Cytowanie Komentarza do Psalmów 119:162

וביום, “and on the day, etc.;” the reason why the Torah had to write this word is to teach us that if for some reason the circumcision had been delayed beyond the eighth day it must not be performed at night but on the nearest day thereafter possible, except on the Sabbath, as the Sabbath may be desecrated only when the circumcision is performed on the eighth day after birth. (Sifra)her for her husband. וביום השמיני ימול, and on the eighth day the baby is to be circumcised; Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai’s students asked him why that day had been chosen by G-d for circumcision of the newly born; (not sooner) he answered them that this was so that the whole family could rejoice in that celebration, as otherwise the mother of the child could not participate in the joyful activity due to her still being ritually unclean. That day has been described as a joyful occasion in Psalms 119,162: שש אנכי על אמרתך, the psalmist proclaiming “I rejoice over Your promise,” and our sages in the Talmud tractate Shabbat folio 130 understand David as having referred to the day the child is circumcised. On the face of it this is a remarkable statement as one would expect both parents to be saddened by the fact that they cannot indulge in marital relations until then; however as soon as the mother has immersed herself in a ritual bath on the evening after the seventh day, she is free to resume normal relations with her husband. Thus on the eighth day the whole family can rejoice. The reason why this commandment has been repeated is to remind us that it is so important that it be performed on the eighth day that it overrides the work prohibition on the Sabbath.

The prohibition of things a mourner must not do mentioned in that chapter comprises five items: 1) washing oneself, 2) anointing one’s skin with oil or other lotions; 3) sexual intercourse, 4) attending to one’s business, 5) study of Torah. Anyone of the aforementioned activities comes under the heading of שמחה, an activity which causes joy. Seeing that joy is the opposite of mourning, it stands to reason that these items are forbidden to people observing mourning. Attending to business and the study of Torah are lumped together in a single verse when David said in Psalms 119,162: שש אנכי על אמרתך כמוצא שלל רב, “I rejoice over Your words as one who has found a great spoil.” This proves that both pursuits are described as resulting in joy. Isaiah 9,2 also makes it plain that joy, גילה, is associated with the acquisition of spoils.

Did the people of Israel deserve to be redeemed or were they redeemed simply because of God’s promise to our forefather, Abraham. Despite the fact that we were naked and bare of mitzvot, or maybe because we lacked commandments, God gave us the opportunity to make ourselves worthy of redemption. It was not the Passover offering that became the turning point but circumcision, brit milah.
But you were still naked and bare: King David said, “I rejoice over your promise as one who obtains great spoil.”⁵⁸Psalms 119:162 This is a reference to the time David saw himself naked of any mitzvot except for the one inscribed in his flesh: circumcision. The word michtam,⁵⁹Psalm 16:1, the meaning of the word is uncertain.is interpreted as makah tam – that he had a whole wound. This is a reference to the fact that tradition has it that King David was born circumcised so he had no wound caused by circumcision. David, then, rejoiced in fulfilling this mitzvah even though he did not have to be circumcised to fulfill it – he still considered it a “great spoil.”
Similarly, the people rejoiced in the mitzvah of circumcision in Egypt because through this commandment they knew they would be released from exile, and they would no longer be “naked and bare” of commandments. It was also through this commandment that they gained “great spoil,” from the Egyptians, just like King David would. The great spoil was the Divine sparks that they redeemed and took out of the land of Egypt through the Exodus and the redemption of the people of Israel.
The second mitzvah which made the people of Israel worthy of redemption was the Passover offering. Midrash Mekhilta asks why the taking of the paschal lamb preceding its slaughter by four days? Israel did not become worthy of redemption until they had fulfilled two commandments. One does not receive a reward for a good deed until one has performed some type of act. By setting aside the lamb for four days they showed their willingness to put their trust in God.
So what was the reason for the four days? Scripture also suggests that circumcision should have been enough reason for Israel to be redeemed so why was it necessary to have a second commandment?
The main reason that Israel was redeemed was because of circumcision. But the circumcision of a gentile would not have counted as the fulfillment of a commandment in Israel’s favor. Therefore the people of Israel first had to atone for the sin of idolatry; they did this by setting aside the paschal lamb as an offering to show their rejection of Egypt’s deity. Having set aside the lamb, then they were circumcised and only then did they bring a sacrifice to God. The first mitzvah, then, was setting aside the lamb to show their rejection of idolatry.