; faithful have I made you to the nations. (Exodus 20:2) "I [anokhi]" stands for: "I Myself wrote and gave" [in Aramaic: ana nafshi ketavit yehavit] — a saying written, pleasing, given; or read the letters in reverse: given, written, pleasing, said. (Numbers 22:32) "Because the way is contrary [yarat]" stands for: she feared, she saw, she turned aside. "Carmel" stands for: a full ear of grain [kar male]. (Genesis 44:16) "Shall we justify ourselves [nitztaddak]" stands for: we are honest, righteous, pure, clean, holy.

"And your name shall be Abraham" (Genesis 17:5). Rami bar Hama said: At first the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him rule over two hundred and forty-three limbs, and in the end He gave him rule over two hundred and forty-eight. And these are the additional ones: two eyes, two ears, and the head of the body [the male organ].

(Genesis 17:7) Others say: Anyone who does not engage in the duty of being fruitful and multiplying causes the Divine Presence to depart from Israel, as it is said, "to be a God to you and to your seed after you" — at a time when your seed comes after you, the Divine Presence rests; when there is no seed after you, upon whom does the Divine Presence rest? Upon the trees or upon the stones? Abba Hanan, in the name of Rabbi Eliezer, says: He is liable to death, as it is said (Numbers 3:4), "and they had no children" — implying that had they had children, they would not have died.

Another interpretation: What is the Merciful One warning him about here? This is what He is saying to him: Do not marry a gentile woman or a maidservant, so that your seed should not stray after her.

(Genesis 17:8-9) It was stated: From where do we know that a circumcision performed by a gentile is invalid? Dari bar Pappa in the name of Rav said: from "And you shall keep My covenant" [the duty falls on one who is himself in the covenant]. Rabbi Yohanan said: from (verse 13) "he must surely be circumcised" [Hebrew himmol yimmol, one who is himself circumcised circumcises others]. What is the difference between them? There is a difference regarding a woman. According to the one who derives it from "And you shall keep My covenant," a woman is excluded, since a woman is not subject to circumcision. But according to the one who derives it from "he must surely be circumcised," she is included, since a woman is regarded as one already circumcised. But is there anyone who holds that a woman is not subject to circumcision? Is it not written, "And Zipporah took a flint" [and circumcised her son]? Read it instead as "And she had taken." But it is written, "and she cut off" the foreskin! Read it instead as "and she had it cut off" [by another].

Any commandment that was said to the sons of Noah and repeated at Sinai applies to both [Israel and the nations]. Now consider circumcision, which was said to the sons of Noah — "And you shall keep My covenant" — and was repeated at Sinai — (Leviticus 12:3) "and on the eighth day he shall be circumcised." One might think it was said to Israel and not to the sons of Noah! That verse "and on the day" comes to permit circumcision on the Sabbath, meaning even on the Sabbath. Or if you prefer, say: from the outset circumcision was commanded by the Merciful One only to Abraham — "And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you" — yes; another person, no. But if so, let the sons of Ishmael be obligated! Scripture says (Genesis 21:12), "for in Isaac shall seed be called to you." Then let the sons of Esau be obligated! "In Isaac," but not all of Isaac. Let the sons of Keturah be obligated! "He has broken My covenant" — this comes to include the sons of Keturah.

Never let the commandment of the Omer be light in your eyes, for through the commandment of the Omer Abraham our father merited to inherit the land of Canaan. This is what is written, "And I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land of your sojournings" (Genesis 17:8), on the condition that "you shall keep My covenant" (Genesis 17:9). And which is this? This is the commandment of the Omer.

(Above, verse 3) "And Abram fell on his face" (Genesis 17:3). Two times Abram fell on his face; corresponding to this, circumcision was taken away from his descendants two times, one in Egypt and one in the wilderness. In Egypt Moses came and circumcised them; in the wilderness Joshua came and circumcised them.

Bar Kappara expounded (and so on). But now, what of one who calls Sarah "Sarai"? So too there. There the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai" (Genesis 17:15). But now, what of one who calls Israel "Jacob"? It is different there, for Scripture itself reverted and called him so, as it is written, "And God said to Israel in the visions of the night, and He said, Jacob, Jacob" (Genesis 46:2). And as for Abraham, did Scripture not revert? Is it not written, "You chose Abram" (Nehemiah 9:7)? There it is a prophet who is recounting the praise of Abraham [not reverting to the old name as God's own usage].

Bar Kappara said: Whoever calls Abraham "Abram" transgresses a positive commandment. Rabbi Levi said: A positive commandment and a negative commandment. "Your name shall no longer be called Abram" (Genesis 17:5), here is the negative commandment; "but your name shall be Abraham" (Genesis 17:5), here is the positive commandment. But did not the Men of the Great Assembly call him "Abram"? "You are the LORD God who chose Abram" (Nehemiah 9:7). It is different, for while he was still Abram You chose him. And likewise, one who calls Sarah "Sarai" transgresses a positive commandment, for it is she concerning whom he was commanded. And likewise, one who calls Israel "Jacob" transgresses a positive commandment. It was taught: Not that the name Jacob should be uprooted, but "for Israel shall be your name" (Genesis 35:10) means Israel is primary and Jacob secondary. Rav Zechariah in the name of Rav Acha said: In any case Jacob is his name, but "for Israel shall be your name" means Jacob is primary and Israel is added upon it.

"And I will give to you, and to your seed after you" (Genesis 17:8). Rav Yudan said: Five things. If your children accept My divinity, I will be for them a God and a patron, and if not, I will not be for them a God and a patron. If your children enter the land, they accept My divinity, and if not, they do not accept My divinity. If your children fulfill circumcision, they enter the land, and if not, they do not enter the land. If your children fulfill circumcision, I will be for them a God and a patron, and if not, I will not be a patron, for if your children accept circumcision they accept My divinity, and if not, they do not accept My divinity. Rav Berechiah said: "And this is the matter [davar] of how Joshua circumcised" (Joshua 5:4). He said a word [davar] to them and circumcised them. He said to them: What do you imagine, that you will enter the land uncircumcised? Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Abraham, "to you and to your seed after you," on condition that "you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you" (Genesis 17:9). Rav Huna said: "You [yourself]," from here we learn that a circumciser must himself be circumcised. Rabbi Yochanan said: "He shall surely be circumcised" (Genesis 17:13), from here we learn that a circumciser must himself be circumcised. It was taught: An uncircumcised Israelite may not circumcise; how much more so an uncircumcised gentile. "And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin" (Genesis 17:11), like this growth that hangs from the body. There is a tale of Monobaz and Zutos, sons of Ptolemy the king, who were sitting and reading in the book of Genesis. When they reached this verse, "and you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin," the one turned his face to the wall and began to weep, and the other turned his face to the wall and began to weep. Each went and circumcised himself. After some days they were sitting and reading in the book of Genesis, and when they reached this verse, one said to his fellow, "Woe to you, my brother." He said to him, "Woe to you; but as for me, no woe to me." Each revealed the matter to the other. When their mother sensed it about them, she went and said to their father, "A growth has risen upon your sons' flesh, and the physician has decreed that they be circumcised." He said to them, "Let them be circumcised." How did the Holy One, blessed be He, repay him? At the time he went out to war, they set against him a band of brigands, and an angel came down and saved him. "And he that is eight days old" (Genesis 17:12). It was taught: As for one who acquires the unborn child of a gentile's maidservant, Rabbi Yochanan said he is circumcised on the eighth day. "For a son or for a daughter" (Leviticus 12:6): "for a son" in any case, "for a daughter" in any case.

"He shall surely be circumcised, he that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money" (Genesis 17:13). There is one born in the house who is circumcised on the first day: in the case of one who buys a maidservant for her unborn child, which is not acquired by him; and according to the one who holds that acquisition of usufruct is like acquisition of the body itself, in the case of one who buys a maidservant on condition not to immerse her. There is one born in the house who is circumcised on the eighth day: in the case where he bought a maidservant and she became pregnant while with him. There is one bought with money who is circumcised on the eighth day: where he bought a maidservant and afterward she gave birth. There is one bought with money who is circumcised on the first day: where he bought a maidservant together with her child. Rav Chama said: One born in the house circumcised on the first day, such as where she gave birth and afterward he immersed her. One born in the house circumcised on the eighth day, such as where he immersed her and afterward she gave birth. One bought with money circumcised on the eighth day, such as where he bought a maidservant and afterward she gave birth. One bought with money circumcised on the first day, such as where he bought a maidservant together with her child.

"He shall surely be circumcised" (Genesis 17:13), the doubled expression is to include the shreds that hold back the circumcision [the remnants of foreskin that must also be removed]. "He has broken My covenant" (Genesis 17:14), to include the one whose foreskin has been drawn forward, by rabbinic decree, and the verse is a mere support. For Rav Huna said: By Torah law one whose foreskin has been drawn forward may eat of the priestly offering, but by their words [the sages] decreed against him because he appears as one uncircumcised.

It was taught: An Israelite may circumcise a Samaritan, but a Samaritan may not circumcise an Israelite, because he circumcises for the sake of Mount Gerizim; these are the words of Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Yose said to him: And where do we find circumcision in the Torah done "for its own sake"? Rather, he circumcises and continues until the soul departs. Rav Chisda said: What is Rabbi Judah's reason? As it is written, "to the LORD shall he be circumcised." And Rabbi Yose? It is written "he shall surely be circumcised." And the other too, is it not written "he shall surely be circumcised"? The Torah spoke in the language of human beings. And the other too, is it not written "to the LORD shall he be circumcised"? That is written concerning the Passover. Why is the infant circumcised on the eighth day? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, set mercy upon him, to wait for him until there is strength in him. And just as His mercy is upon the human being, so is His mercy upon the animal, as it is said, "And from the eighth day onward it shall be accepted as an offering" (Leviticus 22:27), and it is written, "You shall not slaughter it and its young on one day" (Leviticus 22:28).

"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.

"And God said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai" (Genesis 17:15). "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband" (Proverbs 12:4). Rabbi Aha said, her husband was crowned through her, but she was not crowned through her husband. The Rabbis say, she was the mistress of her household. Everywhere the man decrees, but here, "In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice" (Genesis 21:12). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korchah said, the yod that the Holy One, blessed be He, took from Sarai was divided, half to Sarah and half to Abraham. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said, the yod that the Holy One, blessed be He, took from Sarai went flying and hovering around the throne of the Holy One, blessed be He, and said before Him: Master of the universe, because I am the smallest of the letters You have removed me from the name of a righteous woman! The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: In the past you were set in a feminine name and at the end of the letters; now you will be set in a masculine name and at the head of the letters. This is what is written, "And Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Yehoshua" (Numbers 13:16). Rabbi Mani said, in the past she was Sarai [princess] to her own people, and now she is Sarah [princess] to all who enter the world. "And I will bless her" (Genesis 17:16). Rabbi Yehudah says, "and I will bless her" means to give her a son; "and I will bless her" means to bless her with milk. Rabbi Nechemiah said to him, but had she not already received the good tidings? Rather, it teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, restored her to the days of her youth. Rabbi Abahu in the name of Rabbi Yose bar Chanin: I place reverence for her upon all the nations of the world, that they should not taunt her and call her barren. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: she had no womb at all, and the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned a womb for her. "Kings of peoples shall be from her" - from here Abraham expounded and brought back Keturah. "And Abraham fell on his face and laughed" (Genesis 17:17). Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Levi: twice Abraham fell on his face, and corresponding to them circumcision was taken from his children twice, once in Egypt and once in the wilderness. In Egypt Moses came and circumcised them; in the wilderness Joshua came and circumcised them. "Shall a child be born to one a hundred years old" - and why? Because "shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?" The man does not age but the woman ages. Who is called aged? Anyone whom they call "so-and-so's mother" and she does not object. "O that Ishmael might live before You" (Genesis 17:18). This is like a king's friend who used to pay him a tribute, and the king said to him, I wish to double your tribute. He said to him, do not let my spirit grow cold; would only that you do not withhold from me the first amount. So too, "O that Ishmael might live before You." "And as for Ishmael I have heard you, behold I have blessed him" (Genesis 17:20). Rabbi Yochanan said, here the son of the maidservant learns from the son of the mistress: "behold I have blessed him" - this is Isaac; "and I will multiply him" - this is Isaac; "and I will make him fruitful" - this is Isaac. As for Ishmael, I have already heard him by way of an angel. Rav Abba bar Kahana in the name of Rav Biri: here the son of the mistress learns from the son of the maidservant: "behold I have blessed him" - this is Ishmael; how much more so, "and I will establish My covenant with Isaac." "Twelve princes shall he beget" - it is written, "All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve" (Genesis 49:28); and Ishmael does not raise up twelve such, but those are merely "princes" [nesi'im], as you say, "clouds [nesi'im] and wind and no rain" (Proverbs 25:14); but these are staffs, as you say, "sworn are the staffs of the word, selah" (Habakkuk 3:9).

One who sees Ishmael in a dream - his prayer is heard, as it is said, "And as for Ishmael I have heard you" (Genesis 17:20). And these words apply to Ishmael the son of Abraham, but as for Ishmael himself [any ordinary person of that name], it means nothing at all.

"But My covenant I will establish with Isaac" (Genesis 17:21) - it is written elsewhere [at remez 45]. "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac" - that year was a leap year. "And He finished speaking with him" (Genesis 17:22). It was taught: one who takes leave of his fellow, whether greater or smaller, must take permission from him. From whom do you learn this? From Abraham. Once Abraham was speaking with the Holy One, blessed be He, when the ministering angels came to speak with him. He said to them, let me first take leave of the Divine Presence, who is greater than you, and afterward I will speak with you. When he had finished saying all he needed, he said before Him: Master of the universe, I must speak with the angels. He said to him, take your leave in peace. This is what is written, "And God went up from upon Abraham." Resh Lakish said, the patriarchs are themselves the chariot, as it is said, "And He went up from upon him." "And Abraham took Ishmael his son" (Genesis 17:23). When Abraham circumcised those born in his household, he set them up as a mound of foreskins, and the sun shone upon them and they bred worms, and their smell rose before the Holy One, blessed be He, like the incense of spices and like a burnt offering wholly consumed by the fire. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, when his children come to evil deeds, I will remember that fragrance and be filled with mercy toward them. "And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised, and Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised" (Genesis 17:24-25). Here you say "the flesh of his foreskin" and there you say "the flesh of his foreskin" with an added word - rather, Abraham, since the flesh of his foreskin had been worn down through a woman, while Ishmael, who had not been worn down through a woman. "On that very day Abraham was circumcised" (Genesis 17:26). It is written, "Not from the beginning did I speak in secret" (Isaiah 48:16). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, had Abraham circumcised at night, now all his generation would say such and such: had we known, we would not have let him circumcise. Rather, "on that very day." "Abraham was circumcised" - he felt it and was pained, so that the Holy One, blessed be He, would double his reward. Rabbi Levi said, it does not say here "Abraham circumcised himself" but "Abraham was circumcised" - he examined himself and found himself already circumcised. At that Rav Berekhiah mocked Rabbi Levi, saying, you are a liar and a deceiver. Rather, he felt it and was pained, so that the Holy One, blessed be He, would double his reward. "And all the men of his house, born in the house, etc." It was taught: one may go to a gentile fair on the intermediate days of a festival and buy from them houses, fields, vineyards, slaves, and maidservants. Rav Ami in the name of Resh Lakish said, not only does he buy circumcised slaves, but even uncircumcised slaves, because he brings them under the wings of the Divine Presence.