Question: If Abraham was commanded to circumcise his descendants on the eighth day, why do Arabs – who claim to descend from Abraham through Yishmael – wait until their children are 13 to circumcise them? I am aware that this is a matter of little consequence to our people. Nevertheless, this inconsistency is one that piques my curiosity.
M. Goldman
(Via E-mail)
Summary of our response up to this point: We started our discussion by citing the source for the commandment to circumcise a baby boy – Genesis 17:9-14. These verses are verbose, which teaches us how significant a brit milah is and hints at the great reward in store for those who fulfill it.
We noted that Abraham was 99 years old when G-d commanded him to circumcise himself and his household. His son Ishmael was 13 at the time. The Torah specifies that a circumcision should be performed on the eighth day of a boy’s life (as long as he is in good health, as the Talmud explains).
The Abrabanel notes that the covenant of milah includes inheriting the land of Canaan. Each Israelite grants this inheritance to his newborn son through brit milah.
We examined who exactly was given the commandment of brit milah. Was it only for Abraham and his children? Were Keturah’s children included? How about their children? Rashi states that Keturah’s grandchildren were not obligated to have a brit. The Rambam disagrees. He maintains that all of Keturah’s descendants must have a brit. Nowadays, though, the descendants of Keturah are interspersed with the descendants of Ishmael; we therefore don’t know who descends from Keturah.
We discussed the biblical prohibition against an Ammonite or Moabite entering the Jewish nation and noted that it is not upheld nowadays since Sennaherib, king of Assyria, mingled all the nations and we don’t know who belongs to which nation. We suggested, however, that according to the Rambam the descendants of Keturah, plus the descendants of Ishmael, might together comprise the Arab nations.
We asked why Abraham, if he kept all the mitzvot even before they were given, waited until such an advanced age to circumcise himself and his household. The Ramban explains that Abraham knew that he would eventually be commanded to do so and wished to wait for that command.
Last week, we reviewed Bereishit Rabbah 64:3, which explains that following the akeidah, Isaac was considered a “sacrifice” by G-d and so could not leave the geographical limits of the Holy Land. We wondered why G-d tested Abraham with the akeidah after he had already passed so many other tests, thus proving his loyalty. Why would He ask him to sacrifice the son whom He had promised would be his heir?
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 89b), which discusses the events leading up to the akeidah will help us answer these questions.
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“Va’yehi achar hadevarim ha’eleh v’haElokim nisa et Avraham va’yomer eilav Avraham va’yomer hineni. Va’yomer kach no et bin’cha et yechidecha asher ahavta et Yitzchak v’lech lecha el eretz hamoriah v’ha’alehu shom l’olah al ached heharim asher omar elecha – And it happened after these things that G-d tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham,’ and he replied, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Bring him up there as an offering upon one of the mountains that I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:1-2).
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 89b) asks, “What is implied by the word ‘after’?R. Johanan said in the name of R. Jose b. Zimra: After the words of Satan, as it says (Genesis 21:8), ‘Vayigdal hayeled vayigamal [vaya’as Avraham mishtehgadol b’yom higamel et Yitzchak] – The child grew and was weaned [and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned].’ Thereupon Satan said before Holy One Blessed Is He, ‘Master of the Universe, you benefited this old man with a child at the [advanced] age of 100, yet of the entire banquet he prepared, he gave You not even one turtle dove or pigeon as a sacrifice. Rather, all he did was in honor of his son.’ [G-d] replied, ‘Were I to say to him, “Sacrifice your son before Me,” he would not hesitate to do so.’ It was then that G-d tested him and said, ‘Please take your son.’