Circumcision and the foreskin

31. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). "And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" (Vayikra 12:3). That commandment IS to circumcise on the eighth day the circumcision of the Holy Covenant. It is a supernal secret, as it is written, "The secret of Hashem is with them that fear Him; and He will reveal to them His covenant" (Tehilim 25:14). To whom DOES HE REVEAL THE SECRET, WHICH IS THE COVENANT? To the fearful, who fear sin. For it is not suitable to reveal the secret of the Holy Covenant except for them. We have explained and learned the secret of the Holy Covenant in several places.

32. This secret, WHICH IS on the eighth day, is a universal obligation to all the holy people, as it is written, "And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." The eighth day is the sign of the Holy Covenant, NAMELY THE SFIRAH YESOD, which is the eighth among the Sfirot. IF YOU COUNT THE GRADES FROM CHOCHMAH DOWN, YESOD IS THE EIGHTH GRADE. KETER, THE SECRET OF THE ENDLESS LIGHT, IS NOT COUNTED. The purpose of the circumcision of the Holy Covenant IS to remove that foreskin, THE SECRET OF THE IMPURE SERPENT from before the covenant, THE HOLY YESOD.

33. For when the Holy Nation gathers to remove that foreskin from before the covenant, the Holy One, blessed be He, gathers His retinue and reveals Himself so as to remove that foreskin above from before the sign of the Holy Covenant, YESOD. For all the deeds Yisrael do below rouse a deed above. THEREFORE at that time the foreskin, WHICH IS THE IMPURE SERPENT, is banished from before the whole Holy Nation above. A vessel with dust is prepared for that foreskin, to keep the foreskin, according to the secret of the verses, "and dust shall be the serpent's food" (Yeshayah 65:25), and, "and dust shall you eat all the days of your life" (Beresheet 3:14).

34. From this WE DERIVE that one must not act contemptuously towards that place, THE FORESKIN, even though it is removed from before the member of the covenant. It is placed, after being removed from that covenant, in the dust, since after the serpent was removed from man, the Holy One, blessed be He, made him dwell in dust, as it is written, "and dust shall you eat all the days of your life." Since the Holy One, blessed be He, made him dwell in dust and formed him so when He removed him from before men, so in the very same way, when we remove the foreskin, we should fix dust for it to dwell in.

35. Everyone has to offer a son as an offering to the Holy One, blessed be he, gladly and willingly, to enter him under the wings of the Shechinah. This is considered before the Holy One, blessed be he, as a peace offering and is willingly accepted.

36. This offering resembles an offering from the cattle, as both occur on the eighth day, as it is written, "and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted" (Vayikra 22:27). What makes it acceptable? IT IS because he already lived on Shabbat, BECAUSE IN EIGHT DAYS THERE MUST BE ONE SHABBAT. Once he underwent one Shabbat, the one shall be acceptable for an offering, THE ANIMAL, and the other shall be acceptable, THE CIRCUMCISED CHILD. The reason is that he cleaved and came to this Shabbat, MALCHUT, the secret of the Holy Covenant, YESOD. THIS MEANS THAT YESOD EXISTS ON SHABBAT IN ITS ENTIRETY, AND HENCE THE CHILD RECEIVES ILLUMINATION FROM IT TO INSTITUTE HIS HOLY COVENANT. THE CATTLE SHALL ALSO BE ACCEPTABLE AS AN OFFERING, BECAUSE THE SACRIFICE UNITES YESOD AND MALCHUT, AND ONE SHOULD THEREFORE BE ESTABLISHED BY THE WHOLE YESOD ON SHABBAT DAY. Everything follows a supernal secret. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).