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Why does Yitzchok seemingly belittle his own bris milah when responding to Yishmael's boast about choosing circumcision at age thirteen? Yitzchok distinguishes between milah (the physical act requiring choice and courage) versus bris milah (creating an inherent spiritual reality of belonging to Hashem (ה׳) from infancy). This explains how Yitzchok's readiness for the Akeidah wasn't hypothetical but reflected his embedded nature as an eved Hashem.
The shiur begins with the Torah (תורה)'s account that Yishmael underwent milah at thirteen years old while Yitzchok was commanded to have his milah at eight days old. Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L examines Rashi (רש"י)'s explanation of the phrase "acharei hadevarim eileh" in next week's parsha regarding the Akeidas Yitzchok, which refers to a conversation between Yishmael and Yitzchok about their respective circumcisions. Yishmael boasted that his milah was superior because he was thirteen and could have protested, while Yitzchok responded that if Hashem (ה׳) asked him to sacrifice himself, he would willingly do so. The shiur addresses several difficulties with this exchange: why does Yitzchok seem to belittle the mitzvah (מצוה) of Bris Milah by calling it "just one limb" or "three drops of blood," and how is his hypothetical willingness a proper response to Yishmael's actual deed? Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L also discusses the Ibn Ezra's question about why the Torah emphasizes only Avrohom's greatness in the Akeidas Yitzchok story without mentioning Yitzchok's role, despite Yitzchok being thirty-seven years old according to the Midrash. The answer lies in understanding the fundamental difference between milah and Bris Milah. Yishmael's milah was indeed a choice - he was thirteen, understood what was happening, and could have refused but didn't. This was a significant achievement and demonstrated his willingness to serve Hashem despite pain and sacrifice. However, Yitzchok explains that this represents only the physical aspect of milah - the pain, blood, and one limb. Yitzchok's Bris Milah, performed at eight days old without his choice, created an entirely different reality. It established that he belonged to Hashem from infancy, making him an eved Hashem by nature rather than by choice. When Yitzchok says he would sacrifice himself if asked, he's not making an empty boast but describing a spiritual reality embedded within him through his Bris Milah. The mitzvah of milah is unique in that while the father performs it, the ultimate obligation and potential punishment of kares falls on the individual. This reflects the concept that ideally, a person should never have to choose milah because it should already be established, representing the recognition that we belong to Hashem inherently. For Avrohom Avinu, the Akeidas Yitzchok was indeed a tremendous test because he had to reach the madreigah of recognizing that everything, even Hashem's promises to him, ultimately belongs to Hashem. Hashem asked rather than commanded ("kach na") because Avrohom had "earned" Yitzchok through his previous trials. For Yitzchok, however, this madreigah already existed through his Bris Milah. The combination of Avrohom's mesirus nefesh in the Akeidah and Yitzchok's embedded dedication through Bris Milah created the foundation for Klal Yisrael's capacity for mesirus nefesh throughout history. This is not the destructive self-sacrifice of those who don't value life, but the recognition of ultimate belonging to Hashem while fully appreciating the value of what is being offered.
Parshas Lech Lecha (Bris Milah), Parshas Vayeira (Akeidas Yitzchak)
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