레위기 12:3의 유대 사상

There are commandments that serve as reminders of the fundamental commandments, such as the observance of the Sabbath, which commemorates the work of Creation, and the cessation of slave labor, which recalls the Exodus from Egypt. Similarly, the Passover, the matzah, the bitter herbs, the Feast of Tabernacles, the mezuzah, the hand and head Tefillin, and the tzitzit are all reminders. Although the blue thread is not indispensable, similar to how the absence of bitter herbs does not invalidate the obligation of eating matzah, the blue thread serves as a reminder. Therefore, the robe of the High Priest is entirely made of blue, and the golden plate on the headgear is tied with a blue cord. However, one should not wrap themselves in a prayer shawl or perform a complete mitzvah while in the marketplace, as the heart may be more prone to wander after the eyes than during prayer. I mention this because I have witnessed many individuals who are not God-fearing, yet they wrap themselves in a prayer shawl out of self-respect. The ephod and the breastplate also serve as memorials. Similarly, the sciatic nerve, which is prohibited for consumption, serves as a reversal of the eating of the Passover offering. Now I will explain that just as when a father receives upon himself and his descendants the obligation of hearing the voice of the father, as in the days of Purim and the laws of fasting, it is written in the scroll (Esther 9:27), "And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter of Purim." They established the days of Purim for themselves and for their descendants, as the prophets and elders of the earlier generations enacted these fasts due to the calamities that befell them. Thus, they fulfilled the words of the four fasts that are recorded in the Twelve Prophets. If one does not transgress the commandments of our Lord, it is enough. And the reason for this matter is so that the kindness that the Lord bestowed upon Jacob, who alone is our father and does not share it with others like Abraham and Isaac, is remembered. For the Lord chose him and did not mix with his descendants, unlike those whom the Lord did not choose, like the Canaanites, as mentioned in the Torah (Genesis 9:25): "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." Canaan, who is from the descendants of Shem, the father of all the Hebrews, was cursed and not redeemed through their food and wine, as it is stated. And the prophet said (Hosea 12:3): "He took his brother by the heel," and the meaning of "the sons trembled" (meaning, the sons of Jacob) is explained there in Hosea. And it testifies regarding Judah, and afterwards it says, "in the womb he took his brother by the heel," which means that the Lord granted him strength so that his hand would grasp the heel of Esau before he emerged from the womb. And he did not do so for every newborn. And those who claim that this occurred after his birth is not plausible, for it is written, "His hand took hold," and if it were according to their words, it would have been written, "And afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold." Furthermore, while he was still in the womb, Jacob grasped his brother's heel, and in his strength, he contended with God and struggled with the angel but could not prevail. And behold, he has a great merit. Additionally, according to the wisdom of physicians, each organ retains the impression of its form if it is healthy, and the opposite is true as well. And because it is written (Genesis 32:26), "And he touched the socket of Jacob's thigh," therefore, he would not eat from that day forward. They are obligated to show honor to their father, and I needed to elaborate on this matter because it is understood according to the straightforward meaning. Only the statute is mentioned, and there is nothing like the rite of circumcision. As it is written (Leviticus 12:3), "And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." It is also written concerning the matter (Deuteronomy 5:16), "The orphan and the widow you shall remember, for you were slaves in Egypt, and you shall not overpower the works of my hands, says the Lord."

This law can only be kept and perpetuated in its perfection, if circumcision is performed when the child is very young, and this for three good reasons. First, if the operation were postponed till the boy had grown up, he would perhaps not submit to it. Secondly, the young child has not much pain, because the skin is tender, and the imagination weak; for grown-up persons are in dread and fear of things which they imagine as coming, some time before these actually occur. Thirdly, when a child is very young, the parents do not think much of him; because the image of the child, that leads the parents to love him, has not yet taken a firm root in their minds. That image becomes stronger by the continual sight; it grows with the development of the child, and later on the image begins again to decrease and to vanish. The parents’ love for a new-born child is not so great as it is when the child is one year old; and when one year old, it is less loved by them than when six years old. The feeling and love of the father for the child would have led him to neglect the law if he were allowed to wait two or three years, whilst shortly after birth the image is very weak in the mind of the parent, especially of the father who is responsible for the execution of this commandment. The circumcision must take place on the eighth day (Lev. 12:3), because all living beings are after birth, within the first seven days, very weak and exceedingly tender, as if they were still in the womb of their mother; not until the eighth day can they be counted among those that enjoy the light of the world. That this is also the case with beasts may be inferred from the words of Scripture: “Seven days shall it be under the dam” (Lev. 22:27), as if it had no vitality before the end of that period. In the same manner man is circumcised after the completion of seven days. The period has been fixed, and has not been left to everybody’s judgment.

Hashem also commanded Mosheh: "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a woman gives birth to a male child, on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." (Leviticus 12:2-3)