Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 6

May it please our master to teach us: If one of two sons is born to a man on Friday and the other on the Sabbath,8Either half-brother born of two different wives or twins born of one mother. and he mistakenly circumcises the son born on Friday on the Sabbath, or the one born on the Sabbath on Friday, is he guilty of violating the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: If one child is born on Friday and the other on the Sabbath, and he mistakenly circumcises the one born on Friday on the Sabbath or vice versa, he is considered culpable. Why? Because he profaned the Sabbath. It is written: And in the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin should be circumcised (Lev. 12:3). As a result, he has transgressed a decree of the Torah by violating the Sabbath.

Circumcision is so very important that it takes precedence over the Sabbath. Similarly, circumcision is so important that no child is included in the reckoning of generations until he has been circumcised, as it is said: A seed shall serve him; he shall be counted by the Lord unto the next generation (Ps. 22:31).

R. Isaac stated: The word serve is employed with the rites of circumcision and sacrifice. And just as the word serve in the rite of the sacrificial offering results in the letting of blood, so must the word serve in the rite of circumcision entail the letting of blood. Whence is this derived? For it says in reference to circumcision, A seed shall serve him.

When a man causes a drop of his blood to flow (through circumcision), it is as precious to the Holy One, blessed be He, as the sacrifices. The Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to Abraham after he circumcised himself, just as he did when he offered sacrifices, as it is said: And an ox and a ram for a peace-offering to sacrifice before the Lord…. for today the Lord appeareth unto you (Lev. 9:4).

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: Before your circumcision you prostrated yourself when you addressed Me, as is said: And Abraham fell on his face; and God talked with him (Gen. 17:3); but after he was circumcised, the Holy One, blessed be He, stood while Abraham remained seated, as it is said: And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre as he sat in the tent door (ibid. 18:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, disclosed to Abraham His decision to destroy the five cities of Sodom only because of that merit (of the circumcision), as is said: And the Lord said: Shall I hide from Abraham?

Another explanation of And the Lord said: Shall I hide from Abraham?: Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Then he opened the ears of men, and by their chastisement sealeth the decree (Job 33:16). This verse refers to Abimelech and Pharaoh, since the Holy One, blessed be He, opened their ears, as is said: And God came to Abimelech in a dream at night (Gen. 20:3) and the Lord came and plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai (ibid. 12:17). What is meant by the words By their chastisement sealeth the decree? They mean that He afflicted Abimelech by sealing up his organs, as it is said: For the Lord had fast sealed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife (ibid. 20:18). And He punished Pharaoh in the same way. In reference to Abimelech, Scripture states: Because of Sarah. Just as the words because of indicate that Abimelech’s sexual organs were sealed up, so the words because of signify that Pharaoh’s sexual organs were sealed up. Hence, it says: By their chastisement sealeth the decree.

Another comment on Then He openeth the ears of men: This verse alludes to Daniel, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed the time of redemption.9Megillah 3a. The Book of Daniel contains intimations concerning the Messianic age. By their chastisement sealeth the decree similarly refers to Daniel, for He said to him: And thou, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book (Dan. 12:4). Another comment on Then He openeth the ears of men: This verse refers to our patriarch Jacob, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed the time of redemption. Jacob indicated that he wished to disclose this information to his sons, when he said to them: Gather yourselves together, so that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days (Gen. 49:1). However, the Holy One, blessed be He, sealed up his lips to restrain him from doing so. Hence, it says: Their chastisement sealeth the decree.

Another explanation of Then He opened the ears of man: This alludes to Samuel, as is said: Now the Lord had revealed unto Samuel a day before Saul came, saying: Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over My people Israel (I Sam. 9:15–16). After Samuel set out to anoint David, he encountered Eliab, and he said to himself: Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him. But the Lord said unto Samuel: “Look not on his countenance nor on the height of his stature, for I have rejected him” (ibid. 16:7). When David approached, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Samuel: Arise, anoint him; for this is he (ibid., v. 12); that is, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Shall My anointed stand while you sit? Arise, anoint him.

Another explanation of Then he openeth the ears of men: This alludes to Abraham, for it is said: And God said: Shall I hide from Abraham?, and By their chastisement sealeth the decree (Job 33:16) refers to the Sodomites, against whom He sealed the decree when a single righteous man could not be found amongst them. Another comment on And the Lord said: Shall I hide from Abraham? Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: For the Lord will do nothing, but He revealeth His counsel unto His servants, the prophets (Amos 3:7). In the beginning the Holy One, blessed be He, used to reveal His secrets to those who feared Him, as it is said: The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him (Ps. 25:14). Then He made His secrets known to the righteous, as is said: In the council of the upright and in the congregation (Ps. 111:1); and finally He revealed it only to the prophets, as it is said: But He revealeth His counsel unto His servants, the prophets. After Israel transgressed at the time of Achan,10When Achan took spoils in Jericho despite the warning not to, punishment was visited upon the whole people (Judg. 7). the Holy One, blessed be He, informed Joshua, as it is said: Israel hath sinned (Josh. 7:11). When Eli’s sons sinned,11Eli’s sons sinned by keeping a woman who had brought an offering to the sanctuary waiting. Because of this they returned home without completing their sacrifice and therefore indulged in conjugal relations in a condition of impurity. the Holy One, blessed be He, disclosed it to Samuel, as is said: And the Lord called Samuel (I Sam. 3:4). When the Sodomites sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed it to Abraham, as is said: Shall I hide from Abraham?

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