Comentario sobre Génesis 17:12

יליד בית HE THAT IS BORN IN THE HOUSE — one to whom a handmaid gave birth in the house.

ובן שמונת ימים ימול, he is to be circumcised when 8 days old; a passive mode of the root מול. Accordingly, we must understand that the primary duty of performing the circumcision is that of the baby's father.

(12-13) Wir haben im 4. und 5. Jahrgang des Jeschurun eine ausführliche Entwicklung der Milainstitution und ihrer Bedeutung versucht, und verweisen hierauf insbesondere noch hinsichtlich der Bestimmung, die Beschneidung am achten Tage, — (in besonderen Fällen auch sofort am ersten) — vorzunehmen.

מקנת כסף HE THAT IS BOUGHT WITH THY MONEY — one whom a person bought after his birth.

כל זכר לדורותיכם, this refers to the Israelites.

יליד בית, any member of the family born in the house.

ומקנת כסף אשר לא מזרעך הוא, or a slave purchased by money who is not of your seed. Both those who were born to other slaves owned by you, or even slaves purchased from the outside before eight days old must be circumcised when they reach that age. If such a slave was purchased by a Jew after he was already more than eight days old, you do not wait with performing this commandment. This is also why all of the male members of Avraham's household were circumcised by him at the same time he performed the operation on himself. He did not have any male members of his household who were less than 8 days old. This, at any rate, is the plain meaning of our text. Our sages, (Shabbat 135) reacting to the repetition of the words המול ימול, use this to reason that the Torah spoke of two different dates as being appropriate for the circumcision of gentile slaves. 1) There are some who have to be circumcised immediately; 2) there are others who must be circumcised on the eighth day. If one had purchased a female slave who was pregnant, he son when born must be circumcised forthwith. If the female slave had undergone ritual immersion prior to giving birth to her son he will be circumcised when eight days old like any other Jewish ale baby. If one had purchased a gentile slave (female) who had become pregnant while in the household of her Jewish master, the baby will be circumcised on the eighth day. If one had purchased a female slave with a view of keeping only her baby when born, i.e. not needing to convert his mother, or one had purchased the mother with the express proviso not to convert her by subjecting her to a ritual immersion, the baby born by her is also one that needs immediate circumcision, seeing it is not a Jewish baby as yet.