- Torah Portion and Tanach
1307
The commandment of circumcision is that the procedure is to take place on the eighth day of the young boy’s life. There are physical circumstances that can allow for a postponement of the actual circumcision but the obligation of circumcision remains a personal obligatory one upon the Jew throughout life. For instance the Talmud records that a person who is a hemophiliac obviously should not undergo a then life-threatening procedure such as circumcision. However, even though that person has more than a legitimate excuse for remaining uncircumcised he still is considered to be uncircumcised according to halacha and therefore excluded from those rituals that the Torah explicitly requires that only circumcised Jews may participate in. This is a further indication of the stress and importance that the Torah places upon this commandment and how vital it is to the Jewish being and future. It is therefore most understandable why the performance of this commandment occasions the necessity for a festive meal and a great gathering of friends and family. It is not only the circumcision of that actual child that is being celebrated as much as it is a celebration of the ceremony itself, an affirmation of Jewish tradition and identity that is millennia old. Over the centuries, Jews have paid with their lives for being circumcised but the ceremony itself is seen as an affirmation of life and holy commitment. Physical health benefits have been ascribed to the procedure and its result. But Jews perform this commandment out of belief and joy and conscience and not out of any other considerations.
Daf Yomi Shevuot Daf 17
R' Eli Stefansky | 20 Iyar 5785

Orchot Tzaddikim class 56, "Stay Quiet" part ii
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Iyar 5785
