Hidden light revealed through milah

במדרש ואחר עורי נקפו זאת כו'.

In the Midrash: "And after my skin, this is destroyed…" (Iyov 19:26)

The Sefas Emes opens with the posuk from Iyov, which the Midrash links to Avraham’s milah and the question of how Hashem became revealed to him.

מהיכן הי' נגלה כו'.

From where was [the hidden light] revealed…?

The Midrash asks how the concealed light — the Or HaGanuz — came to be revealed to Avraham; the answer will be: through the bris milah.

דכתיב וירא האור כי טוב ויבדל ראה שאין העולם כדאי וגנזו לצדיקים.

As it is written, "And He saw the light, that it was good, and He separated" (Bereishis 1:4) — He saw that the world was not worthy [of it], and He hid it away for the tzaddikim.

The primordial light of the first day was too holy for the world to use openly, so Hashem concealed it, the Or HaGanuz, reserving it for the tzaddikim.

וידוע כי האדם נקרא עולם קטן כי הוא כולל כל הבריאה א"כ יש בו מאור הטוב אבל הוא נגנז ואברהם אע"ה בצדקתו זכה שנפתח לו הפתח ע"י חותם ברית קודש כמ"ש במד' סוד ה' ליריאיו.

And it is known that a person is called a "small world" (olam katan), for he comprises the whole of creation; if so, there is within him a portion of the good light — but it is hidden away. And Avraham Avinu, through his tzidkus, merited that the opening was opened for him by means of the seal of the holy bris, as the Midrash states: "The secret of Hashem is for those who fear Him." (Tehillim 25:14)

Since man is a miniature of the whole creation, the hidden light is buried within every person too. Avraham’s righteousness, sealed through the bris milah, opened the "gateway" to that inner light — the "sod Hashem" granted to those with yiras Shomayim.

ואמר הקב"ה המכסה אני מאברהם שהגם שעשה הקב"ה להיות העור מכסה על הפנימיות.

And the Holy One said, "Shall I conceal from Avraham?" (Bereishis 18:17) — for although the Holy One made the skin to cover over the inner dimension (penimiyus),

Hashem declares that He will not hide His secret from Avraham. Although Hashem created the "skin," the outer covering, to conceal the penimiyus, the inner Divine point, He chose to reveal it to Avraham.

נמסר לו המילה לפתוח שערי הקדושה.

the milah was given to him to open the gates of holiness.

The mitzvah of milah was entrusted to Avraham precisely as the means to pierce that outer covering and unlock the gates of kedushah hidden within.

שע"ז נאמר אור זרוע לצדיק והאמת כי בכלל העולם נקראו בנ"י צדיקים כמ"ש ועמך כולם צדיקים שנפתח להם שערי הקדושה.

Concerning this it is said, "Light is sown for the tzaddik." (Tehillim 97:11) And the truth is that, as a klal, Bnei Yisrael are called tzaddikim, as it is written, "And your people are all tzaddikim" (Yeshayahu 60:21) — for the gates of holiness were opened to them.

The "sown light" reserved for the tzaddik belongs to all of Bnei Yisrael, who as a nation are called tzaddikim, because through the bris the gates of holiness were opened for them collectively.

אבל בכל איש בפרט המילה הוא אור זרוע לצדיק.

But in each individual person, the milah is "light sown for the tzaddik."

On the individual level too, every Jew’s own milah is the planting of that hidden light within him, opening his personal access to the inner kedushah.

ואבר זה הוא עדות שנמצא הקדושה בכל האדם רק שהיא נגנז וכמו כן בני ישראל הם עדות כי נמצא הקדושה בעולם.

And this limb is testimony that holiness is found within every person — only that it is hidden; and likewise Bnei Yisrael are testimony that holiness is found in the world.

The milah engraved on the body bears witness that kedushah dwells within every person, merely concealed; and Bnei Yisrael as a whole bear witness to the world that holiness is present in creation, though hidden.

וכמו כן בזמן שבתות ויו"ט אשר בהם מתגלה הקדושה הם עדות שהקדושה גנוזה ונסתרת בעולם והוא כענין יצא מן הכלל ללמד על הכלל כולו לכן שבת סהדותא אקרי וכמו כן בני ישראל עדים אתם:

And likewise, the time of Shabbosos and Yamim Tovim, in which the holiness becomes revealed, are testimony that the holiness is hidden and concealed within the world — and this is like the principle "[a matter] that left the general rule to teach about the entire general rule"; therefore Shabbos is called "testimony" (sahaduta), and likewise [it says], "You are My witnesses." (Yeshayahu 43:10)

Just as milah and Bnei Yisrael testify to a hidden holiness, so do Shabbos and Yom Tov: by openly revealing kedushah on these set times, they prove that the same holiness lies concealed within all the ordinary days and within the whole world — which is why Shabbos is called a "witness" and Bnei Yisrael are Hashem’s witnesses.

Summary: The primordial Or HaGanuz, too holy to be revealed openly, lies hidden within every person and within the world. Avraham Avinu, through his tzidkus, was given the bris milah as the key to open the gates of holiness — and just as milah testifies that kedushah dwells hidden in every Jew, and Bnei Yisrael testify that it dwells hidden in the world, so Shabbos and Yom Tov, by revealing holiness openly, bear witness that it is concealed within all the ordinary days.