In Parshas Vayeira, the Torah tells us that Yitzchak was born, and then the pasuk says, וימל אברהם את יצחק בנו בן שמנת ימים כאשר צוה אתו אלקים, that Avraham circumcised his son Yitzchak when he was eight days old, as Hashem had commanded him. So we find in the Midrash, in Bereishis Rabbah, פרשה נ״ה, ד׳, it says that there was an argument between Yitzchak and Yishmael. זה אומר אני חביב ממך, ישמעאל said, \"I am more beloved than you, שנימלתי לשלש עשרה שנה, that I was circumcised when I was 13 years old.\" וזה אמר, and he said, meaning Yitzchak said, חביב אני ממך, \"I am more beloved than you, שנימלתי לשמנת ימים, I was circumcised when I was eight days old.\" The truth is this is brought down in different places also. In Targum Yonasan ben Uziel on the Rashi in this week's פרשה, קאפיטל כ״ב, פסוק א׳, also in Tanchuma, it's also brought down in the Gemara, Sanhedrin דף פ״ט עמוד ב׳, but in all these places, it just mentions what Yishmael said. It doesn't mention what Yitzchak said. But in this Midrash, in Bereishis Rabbah, פרשה נ״ה, ד׳, it says that Yishmael said, \"I am more beloved than you, that I was circumcised to 13 years,\" but Yitzchak answered him, \"I am more beloved than you, that I was circumcised to eight days.\" Which means that Yitzchak's specialty was that he was circumcised to eight days.

But l'chorah we have to understand what is the special ma'alah that he was circumcised to eight days. Meilah the ma'alah of Yishmael that he was circumcised to 13 years is understood. First of all, when he was 13 years old already, he is mechuyav b'mitzvos. A person who's bar mitzvah is obligated to do the mitzvos, and therefore he has a ma'alah. When he performed the mitzvah of milah, he was already a mechuyav b'mitzvah, he was a bar chiyuva. He was already a person who's obligated to keep the mitzvos. So we could understand that his performing the mitzvah of milah has a specialty over the mitzvah that is done with a little baby before he's mechuyav b'mitzvos. As the expression in the Gemara, Sanhedrin there is that he said, אני גדול ממך במצוות, \"I am greater than you in mitzvot.\" So it means that he is greater in the fact that he performed it when he was already a מחוייב במצוות. In addition to that, the Midrash there itself says later on that he said that היה ספיק בידי למחות ולא מחיתי, that \"I was be able to protest and I didn't.\" Since I was 13 years old when I was circumcised, so I had a choice not to do it, I could have protested, and nevertheless, I didn't. So that shows that I was ready to do the mitzvot. While you that were circumcised to eight days, you had no choice, it was done with you while you were a baby. That is the maalah of Yishmael. And in addition to that, in Tanchuma it says, וסבלתי את הצער, \"I took the pain.\" Which means that even though I was an adult, and I had a choice not to let, nevertheless I let them do it, even though I had pain. So all this brings out the chavivut in the fact that Yishmael circumcised himself when he was 13 years old. But what is the maalah in the fact that Yitzchak was circumcised when he was eight days old?

The Yafeh Toar in Bereshit Rabbah there says that the maalah of being circumcised to eight days is because מצוה בשעתה עדיף, which means when you do a mitzvah in its right time, it is better than if you do a mitzvah later on. And therefore, since the time of brit milah is on the eighth day, so there's a maalah in the milah of Yitzchak over the milah of Yishmael, because Yitzchak, the mitzvah was done with him in its proper time. But this peshat is not really understood, because first of all, why would that be considered more מצוה בשעתה than the brit milah of Yishmael? Since Hashem commanded them to perform the mitzvah of milah then, and then Yishmael was 13 years old, so then it considered מצוה בשעתה. Nowadays, when we have a commandment to do it on the eighth day, so if for some reason it is not done on the eighth day, it is not b'sha'atah, it's not in its proper time, because the commandment was to do it on the eighth day. But then, since till then there was no mitzvah, that's when Hashem commanded them to do the mitzvah, so then, when Yishmael was 13 years old, it should be considered מצוה בשעתה. By him, it was the proper time, because before that, he wasn't mechuyav. As we see this concerning another din. It says in Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer, פרק כ״ט, that Avraham Avinu circumcised himself on Yom Kippur. According to different meforshim, the way it's mashma in Tosafot in ראש השנה דף י״א עמוד א׳, his milah was on the first day of Pesach, which is also Yom Tov. Now we know Avraham Avinu did all the mitzvot even though he wasn't commanded, as it says in the Mishnah, סוף קידושין, and in Yoma דף כ״ח עמוד ב׳. קיים אברהם אבינו כל התורה כולה עד שלא ניתנה. He performed all the mitzvot. Now one of the dinim is that מילה שלא בזמנה is not דוחה יום טוב, that if the milah is not done in its proper time on the eighth day, so then it doesn't push away Shabbat or Yom Tov. So you couldn't do it on Yom Kippur, you couldn't do it on Pesach, etc. Now since Avraham Avinu was circumcised when he was 99 years old, so it wasn't מילה בזמנה, it wasn't in its proper time, so how was it דוחה יום כיפור or Pesach? And the answer is very simple: being that that's when he was commanded to do it, so to him it was מילה בזמנה. Because the whole reason the eighth day is considered מילה בזמנה because the commandment is to do it then. By Avraham Avinu, being that till then there was no commandment, and that's when Hashem told him to do it, so to him it's מילה בזמנה. And that's why it's דוחה יום טוב, יום כיפור, or Pesach. And the same is concerning Yishmael, that being that he was 13 years old when the mitzvah was given, so by him it's מילה בזמנה. So it's hard to say that the maalah of the milah of Yitzchak is because by him it's מצוה בשעתה. Lichorah, by Yishmael it should also be מצוה בשעתה. In addition to that, the whole concept of מילה בשעתה is only a maalah in a specific detail of the mitzvah concerning the time when the mitzvah is performed, but it is not a maalah in the mitzvah itself. Now from the Midrash, it seems that when Yitzchak answered Yishmael, \"I am more beloved than you because I was circumcised to the eighth day,\" it's mashma that it's not just that I had a side maalah, a small, specific detail which is better than your milah. It's mashma that his milah had a general maalah over the milah of Yishmael, because what Yishmael was saying was that his milah had a general maalah, since he did it when he was 13 and he could have stopped them from doing it, or, as we said before, he was already מחוייב במצוות, etc. So to him, his maalah is a maalah in the general concept of the mitzvah that he did. The maalah of Yitzchak would only be a very small detail, that in truth, takeh, the mitzvah of milah of Yishmael is greater, but he has one small maalah that it was done in its proper time. So therefore, it's hard to say that this is the whole maalah that Yitzchak meant. Even if we're going to say that for some reason we do consider it מילה בזמנה over Yishmael, who is not considered מילה בזמנה, and therefore מצוה בשעתה עדיף, but to say that the whole maalah that Yitzchak had was just in the time when the mitzvah performed, but not in the mitzvah itself, it's hard to say that. And therefore, we must say that there is something special in the fact that you are circumcised on the eighth day in the whole concept, מהות, of the mitzvah of milah over the milah that is done later on.

And the truth is, this can be proven from the Chazal, what they say in Midrash, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, on the פסוק, ישקני, which is in the beginning of Shir HaShirim, קפיטל א' פסוק ב', so the Midrash says there, אדם הראשון נצטווה על שבע מצוות, אדם הראשון was given seven mitzvot, and then it continues that נח נתווסף לו אבר מן החי, there was another mitzvah given to Noach, which is the mitzvah of אבר מן החי. Then it says, the next category is אברהם נצטווה על המילה, אברהם was commanded to do the mitzvah of milah, that's another stage. Then it says, יצחק חנכה לשמונה ימים, and Yitzchak was mechanech the mitzvah of milah to eight days, because Yitzchak was the first one that was circumcised to eight days. Now the question is, why does the Midrash divide the inyan of milah into two categories: first, the mitzvah of milah that was by Avraham, and the second category, the fact that Yitzchak was mechanech the mitzvah of milah to the eighth day? If we're going to say that the maalah of being circumcised on the eighth day is only a maalah in the time when the mitzvah is done, but as far as the mahut of the mitzvah, the concept of the mitzvah, the quality of the mitzvah is the same, then why does the Midrash divide it into two? So really, it's one thing. Avraham Avinu was given the mitzvah of milah, and that's all. Now in that mitzvah itself, a certain detail started from Yitzchak. But since the Midrash does divide into two separate categories, obviously the mitzvah of milah that is done to the eighth day is a different category altogether. Just like the previous categories: Adam HaRishon, what nitztaveh on seven mitzvot, Noach got a new מצוה, אבר מן החי, which is a new category, a different mitzvah altogether. The same when we divide the inyan of milah into two, that Avraham Avinu was commanded on the mitzvah of milah, and Yitzchak did it on the eighth day, that is also a different category altogether. And this is really what Yitzchak meant when he told Yishmael, \"My milah is a different category of milah than yours, the fact that I was nimol on the eighth day.\" What is the peshat?

The peshat is as follows: The whole concept of milah is, as the פסוק says in פרשת לך לך, קפיטל י\"ז פסוק י\"ג, and then also פסוק ז' there, והיתה בריתי בבשרכם לברית עולם, that this is a covenant in your flesh for an eternal covenant, a ברית עולם. Which means that when a person performs the mitzvah of milah, then he brings about an eternal, a netzchiyus'dike connection with between him, the one that got the ברית מילה, and Hashem כביכול. Which is similar to when two people make a כריתת ברית, when they make a covenant, a bond amongst themselves. So then what is they want to do with this? They want to make sure that this will last forever. Now they are friends. It's possible that later on for some reason they will not be friends anymore, so in order to strengthen their friendship, to make sure that this should last forever, they make a brit, they make a covenant. And the same is concerning the brit between a Yid and Hashem, that through the ברית מילה you make a covenant, an everlasting connection to Hashem. But this is much more than when you have two friends who make a brit, because when two friends make a כריתת ברית, since these people are also human beings, and human beings can change, so it's possible that the brit itself should change. Just like it's possible that their friendship should stop, so is it possible that the whole כריתת ברית should also be batel, should also be nullified. But בשעת השם makes a כריתת ברית with a Yid through the mitzvah of milah, then this is definitely an eternal thing, because Hashem is higher than shinuyim, there are no changes by Him. So if Hashem says this is a ברית עולם, we know that this is a ברית עולם, that this is an everlasting brit, it will never change. Which, by the way, is one of the explanations why Avraham Avinu did not circumcise himself before Hashem commanded him. Since Avraham Avinu did all the mitzvot, even though he wasn't commanded, so why didn't he do the mitzvah of milah, too? And there are many explanations, but one of the explanations is, because the concept of brit milah is to make a ברית עולם with Hashem, an everlasting brit with Hashem. Now, if Avraham Avinu would have did it on his own, so then it would come as a result of what he did. Now, since he himself is a human being that is not eternal, so then the brit that would come about from his own action would also not be able to be a ברית עולם. Only when it comes from Hashem, when Hashem commanded him to do it, so then it's able to be a ברית עולם, because Hashem, Who is עולם, Who is eternal, so the brit that He makes can also be eternal and will not be changed. But had he done it on his own, then it would only be as far as he could do, and since he is a human being, a limited human being, the brit would also be a limited brit and not be a ברית עולם.

This is the explanation why the din is that you have to circumcise a child when he is the eight days old, not when he grows up and he's able to understand and then he should do the mitzvah. Because when a person does something that you do on your own, it comes a result of your level, of what you do, so then you have to be ready to do it, you have to prepare yourself, you have to be at a stage where you are able to do it, you have to understand what you're doing, etc., etc. But this is only if it comes from the person. The case of the brit that comes through brit milah, which comes from Hashem Who is the Creator, Who is unlimited, in this, the level of the person makes no difference whatsoever. If the brit would be a result of the actions of the person, then it is true, the person has to do it. So if he is a baby, then he is not doing it, because a person really is his sechel. If he doesn't know what he's doing and he's before a time when he's able to understand, then we cannot say that he made the brit. But since we're saying here that this is a brit that Hashem makes, so then it makes no difference whatsoever in which level and stage or what level of sechel the person is. Which means, in other words, that the brit milah, even though the actual act of the brit is done through a human being, but what's accomplished through this act is that Hashem makes a brit with the person. It is not the peshat that the person who is circumcised makes a brit with Hashem, but opposite: through the person's circumcision, Hashem makes a brit with the person. Hashem says, I want you to perform this act, but when you perform this act, I am connecting Myself to you. It is not that you are connecting yourself to Me. If the person would connect himself to Hashem, it couldn't be a ברית עולם, an eternal brit, because if it comes from the person, the person is limited, so the brit has to be limited. But what Hashem says is that when you perform this act, I make a brit with you. Since Hashem makes the brit, it is a real ברית עולם. And since it comes from Hashem, not from the person, then why wait till the person grows up and the person has sechel and he is able to do it on his own? If anyway it is not from the person, so the person's level, and the person's sechel, and the person's preparation, etc., etc., makes no difference, and therefore it has to be done right away as soon as the person is born. The reason we wait for eight days is as the Moreh Nevuchim, the Rambam explains there, because till then he is not strong enough, so the first chance that we have to bring about this brit is when he's eight days. And the truth is, we could even go a step further. Not only is there no reason to wait till he grows up. But more than that, this concept that it's a brit that comes from Hashem, not from the person, expresses itself stronger if it's done when the child is a little baby rather than when it's done when he's older. Because when he's older, even though it's a mitzvah from Hashem, and the covenant, the brit will be the same, it comes from Hashem, which is a ברית עולם, but the fact that the person understands what he's doing sometimes makes the person feel that it is a brit that comes as a result from him. Because after all, he knows what he's doing and he agreed to it. But when it's done to a baby, then there is no place even for a safek, for a doubt that maybe it comes from the person. So therefore, in the brit that's done to a baby, the true ברית עולם expresses itself more than if it's done to adult. Even though when it's done to adult it also happens, but to see it, to feel it, to get this expression, it is more when the child is small, because then there is no doubt that it comes from the person.

And this is the maalah of the brit milah that was done by Yitzchak over Avraham. And that's why the Midrash separates it into two separate categories. By Avraham Avinu, being that he was 99 years old, and he served Hashem so much before he did the brit milah, so then in the brit itself, we do not see the expression that this is a brit that comes directly from Hashem. It's possible we might have thought that it comes because he was so great, he reached a level to make a brit with Hashem. But then, since it comes as a result of his level, then it's not really a ברית עולם, because as great as he was, nevertheless, he is still a human being which is limited. And therefore, in that brit milah, we do not see the concept of ברית עולם. By Yitzchak, since it was done to him when he was eight days old, then it's open and obvious. It's clearly expressed that this is a ברית עולם, because on his own he didn't do it. It didn't come from within him at all. So this is a brit which not only in truth is a ברית עולם, a brit which expresses the fact, it is obvious that this is a ברית עולם. And that's why it's a separate category, and the Midrash divides it into two: Avraham was commanded on milah, and Yitzchak was the first one to do it in the eighth day, because by Yitzchak, he's the first one where the quality of milah was such a milah which not only in truth is a ברית עולם, but a milah which expresses in a revealed fashion the fact that it's a ברית עולם. And this was the argument between Yitzchak and Yishmael. Yishmael said, \"אני חביב ממך, שנימלתי לשלש עשרה שנה\". His ma'alah was that he could have protested, he didn't, he was a בר חיובא, he had pain, etc., etc. But Yitzchak told him, \"אני חביב ממך, שנימלתי לח' ימים\". My ma'alah is that it was done to me when I was eight days old. By my milah, the expression, the true expression of what milah is supposed to be, a ברית עולם, is not only there in truth, but it was also in a revealed way, because they did it to me in a way that I didn't have anything to do with it. This really shows that it came only from Hashem. He was the one that made the brit with me, and therefore, it shows that it is a ברית עולם.