Мидраш к Берешит 17:3

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: Before your circumcision you prostrated yourself when you addressed Me, as is said: And Abraham fell on his face; and God talked with him (Gen. 17:3); but after he was circumcised, the Holy One, blessed be He, stood while Abraham remained seated, as it is said: And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre as he sat in the tent door (ibid. 18:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, disclosed to Abraham His decision to destroy the five cities of Sodom only because of that merit (of the circumcision), as is said: And the Lord said: Shall I hide from Abraham?

(Gen. 17:2:) AND LET ME PUT MY COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND YOU. This text is related (to Ps. 25:14): THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM, AND HE MAKES HIS COVENANT KNOWN TO THEM.⁹⁹Tanh., Gen. 3:19; Gen. R. 49:2 (but not in the Theodor edition). What is the secret of the Holy One. This is circumcision, since the Holy One revealed the mystery¹⁰⁰Gk.: mysterion. of circumcision to no one but Abraham, as stated (ibid.): THE SECRET (SWD) OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. What is the meaning of SWD? One's years: S is sixty; W is six; D is four. That makes seventy years. See, the Holy One said: Out of you I am raising up seventy souls, as stated (in Deut. 10:22): WITH SEVENTY SOULS < DID YOUR ANCESTORS GO DOWN TO EGYPT >. And out of them < I > am raising up seventy elders, as stated (in Numb. 11:16): < GATHER FOR ME > SEVENTY PEOPLE FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL. And I am raising up Moses, who will study the Torah in seventy languages, as stated (in Deut. 1:5f.): < MOSES UNDERTOOK TO EXPOUND >¹⁰¹According to Rashi, EXPOUND implies that Moses explained the Torah for all seventy nations in their own languages. THIS TORAH, SAYING: THE LORD SPOKE TO US IN HOREB. Ergo (in Ps. 25:4): THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. He said to him: It is enough for a slave to be equal to his owner.¹⁰²Cf. Matthew 10:24-25; Luke 6:40; John 13:16. It is comparable to a king who had a friend that had more than enough wealth. The king said: What shall I give to my friend? He has silver and gold, male and female slaves, and cattle. But look, I will gird him with my armor.¹⁰³Gk.: zone, i.e., “girdle.” Thus the Holy One said: What shall I give to you? I have already given you silver and gold, male and female slaves, and cattle, as stated (in Gen. 13:2): AND ABRAM WAS VERY RICH < IN CATTLE, IN SILVER, AND IN GOLD >. So what shall I give you? It is enough for you to be like me, as stated (in Gen. 17:2-4): AND LET ME PUT MY COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND YOU … THEN ABRAHAM FELL UPON HIS FACE … AS FOR ME, BEHOLD, MY COVENANT IS WITH YOU. Ergo (in Ps. 25:14): THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

(Gen. 17:3:) THEN ABRAHAM FELL ON HIS FACE. Before he performed circumcision, he would fall < on his face before the Holy One >.¹¹⁵Tanh., Gen. 3:20. After he performed circumcision he did not fall < on his face >. Moreover, the wicked go down into Gehinnom only because of foreskin, as stated (in Is. 5:14): THEREFORE SHEOL HAS ENLARGED ITS DESIRE < AND OPENED ITS MOUTH FOR THOSE WITHOUT A STATUTE > (i.e., without circumcision). In the world to come, however, the Holy One will save Israel from Gehinnom by virtue of circumcision, as stated (in Prov. 31:21): SHE (i.e., Israel) HAS NO FEAR FOR HER HOUSEHOLD ON ACCOUNT OF (Gehinnom's) SNOW BECAUSE ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE DRESSED IN SCARLET.¹¹⁶Scarlet is the color of the blood from circumcision. Buber suggests reading SCARLET as TWICE in accordance with PRK 10:4, according to which the household of Israel wears the two parts of circumcision, the cutting off of the foreskin and the rolling back of the inner lining of the prepuce.