Earning kedushah through one's own deeds

במדרש ואחר עורי כו' מבשרי אחזה אלקי כו' הגם כי גם מקודם נראה לו השי"ת.

In the Midrash: "And after my skin etc., from my flesh I behold Hashem etc." (Iyov 19:26) — even though Hashem had appeared to him earlier as well.

The Sefas Emes opens with the pasuk that one perceives Hashem "from my flesh," meaning through the body itself. He notes that Hashem had already revealed Himself to Avraham before — so what changed now?

אבל עתה היה בכח עצמותו כי זה ההפרש בין האומות ושאר הברואים אשר בחסדו ית' משפיע לכל מעשיו חסדים אבל בנ"י לזה נבחרו שבכח מעשיהם יזכו לכל.

But now it was through the power of his own essence; for this is the difference between the nations and the rest of the creatures, upon whom Hashem in His kindness bestows favors upon all His works — whereas Bnei Yisrael were chosen specifically so that through the power of their own deeds they would merit everything.

Earlier Avraham received Hashem's revelation as a free gift of chesed, like all of creation. Now, after the milah, he attained Hashem through his own avodah. This is the unique distinction of Bnei Yisrael: they earn their connection to Hashem through their own actions rather than receiving it passively.

והנה אע"ה הי' כלול מב' הענינים כי התחלתו הי' הוא הצדיק יסוד עולם והי' בתוך כל האומות והי' קיום שלהם ועתה כשניתן לו המילה הי' להבדילו מבחי' הראשונה ולזכות בכח מעשיו.

Now Avraham Avinu contained both aspects: at his beginning he was the tzaddik who is the foundation of the world, and he was among all the nations and was their sustenance; and now, when the milah was given to him, it was to separate him from that first aspect and to merit through the power of his deeds.

Before the bris, Avraham stood within the nations as the tzaddik who held up the whole world — his merit sustained even them. The milah marked a transition: he was set apart from that universal role to attain a higher level earned by his own deeds.

לכן אין האדם נברא מהול שברית הזאת הוא בא מכח מעשה האדם וז"ש וירא אליו.

Therefore a person is not born circumcised, for this bris comes through the power of a person's own action; and this is the meaning of "And He appeared to him."

The Sefas Emes explains why milah is not innate: it must be accomplished by human effort, expressing the principle that Bnei Yisrael earn their kedushah. The revelation "He appeared to him" (Bereishis 18:1) followed precisely because Avraham had now achieved this through his own act.

מבשרי אחזה כו'.

"From my flesh I behold etc." (Iyov 19:26)

He returns to the opening pasuk: the very flesh refined through milah becomes the medium through which a person perceives Hashem.

ובודאי נמצא בכל איש כח נקודה פנימיות אך הוא נסתר.

And surely there exists in every person the power of an inner point (nekudah penimiyus), but it is hidden.

Every Jew possesses an inner point of kedushah, but it lies concealed beneath the outer layers of the physical self.

ולבנ"י ניתן מצות מילה שיוכלו להסיר הערלה ואחר עורי נקפו כו'.

And to Bnei Yisrael was given the mitzvah of milah, so that they could remove the orlah (foreskin/barrier), as in "and after my skin is destroyed etc."

Milah is the means to strip away the orlah — the barrier that conceals the inner point — so that the hidden penimiyus can be revealed.

ובמדרש ענותך תרבני כו' פי' זאת המדריגה שניתן לאאע"ה וזרעו אחריו שיזכו להתגלות בכח מעשיהם זה הוא ענותנותו של הקדוש ב"ה כי באמת הכל שלו ועל כל זה חפץ שיזכו ב"י בכח מעשיהם:

And in the Midrash: "Your humility has made me great etc." (Tehillim 18:36) — the explanation is that this very level granted to Avraham Avinu and his descendants after him, that they should merit revelation through the power of their own deeds, is the humility of the Holy One, blessed be He; for in truth everything is His, and despite all this He desires that Bnei Yisrael merit through the power of their own deeds.

Hashem's "humility" is that, although everything truly belongs to Him and comes from Him, He chooses to let Bnei Yisrael earn their portion through their own avodah. By stepping back, as it were, He grants them the dignity of meriting His revelation through their efforts.

Summary: The milah of Avraham Avinu marks the shift from receiving Hashem's revelation as a free gift of chesed to attaining it through one's own deeds. Milah removes the orlah that conceals the inner point within every Jew, and Hashem's "humility" lies in His desire that Bnei Yisrael earn their connection to Him through their own avodah.