Chasidut su Levitico 12:78
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,2. “when a woman brings forth seed and gives birth to a male infant,….on the eight’s day the flesh of his foreskin must be removed.”
Many scholars have asked what conceptual link there is of the circumcision having to be performed on the eight’s day after infant’s birth. [Naturally, the Torah’s command, dating back to the circumcision of Yitzchok was accepted without question. Ed.]
[The reader may not find the author’s answer to the question below as fitting the question after having read it. I therefore take the liberty of prefacing his treatment of the subject by reminding the reader that the commandment to be circumcised is addressed to the person himself, not to his father or some other authority. The author addresses the question of why the timing of the circumcision has been advanced so much by the Torah that the infant in question evidently is unable to perform the act himself. In other words, the question as to the timing when the circumcision has to be performed could equally well have been asked if the Torah had decreed the ninth day after the child’s birth, when according to halachah, the function of the penis as a male organ becomes relevant for the first time. Ed.]
We have learned in the Zohar II,13 that G’d created the various universes in order that He be perceived by His creatures as רחום וחנון, ”compassionate and graceful;” on occasion G’d’s compassion is “awakened” by acts performed by the Jewish people, as our sages said in Yevamot 64 where the question is asked from where we have proof in the holy Scriptures that G’d longs to hear the prayers of the righteous. Apart from quoting a verse in Isaiah, the proof is deduced from the fact that Sarah, Rivkah and Rachel were not granted children until they had turned to G’d in prayer.
What we learn from the above is that although G’d initiates compassion and grace, He prefers the human input, i.e. when human beings demonstrate their belief in Him through praying to Him for their needs.
This is the allusion contained in the opening verse of our portion אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, “when the woman (simile for human beings in their capacity as “recipients,”) wishes to arouse heavenly compassion, תזריע, (as simile for the source of all compassion), וילדה זכר, as a result she will give birth (successfully awaken) the masculine attribute of G’d, the source of all compassion, (compassion spelled with a capital C.) The overall message of our verse is that when G’d’s compassion is awakened through action by His creatures, it is strengthened immeasurably. This concept is reflected in the commandment to circumcise the new born infant already on the eight’s day of his life.
The whole idea is explained best when we consider the story of the blasphemer who wanted to know from Rabbi Akiva whether man’s creative actions are more impressive and pleasing than G’d’s actions. (Compare Tanchuma Tazria 5) Without repeating the entire debate related there in which the blasphemer argued that man could not create a universe, Rabbi Akiva who had first pointed out that the fact that we must cut the baby’s umbilical cord, proves that man’s actions are more important. Rabbi Akiva goes on to explain that man’s being born with a foreskin which subsequently is removed is not proof of G’d’s inadequacy, but, on the contrary, is proof that G’d desires for man to perform the “final” touch before a human being (male) is complete, i.e. perfect. G’d chose the earliest possible time in the infant’s life to do this, i.e. the eight’s day, as prior to this the operation endangers the life of the infant. By performing this commandment at the correct time, the father/mohel becomes the instrument that opens the gates to G’d’s compassion in the celestial regions.
Many scholars have asked what conceptual link there is of the circumcision having to be performed on the eight’s day after infant’s birth. [Naturally, the Torah’s command, dating back to the circumcision of Yitzchok was accepted without question. Ed.]
[The reader may not find the author’s answer to the question below as fitting the question after having read it. I therefore take the liberty of prefacing his treatment of the subject by reminding the reader that the commandment to be circumcised is addressed to the person himself, not to his father or some other authority. The author addresses the question of why the timing of the circumcision has been advanced so much by the Torah that the infant in question evidently is unable to perform the act himself. In other words, the question as to the timing when the circumcision has to be performed could equally well have been asked if the Torah had decreed the ninth day after the child’s birth, when according to halachah, the function of the penis as a male organ becomes relevant for the first time. Ed.]
We have learned in the Zohar II,13 that G’d created the various universes in order that He be perceived by His creatures as רחום וחנון, ”compassionate and graceful;” on occasion G’d’s compassion is “awakened” by acts performed by the Jewish people, as our sages said in Yevamot 64 where the question is asked from where we have proof in the holy Scriptures that G’d longs to hear the prayers of the righteous. Apart from quoting a verse in Isaiah, the proof is deduced from the fact that Sarah, Rivkah and Rachel were not granted children until they had turned to G’d in prayer.
What we learn from the above is that although G’d initiates compassion and grace, He prefers the human input, i.e. when human beings demonstrate their belief in Him through praying to Him for their needs.
This is the allusion contained in the opening verse of our portion אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, “when the woman (simile for human beings in their capacity as “recipients,”) wishes to arouse heavenly compassion, תזריע, (as simile for the source of all compassion), וילדה זכר, as a result she will give birth (successfully awaken) the masculine attribute of G’d, the source of all compassion, (compassion spelled with a capital C.) The overall message of our verse is that when G’d’s compassion is awakened through action by His creatures, it is strengthened immeasurably. This concept is reflected in the commandment to circumcise the new born infant already on the eight’s day of his life.
The whole idea is explained best when we consider the story of the blasphemer who wanted to know from Rabbi Akiva whether man’s creative actions are more impressive and pleasing than G’d’s actions. (Compare Tanchuma Tazria 5) Without repeating the entire debate related there in which the blasphemer argued that man could not create a universe, Rabbi Akiva who had first pointed out that the fact that we must cut the baby’s umbilical cord, proves that man’s actions are more important. Rabbi Akiva goes on to explain that man’s being born with a foreskin which subsequently is removed is not proof of G’d’s inadequacy, but, on the contrary, is proof that G’d desires for man to perform the “final” touch before a human being (male) is complete, i.e. perfect. G’d chose the earliest possible time in the infant’s life to do this, i.e. the eight’s day, as prior to this the operation endangers the life of the infant. By performing this commandment at the correct time, the father/mohel becomes the instrument that opens the gates to G’d’s compassion in the celestial regions.
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Kedushat Levi
An alternate explanation of the line: אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, “when a woman orgasms before her partner, the resulting infant is a male.” (Compare Rashi based on B’rachot 60 and Niddah 25.)
This also helps to explain the disagreement between the sages if the universe was created in Nissan or in Tishrey, and that the final redemption will also occur in the month corresponding to the creation of the universe. (Compare Rosh Hashanah 10)
We subscribe to the rule that G’d, even without being aroused by man through his actions to extend compassion, will occasionally do so without prompting. On other occasions, He waits with manifesting His compassion until actions by His creatures, i.e. positive actions by the Jewish people, His people, encourage, i.e. “awaken” Him to do so. The “actions” we refer to are the dutiful and joyful performance of the commandments laid down in G’d’s Torah. When G’d’s compassion has been aroused through mitzvah performance, the result of G’d’s manifesting His compassion and providing His largesse will be far more impressive than if He had had to display it without having been “awakened.” The Torah occasionally refers to G’d as איש, “man,” albeit in the construct sense as an attribute, of course, not as part of His essence.
[Example: (Exodus 15,3) ה' איש מלחמה, “G’d is a man of war,” or when an angel appears to Joshua in the guise of a human being and is referred to as איש before identifying himself as an angel, (Joshua 5,13) and similar examples where the expression איש אלוקים, appears to minimize the difference between creature and Creator. Ed.]
Whenever the Torah uses the term איש as a simile for Divinity, the accompanying term אשה also is to be viewed as Divinity, i.e. the feminine receptive aspect of Divinity, or His creatures.
When the Talmud states that when אשה מזרעת תחלה, normally translated as “when the woman orgasms first,” the deeper meaning is when the woman initiates the conception of life, i.e. she has aroused G’d’s compassion, then the “birth” of the resulting זכר, male, did not have to contend with obstructions by negative forces in the universe, whereas when the part of the איש, the part that should have been the initiating part in this interchange has been reduced to that of merely being responsive, the product described is called נקבה, “a female,” i.e. reflecting the fact that it had not been initiated by man’s good deeds, but by G’d’s magnanimity in displaying His compassion without having specific reason to do so.
“Birth” of a נקבה, “female,” is a simile for obstacles of a spiritual nature having accompanied the preceding “pregnancy,” [and it is no wonder that the period of ritual impurity of the mother after she has giving birth to a female infant is so much longer than when she gave birth to a זכר, “male. Ed.]
According to our author the lengthy debate in the Talmud Rosh Hashanah about the month during which the final redemption will occur, does not reflect a dispute. [The introductory “argument” about the “month” in which G’d created the universe is used only as a parallel, seeing that “Time” had not been created at the point when G’d said: “let there be light.” Ed.]
According to our author there is not really any argument between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua about the “month” when the final redemption will occur. The month of Tishrey is a symbol in which the letters appears in the reverse order of the aleph bet, reflecting the concept of the אור חוזד, G’d’s original light returning after having absorbed human input, especially human input welcome to G’d, i.e. teshuvah repentance. The month of ניסן symbolizing as it does אביב, spring, the letters אב appearing in their normal order, symbolizes the original light emanating from G’d, something that contained no human input. If the Jewish people at the time of the final redemption deserve it, the redemption is viewed as occurring in Tishrey, whereas if they do not deserve it, it is viewed as occurring in Nissan, a period when the attribute of Justice has no foothold as the world was created by pure חסד by G’d, there not having being any need to co-opt the attribute of Justice at that time. Neither of the sages claimed to be a prophet who had foreseen what the moral condition of the Jewish people would be at the time of the redemption.
This also helps to explain the disagreement between the sages if the universe was created in Nissan or in Tishrey, and that the final redemption will also occur in the month corresponding to the creation of the universe. (Compare Rosh Hashanah 10)
We subscribe to the rule that G’d, even without being aroused by man through his actions to extend compassion, will occasionally do so without prompting. On other occasions, He waits with manifesting His compassion until actions by His creatures, i.e. positive actions by the Jewish people, His people, encourage, i.e. “awaken” Him to do so. The “actions” we refer to are the dutiful and joyful performance of the commandments laid down in G’d’s Torah. When G’d’s compassion has been aroused through mitzvah performance, the result of G’d’s manifesting His compassion and providing His largesse will be far more impressive than if He had had to display it without having been “awakened.” The Torah occasionally refers to G’d as איש, “man,” albeit in the construct sense as an attribute, of course, not as part of His essence.
[Example: (Exodus 15,3) ה' איש מלחמה, “G’d is a man of war,” or when an angel appears to Joshua in the guise of a human being and is referred to as איש before identifying himself as an angel, (Joshua 5,13) and similar examples where the expression איש אלוקים, appears to minimize the difference between creature and Creator. Ed.]
Whenever the Torah uses the term איש as a simile for Divinity, the accompanying term אשה also is to be viewed as Divinity, i.e. the feminine receptive aspect of Divinity, or His creatures.
When the Talmud states that when אשה מזרעת תחלה, normally translated as “when the woman orgasms first,” the deeper meaning is when the woman initiates the conception of life, i.e. she has aroused G’d’s compassion, then the “birth” of the resulting זכר, male, did not have to contend with obstructions by negative forces in the universe, whereas when the part of the איש, the part that should have been the initiating part in this interchange has been reduced to that of merely being responsive, the product described is called נקבה, “a female,” i.e. reflecting the fact that it had not been initiated by man’s good deeds, but by G’d’s magnanimity in displaying His compassion without having specific reason to do so.
“Birth” of a נקבה, “female,” is a simile for obstacles of a spiritual nature having accompanied the preceding “pregnancy,” [and it is no wonder that the period of ritual impurity of the mother after she has giving birth to a female infant is so much longer than when she gave birth to a זכר, “male. Ed.]
According to our author the lengthy debate in the Talmud Rosh Hashanah about the month during which the final redemption will occur, does not reflect a dispute. [The introductory “argument” about the “month” in which G’d created the universe is used only as a parallel, seeing that “Time” had not been created at the point when G’d said: “let there be light.” Ed.]
According to our author there is not really any argument between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua about the “month” when the final redemption will occur. The month of Tishrey is a symbol in which the letters appears in the reverse order of the aleph bet, reflecting the concept of the אור חוזד, G’d’s original light returning after having absorbed human input, especially human input welcome to G’d, i.e. teshuvah repentance. The month of ניסן symbolizing as it does אביב, spring, the letters אב appearing in their normal order, symbolizes the original light emanating from G’d, something that contained no human input. If the Jewish people at the time of the final redemption deserve it, the redemption is viewed as occurring in Tishrey, whereas if they do not deserve it, it is viewed as occurring in Nissan, a period when the attribute of Justice has no foothold as the world was created by pure חסד by G’d, there not having being any need to co-opt the attribute of Justice at that time. Neither of the sages claimed to be a prophet who had foreseen what the moral condition of the Jewish people would be at the time of the redemption.
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