Avraham's emunah transcends nature; bris milah

בפסוק והאמין בה'.

On the pasuk, "And he believed in Hashem" (Bereishis 15:6).

The Sefas Emes opens from the verse describing Avraham's emunah in Hashem.

איתא בזוה"ק כשא"ל הקב"ה צא מאצטגנינות שלך כמו שדרשו ז"ל בפסוק ויוצא אותו החוצה כדין והאמין בה' ע"ש.

It is taught in the Zohar HaKadosh that when Hashem said to him, "Go out from your astrology," as Chazal expounded on the pasuk "And He took him outside" (Bereishis 15:5) — then "he believed in Hashem"; see there.

Chazal and the Zohar read "He took him outside" as Hashem lifting Avraham above his astrological reading of his fate; in that moment of transcending the stars, Avraham came to full emunah.

שמיד יצא אברהם אע"ה מכל דרך הטבע והמזל ונתעלה להיות נמשך אחר הנהגת הקב"ה וזה הי' דבר גדול לכן כתיב ויחשבה לו צדקה.

For immediately Avraham Avinu went out from the entire way of nature and mazal (constellation/fortune), and was elevated to be drawn after the direction of Hashem; and this was a great thing, therefore it is written, "and He counted it for him as righteousness" (Bereishis 15:6).

Avraham stepped entirely out of the natural order governed by mazal and bound himself to Hashem's direct governance — a momentous achievement reckoned to him as tzedakah.

ולכן כרת עמו הברית אח"כ וכ"כ ומצאת את לבבו נאמן וכרות עמו הברית.

And therefore He made a covenant (bris) with him afterward, and so it is written, "and You found his heart faithful before You, and You made the covenant with him" (Nechemiah 9:8).

Avraham's faithfulness led directly to Hashem establishing the bris with him.

ובאברהם נתקיים מי הקדמני ואשלם.

And in Avraham was fulfilled, "Who has preceded Me, that I should repay him?" (Iyov 41:3).

Avraham took the first step toward Hashem on his own, and Hashem responded by "repaying" him with the covenant.

כי באמת בני ישראל הקב"ה נתן להם זה הדרך בכח הברית מילה כמ"ש מי יעלה לנו השמימה.

For in truth, to Bnei Yisrael Hashem gave this path through the power of the bris milah, as it is written, "Who shall ascend for us to the heavens?" (Devarim 30:12).

For later generations, Hashem provided the bris milah as the built-in means to rise above nature toward Him — the answer to "who shall ascend."

ובכח זה כתיב ביוסף וינס ויצא החוצה.

And through this power it is written of Yosef, "and he fled and went outside" (Bereishis 39:12).

Yosef, sealed with the bris, drew on its power to "go outside" — to escape the pull of desire and rise above his nature.

אבל אברהם אע"ה קודם המילה לא הי' נמצא דרך בגוף איך להעלות אותו מן התלבשות הטבע רק מרוב אמונה שבו וז"ש ומצאת את לבבו.

But Avraham Avinu, before the milah, had no path within the body by which to raise himself above the garb of nature, except through the abundance of emunah within him — and this is the meaning of "and You found his heart [faithful]."

Before circumcision, Avraham had no physical mechanism to transcend nature; he accomplished it through the sheer power of the emunah in his heart.

שב' לבבות הם יצ"ט ויצה"ר.

For the "two hearts" (levavcha, written with a double letter) are the yetzer tov and the yetzer hara.

The doubled "heart" in the Torah alludes to the two inclinations, the good and the evil.

וכדי לאהוב ה' בשני לבבות נתן לנו הקב"ה ברית מילה שהוא למול ערלת הלב של היצה"ר בכח הברית.

And in order to love Hashem with both hearts (both inclinations), Hashem gave us the bris milah, which is to circumcise the "orlah (foreskin) of the heart" of the yetzer hara through the power of the bris.

To fulfill loving Hashem "with all your heart" — including the yetzer hara — Hashem gave the bris milah, which removes the spiritual "orlah" blocking the heart.

אבל אברהם אע"ה בב' לבבות האמין בו ית' והוא מציאה גדולה שמצא הקב"ה בעולם וכן דרשו חז"ל בפ' לבבתני באחד כו' שהוא על אאע"ה כו'.

But Avraham Avinu, with both hearts, believed in Him, may He be blessed — and this was a great "find" that Hashem found in the world; and so Chazal expounded on the verse "You have captured my heart (libavtini) with one [of your eyes]" (Shir HaShirim 4:9), that it refers to Avraham Avinu.

Even before milah, Avraham loved Hashem with both inclinations purely through emunah — a precious discovery, as the verse "you have captured My heart" is applied to him.

ובזכות זו כרת עמו הברית ונתן לו ולזרעו עצה איך למול ערלת הלב כנ"ל:

And in the merit of this, He made the covenant with him, and gave to him and to his offspring the counsel (means) of how to circumcise the orlah of the heart, as above.

Because Avraham achieved this through emunah alone, Hashem rewarded him and his descendants with the bris milah as the enduring means to remove the heart's orlah.

Summary: When Hashem "took Avraham outside," He raised him above astrology and the entire natural order governed by mazal, and Avraham bound himself to Hashem's direct governance through pure emunah — reckoned to him as tzedakah. For his descendants, Hashem provided the bris milah as the built-in power to transcend nature and circumcise the "orlah of the heart" of the yetzer hara, enabling love of Hashem with both inclinations. Avraham, however, attained this with both hearts through faith alone before milah — a great "find" for which Hashem made the covenant with him and bequeathed the bris to his offspring.