The bris milah binds creation

במדרש שמעי בת כו' כי הקב"ה בחר באברהם אע"ה והוציאו מכלל העולם ואאע"ה הי' חפץ לקרב כל העולם אליו ית' והגם כי גם נח היה צדיק הי' בכלל העולם והוא כענין שאמרו דבר שהי' בכלל כו' ללמד על הכלל כולו יצא.

In the Midrash: "Listen, daughter…" (Tehillim 45:11) — for the Holy One chose Avraham Avinu and took him out from the general body of the world, and Avraham Avinu desired to draw the entire world close to Him, Blessed is He. And although Noach too was a tzaddik, he was [still] within the general body of the world — and this is like the principle they stated, "a matter that was included in a general rule… [and left] to teach about the entire general rule, has left [only to teach about the whole]."

Hashem singled Avraham out from the rest of mankind. Avraham wanted to bring the whole world close to Hashem; Noach, though righteous, never left the category of "the world." Avraham is compared to a detail that leaves the general rule — but the Sefas Emes distinguishes two types of such "leaving."

אבל אאע"ה הי' כענין דבר שיצא לידון בדבר החדש אי אתה יכול להחזירו עד שיחזירנו הכתוב לכללו בפירוש.

But Avraham Avinu was like the principle of "a matter that left [the general rule] to be judged under a new status — you cannot return it [to its general rule] until Scripture explicitly returns it to its general rule."

Avraham was a different kind of exception: not one that merely illuminates the general rule, but one that left to be governed by an entirely new status — a new path that cannot be folded back into the old category.

והוא במצות מילה שנאסר לכל אדם למול זולת אם יתגייר להיות נכנס בבריתו של אברהם אבינו.

And this is in the mitzvah of milah, which was forbidden to every person to perform [for the sake of the bris] unless he converts to enter into the covenant of Avraham Avinu.

That "new status" is embodied in milah: no one outside can take on the bris of Avraham except by becoming a ger and entering Avraham’s covenant — a wholly new path opened to the world.

ולכן אמרו שדחתה בריתו של א"א לבריתו של נח שנמסר לו דרך חדש והוא דרך התורה ולכן הבטיחו השי"ת ואעשך לגוי גדול ע"י שירא אברהם אע"ה שע"י שמתרחק מהם יתמעטו עובדי השי"ת.

And therefore they said that the covenant of Avraham Avinu overrode the covenant of Noach, for a new path was handed over to him — and that is the path of the Torah. And therefore Hashem promised him, "And I will make you into a great nation," because Avraham Avinu feared that, by distancing himself from them, those who serve Hashem would be diminished.

Avraham’s bris supersedes Noach’s, because Avraham was given a brand-new road — the path of Torah. Avraham worried that separating from the world would reduce the number who serve Hashem, so Hashem reassured him that he would become a great nation.

והראה לו כי כל העולם נברא רק בעבורו וזרעו אחריו.

And He showed him that the entire world was created only for his sake and that of his seed after him.

Hashem responded to Avraham’s fear by showing him that the whole of creation exists only for the sake of Avraham and his descendants — Bnei Yisrael.

ולכן תמה כי למה נבראו כל אלה הרשעים והתשובה הי' כדי ליפותך שכל אלה נבראו להראות חיבת בני ישראל כשושנה בין החוחים ועיקר המכוון בבריאה הי' לבנ"י.

And therefore he wondered: why were all these resha’im created? And the answer was: in order to beautify you — that all these were created to display the preciousness of Bnei Yisrael, like a rose among the thorns; and the essential intent in creation was for Bnei Yisrael.

Avraham asked why so many wicked people needed to exist; the answer is that they serve as a backdrop — like thorns around a rose — highlighting the preciousness of Bnei Yisrael, who are the true purpose of creation.

ז"ש וכרות עמו הברית.

This is the meaning of "and He cut the covenant with him." (cf. Bereishis 15:18)

The Sefas Emes focuses on the wording "the covenant," and will ask why the posuk uses the definite article rather than simply saying "a covenant."

ברית הול"ל.

It should have said [merely] "a covenant."

By rights the posuk should have said "a covenant"; the definite "the covenant" signals that a specific, singular bris is meant.

רק שהוא הברית המיוחד שכל העולם עומד עליו כמ"ש אם לא בריתי כו'.

Rather, it is the unique covenant upon which the entire world stands, as it is written, "Were it not for My covenant…" (Yirmiyahu 33:25)

"The covenant" refers to the one unique bris that sustains all of creation — the covenant without which, as the posuk says, heaven and earth would not endure.

פי' כי בהכרח יש ענין דביקות בשורש הבריאה אל הבורא ית'.

The meaning is that there must necessarily be an aspect of attachment (deveikus) of the root of creation to the Creator, Blessed is He.

For the world to exist at all, there must be a point of connection binding the very root of creation back to its Creator.

וזאת הנקודה התקשרות כל העולם בו ית' נמסר לאברהם אע"ה כמ"ש והיתה בריתי בבשרכם.

And this point — the binding of the whole world to Him, Blessed is He — was handed over to Avraham Avinu, as it is written, "And My covenant shall be in your flesh." (Bereishis 17:13)

That essential point of deveikus, which ties all of creation to Hashem, was entrusted to Avraham and inscribed into the flesh of his descendants through the bris milah.

ובכח זה יש לבנ"י דביקות למעלה מן הטבע.

And through this power, Bnei Yisrael have an attachment [to Hashem] that is above nature.

Because the bris carries this root-connection to the Creator, Bnei Yisrael are bound to Hashem in a way that transcends the natural order.

ובכח זה ניתן לו א"י שהוא ארץ אשר ה' אלקיך דורש אותה וכן כל השפע שבא לעולם בני ישראל מקבלין אותה בדרך מיוחד מאתו יתברך בלי צמצומים רבים.

And through this power, the Land of Israel was given to him — which is "a land that Hashem your God seeks out" (Devarim 11:12); and likewise all the abundance (shefa) that comes into the world, Bnei Yisrael receive it in a special way from Him, Blessed is He, without many constrictions (tzimtzumim).

The same supernatural connection of the bris entitles Avraham’s children to Eretz Yisrael, a land under Hashem’s direct hashgachah, and lets Bnei Yisrael draw their Divine shefa directly and openly, without the many concealments through which it reaches the rest of the world.

שע"ז רומז ברית מילה שכולן מקבלים ע"י הסתר.

For this is hinted at by bris milah, that all [the nations] receive [their shefa] by way of concealment (hester).

The covering removed by milah symbolizes the hester through which the nations receive their flow of blessing — always filtered through layers of concealment.

ולבנ"י ניתן רשות לפתוח השער ולהסיר המחיצה המבדלת שהיא הערלה.

And to Bnei Yisrael permission was given to open the gate and to remove the partition that separates — which is the orlah.

Bnei Yisrael, through milah, are empowered to open the gate and strip away the dividing barrier — the orlah — that otherwise blocks direct connection to Hashem.

ולכן נכנסו בנ"י בביהמ"ק שלש פעמים בשנה יראה כו'.

And therefore Bnei Yisrael entered the Bais Hamikdash three times a year, "[all your males] shall be seen…" (Shemos 23:17)

Because the bris opens that gateway, Bnei Yisrael were able to "appear" before Hashem in the Bais Hamikdash on the three Regalim, entering into direct closeness.

וכ"כ פתחו לי שערי צדק.

And so it is written, "Open for me the gates of righteousness…" (Tehillim 118:19)

The "gates of righteousness" that Dovid HaMelech asks to enter are the very gates of holiness that the bris of Avraham unlocks for Bnei Yisrael.

זה השער לה' צדיקים יבואו.

"This is the gate of Hashem; the righteous shall enter through it." (Tehillim 118:20)

Those gates are "the gate of Hashem," through which the tzaddikim — Bnei Yisrael, empowered by the bris — pass into closeness with Him.

וכ' ויוצא אותו החוצה דרשו חז"ל למעלה מכיפת הרקיע הבט נא כו' כה יהי' זרעך כו' והאמין בה' ויחשבה לו צדקה.

And it is written, "And He took him outside" (Bereishis 15:5) — Chazal expounded: above the dome of the firmament — "Look now… so shall be your seed…" (Bereishis 15:5), "and he believed in Hashem, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." (Bereishis 15:6)

When Hashem "took Avraham outside," Chazal say He lifted him above the natural order, above the heavens, and promised that his offspring would likewise live above nature — and Avraham’s faith in this was reckoned as tzedakah.

פי' שהקב"ה הראה לו שכל בנ"י יהי' הנהגתם שלא כדרך הטבע והיא בכח המילה כמ"ש ביוסף וינס ויצא החוצה שבכח שמירת הברית יכולין לצאת ממאסר הגוף והגשמיות כמ"ש מי יעלה לנו השמימה כו'.

The meaning is that the Holy One showed him that the conduct of all Bnei Yisrael would be not according to the way of nature, and this is through the power of the milah, as it is written regarding Yosef, "and he fled and went outside" (Bereishis 39:12) — that through guarding the bris one can go out from the imprisonment of the body and physicality, as it is written, "Who will ascend for us to the heavens…" (Devarim 30:12)

Hashem showed Avraham that his descendants would live above nature through the power of milah. Yosef’s "fleeing outside" from sin shows that guarding the bris frees a person from the prison of the body and the physical, enabling one to "rise to the heavens" — to transcend the natural self.

וכיון שאברהם אע"ה עדיין לא הי' נימול והי' היציאה החוצה לפי שעה נחשב לו לצדקה שהאמין כי בנ"י יהי' להם תמיד הנהגה זו.

And since Avraham Avinu was not yet circumcised, and the "going outside" was [only] temporary, it was reckoned to him as righteousness — that he believed that Bnei Yisrael would always have this [supernatural] conduct.

At that moment Avraham was not yet circumcised, so his rising above nature was only momentary; his faith that his children would permanently live this way — above nature — is what was counted as tzedakah.

וזה הי' בלתי הבנה רק שע"י שניתן לו המילה אח"כ נתקיים זה.

And this was beyond comprehension — only that, through the milah being given to him afterward, this was fulfilled.

Such a supernatural destiny was, in itself, beyond rational grasp; it became real and enduring only once the milah was later given, anchoring that above-nature connection in the flesh.

ובאמת אין אמונה רק בבנ"י מאמינים בני מאמינים וקודם שנימול דכתיב בי' והאמין לכן חשבו לו לצדקה ודאי:

And in truth there is no [true] emunah except in Bnei Yisrael, "believers, children of believers"; and before he was circumcised it is written of him "and he believed" — therefore it was certainly reckoned to him as righteousness.

True emunah belongs uniquely to Bnei Yisrael, "believers, the children of believers." Because Avraham reached this faith even before his milah — before the bris had secured it — his belief was all the more precious and was surely reckoned to him as tzedakah.

Summary: Hashem singled Avraham out from the world not merely as an example but as the bearer of an entirely new path — the path of Torah, embodied in the bris milah. This bris is the unique covenant of deveikus that binds the root of creation to the Creator and sustains the world; through it Bnei Yisrael are connected to Hashem above nature, receive their shefa directly without concealment, inherit Eretz Yisrael, and can transcend the prison of the body. Avraham’s faith — before his own milah — that his children would forever live this supernatural life was reckoned to him as tzedakah.