The Joy of the Brit
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"I rejoice in your words like one who finds a great treasure". These words are said by the Mohel before he starts his work
Why is this commandment, which involves pain and sometimes even worries, awaken in us such great joy? Happiness is one of the most difficult feelings to describe, as is its opposite feeling – sadness. Often we feel "just in the mood" or, vise versa "not in the mood". But in fact our moods are affected by the deep feelings of our soul, with every shift in its situation sending waves to the surface – to our conscious mind, which thinks and feels and affects us even on a subconscious level, without our knowledge
Sadness, any sadness, occurs when the soul's needs are not met. Happiness, any happiness, occurs when the soul receives exactly what it needs
Therefore, there is no greater joy for the soul than the fulfillment of the Brit, which for the soul is the fulfillment of all its needs and wants
During the Brit, the infant makes a pact of love with God, and in light of this new bond, all those gathered there receive a renewal of their own personal bond with God."Clogged pipes" are opened, dimmed candles are rekindled, forgotten treasures are rediscovered and the soul "dances" with joy. We have no greater closeness, we have no greater joy
The Covenant of Love
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A covenant is a commitment, an eternal bond, but above all - a loving relationship. There is nothing that can motivate both sides to conclude an absolute connection between them, which would meet all conditions and survive any crisis, besides love
The Covenant usually expresses recognition of the deep completion each side receives from the other, with each side receiving something so dear, that it is well worth making a covenant with the other side.For example, in marriage. Men and women find one another and feel in their hearts that they were eternally meant for each other, and the depth of this recognition they "pour" into the covenant they make with the wedding canopy and the wedding ring – a sign of the covenant and the tool to implement it. A much deeper love is revealed in the Brit Milah, which is also - like the wedding ring - a sign of the relationship forged between every Jewish soul and the Holy One, blessed is He. Why? Because it is hard to think of something that God Almighty can receive from the soul of an infant of eight days, and yet He is forging an alliance with him. A Covenant of Love. For no reason. Beyond reasoning, beyond common sense
The first covenant was made between God and the Patriarch Abraham thousands of years ago. The significance of this covenant was a double commitment: Abraham, on behalf of himself and all future generations of his descendants to be born, promised to be faithful to God and His Torah. The Holy One, blessed is He, in turn promised Abraham that he and his descendants will be God's beloved sons, watching them with a private and special care, not leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary laws of nature and fate dictated by the stars. The Circumcision, signed into our flesh, is the sign of the existence of this relationship. Just like the wedding ring
The Wholeness of Lacking
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When God commanded Abraham regarding circumcision, He said to him: "Walk before me and be whole" – complete. In many different eras, the Nations of the World have ridiculed us regarding our willingness to circumcise our sons, thereby blemishing them in their eyes. This verse shows the opposite, only by performing the Brit do we become whole, while those who do not are the blemished ones
Is Man "whole"? Do we not need the "Life-Connection" which connects us to our God? When a baby is born, the umbilical cord which ties him to his mother disconnects, and on a different level, a much deeper one, the umbilical cord which ties his body to the one who created hmi disconnects as well. In the current state, nothing in the existence of the baby's body shows a need to reconnect this connection. The body is whole, and now he can start out on his life's path all by himself
But this is only a delusion. The body is not whole; it is simply closed and sealed like a fruit in its peel. The Brit Mila removes the "peel", and under it we discover how "open" the body is to receive life from the Source of Life, and how lacking the body is without this connection – which is the essence of man's status and honor
"A Blood Groom"
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The guests are watching, the mother is crying, the father stutters and mixes up the blessings, the Mohel is busy with his work… and the baby? Did anyone ask him if he wants this? Not really. The covenant between God and the Jewish People was made many generations before he was born and its validity will require many generations to come. Such an absolute connection, a connection of blood, is not dependant on consent or reasoning: It's a natural part of life – Just like people are born and people die, they are also circumcised
How strong is the connection between father and son at this time! For he too, wrapped in his tallit and teffillin, emotional and full of joy, was also placed on the Sandak's knees years ago. He also cried, he also wasn't asked, but today he is capable of showing everyone that he consents, that he fully and totally wants the Brit which was placed on his body. There is no better proof than the Brit which he is currently doing for his own son
Circumcision – A Nonstop Mitzvah
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King David had a yearning and longing and his soul was constantly connected in his devotion to God. It is told that when the Angel of Death came to take his soul, he could not get near him because of his constant adherence to the holy Torah
Once he went to the bathhouse, a place where all are naked and you can not engage in Torah and mitzvoth and his spirits fell due to the idleness forced upon him. When he remembered the covenant in his flesh, his mind became settled
This act highlights the uniqueness of the circumcision, whose existence and sanctity are equal at all times. On this level, the Brit Mila is better than any other commandment or spiritual level, as all commandments have a specific time and all spiritual levels may go away during inevitable spiritual downfalls
Only the commandment of circumcision is performed constantly by male Jews throughout their entire life. This is the meaning of the verse "Walk before me and be whole" – A Wholeness in which all times are equal and through which each and every one is always a Jew and so is always worthy of holiness
If we really are so securely anchored in our connection with God, it is of no surprise how any Jew – even the biggest sinner – can repent at any given time. The secret is simple and know to all: Once a Jew, always a Jew
Connection of Body and Soul
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The days of pregnancy are days of riddle. What is inside the mother's stomach? This nobody knows. Even with all of the means available, we still can't fully grasp the secret of life in the womb, a state so different than our current one. The Talmudic legends ignite our imagination with their amazing descriptions: A spiritual candle lightens the baby's eyes and an angel protects him and teaches him the entire Torah
Nine months later, in the delivery room, we begin to receive answers to our many questions. A tiny body enters this world from a hidden world with cry. But is the riddle really solved then? The Kabbalah teaches us that only the physical body is born in the delivery room. His spiritual soul, etched out of God's Holy Throne, still rests above him, searching for the way "inside"
The moment of the Brit is the completion of the birth, when all at once the spiritual soul and the physical body become one – A Holy Covenant! At this moment the baby is awarded an extra life force and now he is worthy of the name through which his soul's secret will be known throughout his life
The Secret of the Eighth Day
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?Why was the eighth day after the birth chosen for the Brit
In the Kabbala we find two methods to understanding the meaning of the number eight. One method looks at our world and finds it built like a six sided cube: up, down, and the "four corners" of the world. These six sides border the natural world, which was created in six days and their existence is dependant and "standing" upon the inner point – the Sabbath Day, the source of the spiritual flow which gives life to all the worlds, and sustains them since the first days of creation
If all the corners of creation are the six days and the inner source is Shabbat, where is the eighth day? Outside. Above nature, beyond the borders of the natural cube
In light of this method, we can understand the meaning of the Brit as a spiritual connection above our understanding, a wonder beyond anything humanly graspable in light of the borders of nature
A different method, and maybe even an opposite method, sees the seven days of creation as a creation of God. Truth be told, the secrets of Creation are a mystery to us all
Many theories regarding the creation of the Universe rose and fell, and no scientist can positively say he knows the secret of creation. After the creation of world, after the first Sabbath, started the eighth day – and with it a new chapter in Man's existence, who was released from the womb of creation and entered this world in order to complete his mission and be a "partner" with God in the rectification of this world
According to this method, we can see the Brit as the first step in Man's task of rectifying this world. Actually, is there really a big difference between the two methods? Isn't the fact that God designated us, mere mortals made of blood and flesh, with such a lofty mission as rectifying the world, the greatest wonder that we could think of
The Brit on the Reproduction Organ
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In every performance of a Mitzvah we can distinguish between two realms: The revealed and the hidden. The revealed act of the Brit is the removal of the foreskin which covers the male reproductive organ
However, in the hidden realm, we recognize the physical foreskin as symbolizing man's tendency to be absorbed in himself, and thus oblivious to others and insensitive to his surroundings. From this we understand that circumcision symbolizes our departure from ourselves, in order to give of ourselves to others
The first and most natural circle of giving, is to our spouse, as the entire life connection with them is built on sensitivity, acknowledgment and caring
The moment a person breaks the barrier of insensitivity and succeeds in giving to their spouse, his gift sprouts new life of a new generation, which descends to this world and opens a wide and significant circle of giving, which expands and continues for many good years
The Holy Zohar calls the reproduction organ "The End of the Body", meaning the lowest place, in which the strongest inclination lies. In many cultures, this inclination is referred to as a snake, which springs out from unexpected places and kills with its bite, but every culture deals with this inclination differently
Christianity, the "mother" of western thinking, attempts to "subdue it" into the "deepest dungeons" of the soul, hoping that it will not arise from there
In the Orient, they attempt to silence it through various spiritual and physical means
However, Judaism is not like either of these cultures. From our holy books, we learn that the dwelling place of the strongest inclination is also the only place from which a creation has the power to create, to be a utensil through which we create new life
Because of this, we will not subdue it nor silence it. Instead we will fix it by removing the foreskin, the outer covering which causes the organ to be closed and sealed in its own personal and physical needs, to see himself as the forefront of everything and to forget the lofty and exalted connection through which he receives his own life and through which he becomes a partner in bringing new life to this world
Through this deeper outlook we find a new meaning to the verse "Hear O Israel, God is our Lord, God is One", which is said at the time of the Brit. God is One, and in this oneness we find our strengths, inclinations and desires, as well as their essence and real purpose
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