Aner and Eshkol Didn’t Have Faith in Sages, so Hashem Revealed Himself by Mamrei

THE DAILY CHIZZUK OF MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A

MONDAY, 8 KISLEV 5785

These are his holy words:

“ON THAT VERY DAY, AVRAHAM WAS CIRCUMCISED” (BEREISHIT 17:26).  ON THAT DAY, THEY ALSO CIRCUMCISED EVERYONE.  THEY PERFORMED BRIT MILAH FOR 100,000 PEOPLE.  IT WAS FULL OF HIS FOLLOWERS, AND THEY WERE ALL CIRCUMCISED.  “AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF HIS HOUSEHOLD, BORN IN HIS HOUSEHOLD AND PURCHASED FOR MONEY FROM A STRANGER, WERE CIRCUMCISED WITH HIM.”

It is written in Midrash Tanchuma that Aner and Eshkol said to Avraham that in no way whatsoever would they undergo circumcision.  “You should know that they will kill you.  The entire world is waiting to kill you.  There are blood redeemers here.  Have you forgotten that you killed 2.6 billion people?  You’re the biggest murderer – an arch-murderer.  Biden is going crazy, Harris is going crazy.”  What is he doing to Palestinians -- innocent people, mamash holy and pure people?  Avraham was afraid, “Perhaps I killed a righteous person” – “Do not fear, Avram, I am your shield” (ibid 15:1).   This was at the age of 75, but today, you’re already at the age of 99.  24 years have passed.

The Midrash says that Aner and Eshkol said to Avraham that the entire world was waiting to redeem blood.  There are 2.6 billion redeemers who are seeking to spill your blood, to eliminate you.  If you circumcise, you will not be able to move.  This is what is written, and I cannot change this.

“And it was the third day, when they were in pain” (Bereishit 34:25).  You take two children (Shimon and Levi), one 13 and the other 13.5, and they slaughter 24,000 men.  What?  It’s completely impossible to understand this!  Shimon and Levi slaughter 24,000 men, going from house to house, and not one of them can resist [because they were in pain on the third day after circumcision].  Not one of them can do anything?!

So it is written, “And it was on the third day, when they were in pain.”  Shimon and Levi killed 24,000 men, and it’s said that this was the third day after the circumcision [when the pain reaches its peak].  Then it’s possible to slaughter an entire nation.  It’s impossible to move from the bed.  And now, Avraham, who is 99 years old, will have a brit milah?  He will have a hemorrhage.  This isn’t an eight-day-old child.  They made a scientific study with a child of eight days old and found that the blood congeals within a thousandth of a second.  Whoever witnesses a brit milah, within a thousandth of a second, the child doesn’t cry.  The blood already congeals.  However, you are a 99 year old man.  A 99 year old will have a hemorrhage.  You’ll die from hemorrhaging.

All of this is said in Midrash Tanchuma, that Aner and Eshkol said to Avraham, “Everyone will come to kill us, and you’ll have a hemorrhage.”  And really, after this, when Avraham ran to greet the guests [the angels], it is written that the blood was dripping.  So Aner and Eshkol said to Avraham not to undergo brit milah in any way whatsoever, because they were told, “Know that if one person dies, we’re going to slaughter all of you.”  This was the first brit milah in the world.  Before then, there was no brit milah.  People were born circumcised.  Noach was born circumcised, but to perform a circumcision?  There was no such thing!  At the time, the world had existed for 2,400 years already.  Avraham was at the age of 100.  Therefore, this was exactly 2048 years, and no one had ever undergone circumcision.  Suddenly, they’re slaughtering small children, cutting them, and along with them, adult men, old men the age of 90, 100, and for them, this means hemorrhaging.  They will all die.  In no way whatsoever will we allow this to happen.

Eshkol and Aner said to Avraham, “Go to some cave to do the milah in hiding.  Travel to Shechem, but don’t do the milah in Hevron because here, they told us that they would kill everyone.  They said that if one person would die from the millah, they are going to kill everybody.  Not one person will remain alive.  Aner said to him also: “This is pikuach nefesh (a danger to life).  You cannot perform a brit in public.  Go hide in some cave.  Hide underground.  Perform the brit quietly.”

MAMREI CAME AND TOLD HIM, “PERFORM THE BRIT PUBLICLY.  DO THE BRIT MILAH ON A PLATFORM WITH SCREENS IN EVERY DIRECTION, AND EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THAT A BRIT MILAH IS BEING PERFORMED HERE ON 100,000 MEN.”  AVRAHAM WAS CIRCUMCISED AND A RIVER OF BLOOD FLOWED OUT.  THE “SIFTEI CHACHAMIM” SAYS THAT, IN THE END, THEY DID DIE.  SO SAYS THE “SIFTEI CHACHAMIM.”  I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE BRINGS THIS FROM.  WHY DOES HE WRITE THIS SUDDENLY?

Here, bring “Mikra’ot Gedolot,” parashat Bereishit. [The Rav shlit”a turns to his assistant.]  There it is written that in the end, they died; they really died, literally.  It’s not at all simple.  It’s not at all simple to do a brit milah.  In New York, three died.  They wanted to outlaw brit milah in New York, because in exactly one year, three died.  Perhaps they were weak, so they died?  Maybe they were sick.  Maybe the mohelim were…  Maybe they had underlying illnesses.

One must learn and know the commentary of the “Siftei Chachamim.”  It is written in “Siftei Chachamim” on parashat Vayera, right at the beginning.  This is a giant comment by “Siftei Chachamim,” longer than the entire commentary of Rashi, longer than the entire parashah itself.  It is written, “Two died.”  Who died?  Also there is a Midrash Aggadah which the “Siftei Chachamim” brings.  Know that at the moment that Avraham circumcised Eshkol and Aner, they immediately died.  The first two died.  They came from the prosecutor’s office and put handcuffs on Avraham, “Yala, straight to jail.  Already two died.  It’s over – two died.”

“AVRAHAM, YOU STARTED PERFORMING MILAH, AND ALREADY PEOPLE ARE DYING.”  IT’S NOT SIMPLE TO CIRCUMCISE PEOPLE.  THEY DIED AT THE AGE OF 100.  THEY WERE A 100 YEARS OLD LIKE AVRAHAM AVINU – IMMEDIATELY A HEMORRHAGE, IMMEDIATELY THEY DIED.  A SCANDAL!  MY GOD, THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WORLD.  THEN MAMREI COMES AND SAYS, “NOW CIRCUMCISE ME.”  IT CAME OUT THAT ANER AND ESHKOL DISPUTED AVRAHAM; THEY WERE AGAINST AVRAHAM.  THEY DIDN’T HAVE FAITH.  ANER AND ESHKOL TOLD AVRAHAM NOT TO CIRCUMCISE.  THEY TOLD HIM: “DO THIS DISCREETLY.  GO TO SHECHEM.  GO TO HALHUL AND DO THE BRIT THERE.”

ANER AND ESHKOL WERE AGAINST AVRAHAM.  THEY DID THE BRIT MILAH ONLY BECAUSE OF SOCIAL PRESSURE.  THIS IS CALLED SOCIAL PRESSURE; SO THEY DIED IMMEDIATELY.  THERE WAS AN UPROAR IN ALL HEVRON, “AVRAHAM IS MURDERING, PEOPLE ARE DEAD.  THE ARCH-MURDERER ALREADY SLAUGHTERED TWO PEOPLE.”  THEREFORE, HASHEM REVEALED HIMSELF TO AVRAHAM SPECIFICALLY [WHEN HE WAS] WITH MAMREI.

When the parashah comes, we learn “Siftei Chachamim,” we learn “Heichal Berachah.”  There is what to do, there is what to learn all night – all night.

https://vimeo.com/1037288765