Milah as the opening to wholeness

במדרש ואחר עורי כו' מהיכן היה נגלה אלי דכתיב התהלך לפני והיה תמים ע"י המילה אף כי הוא מחסר הגוף ע"י המילה מ"מ הוא עיקר השלימות כי בודאי האדם צריך להיות ניתקן בכל הקומה שלו כמ"ש בצלם אלקים עשה האדם והאבות כן היו מרכבה ממש להבורא ית'.

The Midrash on "And after my skin [is gone]…" (Iyov 19:26) — from where was He revealed to me? As it is written, "Walk before Me and be whole" (Bereishis 17:1), through the milah (circumcision). For although milah diminishes the body, nevertheless it is the very essence of wholeness — for surely a person must be perfected in his entire stature, as it says, "In the image of Elokim He made man" (Bereishis 9:6), and the Avos were literally a chariot (merkavah) for the Creator, may He be blessed.

Even though milah removes part of the body, it is paradoxically the gateway to true shleimus. A person is meant to be perfected in his whole being — created in the Divine image — and the Avos achieved this so completely that they became an actual merkavah, a vehicle through which the Shechinah rests in the world.

אך אין כל אדם זוכה לזה.

But not every person merits this.

Becoming a full merkavah like the Avos is not within every individual's reach.

ונתן השי"ת במתנה לבנ"י המילה להיות עכ"פ מקום זה קדוש להשי"ת וע"י זה עצמו שמחסר מגוף זוכה להארה המיוחדת למקום הזה.

So Hashem gave Bnei Yisrael the gift of milah, so that at least this one place should be holy to Hashem, and through the very act of diminishing the body one merits the special illumination unique to this place.

Since not everyone can sanctify his entire body, Hashem gave the mitzvah of milah as a gift — consecrating this one part of the body to Him. The very removal becomes the channel for a unique Divine light that rests specifically there.

ונקרא פתח האהל ונאמר עליו זה השער לה' כו'.

And it is called "the opening of the tent," and of it is said, "This is the gate to Hashem [through which the righteous enter]" (Tehillim 118:20).

The place of milah becomes a "pesach ha'ohel," an opening, a gateway through which a person enters into closeness with Hashem.

ובזה נתקיים מ"ש מתן אדם ירחיב לו כו' וכפי מה שאדם מחסר גופו לכבוד הבורא ית' נגלה שם שורש הנשמה מרוח טהרה.

And through this is fulfilled what is said, "A man's gift makes room for him [and brings him before the great]" (Mishlei 18:16) — and to the extent that a person diminishes his body for the honor of the Creator, the root of the soul, from a spirit of purity, is revealed there.

The "gift" a person offers by lessening his physical self for Hashem's honor opens space for him before the King. The more one subordinates the body, the more the pure root of the neshamah shines forth in that very place.

וז"ש אחר עורי כו' אחר הסרת הלבוש הגשמיי.

And this is the meaning of "after my skin…" — after the removal of the physical garment.

"After my skin" refers to peeling away the material covering of the body, after which the inner Divine light can be perceived.

וכיון שזוכה כל איש ישראל להארת נקודה א' משורש עליון בזה נקרא תמים כי פי' השלימות הוא הארה עליונה ששם בכל נקודה יש הכל וכמ"ש בזה במ"א וכמו כן בש"ק על ידי ביטול המעשים מתגלה הארה העליונה ונק' פורס סוכת שלום.

And since every Jew merits the illumination of a single point from the supernal Root, through this he is called "whole" (tamim) — for the meaning of shleimus is a supernal light, where within every single point everything is contained, as explained elsewhere. And likewise on Shabbos Kodesh, through the nullification (bittul) of [weekday] activities, the supernal light is revealed, and it is called "spreading the sukkah of peace."

Through milah every Jew gains a single point of supernal light, and that one nekudah makes him "tamim" — because true wholeness is not quantity but a Divine illumination in which a single point contains everything. Shabbos works the same way: by ceasing weekday labor (bittul ha'maasim), the higher light is uncovered, which we invoke as "porais sukkas shalom."

והוא הארה מאהל עליון רמז לדבר אות היא לעולם ר"ת וס"ת אהל אמת.

And it is an illumination from the supernal tent — a hint to this: "a sign it is forever" (os hi le'olam), whose first and last letters spell "ohel emes" (the tent of truth).

This light streams from the "supernal tent," and the Sefas Emes finds the allusion in the verse about Shabbos being an eternal sign: the outer letters of "os hi le'olam" form "ohel emes," the tent of truth — the source of this revealed light.

וע"י המילה מתגלה פתח אהל הנ"ל.

And through milah, the opening of the aforementioned tent is revealed.

Milah is what opens the entrance to that supernal "ohel emes," granting access to its light.

ובמדרש ביקש לעמוד א"ל הקב"ה שב אתה סימן לבניך כו' י"ל ע"ד הרמז לפי דברינו הנ"ל כי בודאי אברהם אבינו ע"ה תיקן כל קומתו והיה בכחו לעמוד.

And in the Midrash: [Avraham] sought to stand, and the Holy One said to him, "Sit — you are a sign for your children…" One may explain this by way of hint according to our words above: for certainly Avraham Avinu, may he rest in peace, had perfected his entire stature and had the strength to "stand."

When Hashem appeared, Avraham wished to rise, but was told to remain seated as a "sign" for his descendants. The Sefas Emes reads this homiletically: Avraham had so perfected his whole being that he was capable of "standing" — reaching the complete level of the Avos as a merkavah.

אבל השי"ת רצה שיתקן זה הדרך עבורינו שיוכל האדם למצוא נקודה אחת גם בהיותו יושב ועודנו מתלבש בלבוש הגשמיי אעפ"כ יפתח לו פתח האהל כנ"ל.

But Hashem wished that he establish this path for us, so that a person could find a single point even while he is "sitting" and still clothed in the physical garment — that nevertheless the opening of the tent would be opened for him, as above.

Hashem had Avraham "sit" in order to pave a path for his children: even an ordinary person, still wrapped in his physical body and not on the lofty level of "standing," can find that one point of holiness, and the gateway to the supernal tent will open for him too.

הוא הארת המילה שזוכין כל בנ"י כמ"ש ועמך כולם צדיקים:

This is the illumination of milah that all Bnei Yisrael merit, as it says, "And your people are all righteous" (Yeshayahu 60:21).

That accessible point of holiness is the light of milah, granted to every Jew — which is why all of Bnei Yisrael are called tzaddikim, each one carrying this gateway to Hashem within.

Summary: Although milah diminishes the body, it is the essence of wholeness: by consecrating one place to Hashem and subordinating the physical, a Jew uncovers the pure root of his soul. This single "point" of supernal light makes a person tamim, for true shleimus is a Divine illumination in which one point contains everything — the same light revealed on Shabbos through bittul. Avraham was told to "sit" rather than "stand" so that he would pave a path for all his descendants: even while clothed in the body, every Jew can find that point of holiness and have the "opening of the tent" opened to him, which is why all of Bnei Yisrael are called righteous.