Commentaire sur La Genèse 17:11

ונמלתם AND YE SHALL CIRCUMCISE — This word, in spite of the נ in it, is not Niphal but the same as ומלתם and the נ in it is an addition to the root, which only sometimes appears in it, as, for example, the נ of נושך and of ונמלתם ;(נושא is Kal like ונשאתם “and ye shall carry” (Genesis 45:19), but יִמּוֹל (Genesis 17:12 and Genesis 17:13) is a Niphal form — “shall be circumcised” — like יֵעָשֶׂה “it shall be done”, and יֵאָכֵל “it shall be eaten”.

לאות ברית, as a constant reminder to walk in His paths. The sign of the circumcision is to be like the stamp on the skin of a slave identifying him as belonging to a certain master.

ונמלתם, this is the positive commandment to the father to circumcise his male child, or to the son to perform circumcision on himself when he reaches the age of manhood if it has not been performed on him before then by the court.

As ומלתם ... I.e., although it is not in the imperative form, it is a command.

Es ist hier geschieden zwischen dem, was der Akt der Mila an sich ist und was die vollzogene Mila an unserem Leibe bedeutet. In dem Augenblick, in welchem die Gesamtheit oder, als deren nächster Vertreter seinem Kinde gegenüber, der Vater dem Kinde mit dem scharfen Messer das: די! aufdrückt, in diesem Augenblicke zeichnet er sein Kind als Träger der Bestimmung, dem ׳א׳ ש zu gehorchen; dies ist שמירת הברית, die Forttradierung der Bundesverpflichtung. Dieser Akt wird an uns ohne unser Bewusstsein vollzogen. Dadurch aber, ׳ונמלתם וג, werden wir alle die Mila an uns tragen, והיה לאות ברית und sie wird uns zum Zeichen, zur steten Erinnerung an unsere Verbindung mit Gott und unsere Verpflichtung gegen Gott, nie ערל בשר zu werden, nie zügellos, ausschweifend zu werden, sondern mit unserer ganzen leiblichen Sinnlichkeit und selbst mit dem heftigsten Triebe den Wandel vor dem Angesichte des allem Maß und Ziel setzenden Gottes zu führen. Nicht כריתה, Vernichtung, מילה "Beschränkung" ist der Grundbegriff des Gottesbundes. Zölibat und Kastrierung sind dem jüdischen Gottesbunde ebenso fluchwürdige Auswüchse, als Wollust und Ausschweifung. Das Sinnlichste, sittlich umschränkt, Gott heilig machen, heißt: Jude sein.

"And it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you". A symbol and a sign that I am the Master and you are my servants, and the sign is sealed in a private place that will not be seen. The reason for this is so that the (non-Jewish) nations of the world won't say that the Jews are blemished ("ba'alei mumin"). And since the Holy One, Blessed be He, commanded men and not women, we learn that the place of manhod ("makom zachrut") was where God commanded to seal the covenant. And the blood of niddah that women guard, and tell their openings to their husbands, this is to them the blood of the covenant ("dam brit").

ונמלתם, “you shall circumcise yourselves;” all those who had not been circumcised on the eighth day after birth.

לאות ברית, as a mark of the covenant; although there are other symbolic acts which are signs of the covenant and the obligation to keep the laws of the Torah, such as the phylacteries, the fringes, the Sabbath, etc., this symbol is by far the most potent one, the only one to be performed on one's body. The other "signs" are only a reminder. This is the only such "sign" to be performed on one's body. Seeing that this is so, The Torah chose to select the reproductive organ of the male, seeing that most of the sins one commits are somehow related to this organ and involve misuse of that organ. It is the organ, which, unless handled with care, is apt to allow the bestial party of the human being to come to the surface, thereby weakening the aspect of our nature which wishes to cling to godliness. When looking at that part of one's body one reminds oneself automatically that G'd has forbidden Jews to engage in recreational sexual activities, in mating with partners which the Torah has forbidden in the interest of purity, etc. Sexual emissions are to be used only for the purpose of impregnating one's wife or when prescribed for medical reason by a physician.

והיה לאות ברית, “it will be the enduring symbol of the covenant.” The act of circumcision will make you known as my servants.

As in יעשה יאכל. The words יעשה יאכל are vocalized with a צירי under the י.