וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי יִמּוֹל. אֵין כְּתִיב שָׁם שֶׁיּוֹצִיא הוֹצָאוֹת עַל הַמִּילָה. בֹּא וּרְאֵה, כַּמָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מְחַבְּבִין אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת, שֶׁהֵם מוֹצִיאִין הוֹצָאוֹת כְּדֵי לִשְׁמֹר אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת וְלִשְׂמֹחַ בָּהֶם. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אַתֶּם מְשַׁמְּרִים אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת וְתִשְׂמְחוּ בָּהֶן, אֲנִי מוֹסִיף לָכֶם שִׂמְחָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְיָסְפוּ עֲנָוִים בַּה' שִׂמְחָה וְגוֹ' (שם כט, יט). חֲבִיבָה הַמִּילָה, שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּע הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאַבְרָהָם, שֶׁכָּל מִי שֶׁהוּא מָהוּל אֵינוֹ יוֹרֵד לַגֵּיהִנָּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּרַת ה' אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית לֵאמֹר (בראשית טו, יח). וּמִי יֵרֵד לְשָׁם. רְאֵה מַה כְּתִיב אַחֲרָיו, אֶת הַקֵּינִי וְאֶת הַקְּנִזִּי וְגוֹ'. וְכֵן יְחֶזְקֵאל רוֹאֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בֶּן אָדָם נְהֵה עַל הֲמוֹן מִצְרַיִם וְהוֹרִדֵהוּ אוֹתָהּ וּבְנוֹת גּוֹיִם אַדִּרִם אֶל אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּיּוֹת אֶת יוֹרְדֵי בוֹר, מִמִּי נָעָמְתָּ רְדָה וְהָשְׁכְּבָה אֶת עֲרֵלִים וְגוֹ', שָׁם אַשּׁוּר וְכָל קְהָלָהּ סְבִיבוֹתָיו קִבְרֹתָיו וְגוֹ', שָׁם מֶשֶׁךְ תֻּבַל וְכָל הֲמוֹנָהּ סְבִיבוֹתָיו קִבְרוֹתֶיהָ כֻּלָּם עֲרֵלִים וְגוֹ', שָׁמָּה נְסִיכֵי צָפוֹן וְגוֹ' (יחזקאל לב, יח-ל). וְכֵן יְשַׁעְיָה אוֹמֵר, לָכֵן הִרְחִיבָה שְׁאוֹל נַפְשָׁהּ וּפָעֲרָה פִיהָ לִבְלִי חֹק (ישעיה ה, יד), לְמִי שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ חֹק. וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁהִיא נִקְרֵאת חֹק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְיַעֲמִידֶהָ לְיַעֲקֹב לְחֹק, לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרִית עוֹלָם (תהלים קה, י), מִשּׁוּם שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שָׁם שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וּמָה הַשֵּׁם וְהַחוֹתָם שֶׁשָּׂם בָּהֶם. הוּא שַׁדַּי. הַשִּׁי״ן שָׁם בָּאַף, וְהַדָּלֶ״ת בַּיָּד, וְהַיּוּ״ד בַּמִּילָה. וּלְפִיכָךְ כְּשֶׁהוּא הוֹלֵךְ אֶל בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ, יֵשׁ מַלְאָךְ מְמֻנֶּה בְּגַן עֵדֶן שֶׁלּוֹקֵחַ אוֹתוֹ וּמְבִיאוֹ בְּגַן עֵדֶן. וְהַכּוֹפְרִים וְהַפּוֹשְׁעִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְצַוֶּה לַמַּלְאָךְ וּמוֹשֵׁךְ עָרְלָתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: שָׁלַח יָדָיו בִּשְׁלֹמָיו, חִלֵּל בְּרִיתוֹ (שם נה, כא). מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁשָּׁאַל טוּרְנוּסְרוּפוּס הָרָשָׁע אֶת רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אֵיזוֹ מַעֲשִׂים נָאִים, שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹ שֶׁל בָּשָׂר וָדָם. אָמַר לוֹ: שֶׁל בָּשָׂר וָדָם נָאִים. אָמַר לוֹ טוּרְנוּסְרוּפוּס, הֲרֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ יָכֹל אָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, לֹא תֹּאמַר לִי בְּדָבָר שֶׁהוּא לְמַעְלָה מִן הַבְּרִיּוֹת שֶׁאֵין שׁוֹלְטִין עָלָיו, אֶלָּא אֱמֹר דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם מְצוּיִין בִּבְנֵי אָדָם. אָמַר לוֹ: לָמָּה אַתֶּם מוּלִין. אָמַר לוֹ: אֲנִי הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁעַל דָּבָר זֶה אַתָּה שׁוֹאֲלֵנִי, וּלְכָךְ הִקְדַּמְתִּי וְאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ, שֶׁמַּעֲשֵׂה בְּנֵי אָדָם נָאִים מִשֶּׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. הֵבִיא לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא שִׁבֳּלִים וּגְלֻסְקָאוֹת, אָמַר לוֹ: אֵלּוּ מַעֲשֶׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְאֵלּוּ מַעֲשֶׂה יְדֵי אָדָם. אָמַר לוֹ: אֵין אֵלּוּ נָאִים יוֹתֵר מִן הַשִּׁבֳּלִים אָמַר לוֹ טוּרְנוּסְרוּפוּס, אִם הוּא חָפֵץ בַּמִּילָה, לָמָּה אֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא הַוָּלָד מָהוּל מִמְּעֵי אִמּוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, וְלָמָּה שׁוֹרְרוֹ יוֹצֵא עִמּוֹ וְהוּא תָּלוּי בְּבִטְנוֹ וְאִמּוֹ חוֹתְכוֹ וּמַה שֶׁאַתָּה אוֹמֵר לָמָּה אֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא מָהוּל, לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא נָתַן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא לְצָרֵף אוֹתָם בָּהֶם. וּלְכָךְ אָמַר דָּוִד, אִמְרַת ה' צְרוּפָה (תהלים יח, לא). (Lev. 12:3:) “And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” It is not written here that one lays out expenses over circumcision. See how much Israel loves the commandments, how many expenses they lay out in order to observe them! The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “You make the commandments joyful; I am increasing your joy, as stated (in Is. 29:19), ‘Then the humble shall increase their joy in the Lord.’” Beloved is circumcision, such that the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to Avraham that anyone who is circumcised will not descend to Geihinnom, as stated (Genesis 15:18), “On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Avram, saying.” And who does descend there? See what is written below (Gen. 15:19), “The Kenite, the Kenizzite ….” And so did Ezekiel see, as stated (Ezekiel 32:18-30), “Son of man, wail upon the masses of Egypt and make it descend, and the daughters of mighty nations, to the lowest lands and those that fall in the pit. Who do you surpass in pleasantness, go down and lay with the uncircumcised…. Assyria is there with all of her congregation, its graves are around it…. Meshech and Tubal and all their masses are there, its graves are surrounding it, they are all uncircumcised…. The princes of the North are there….” And so does Isaiah says (Isaiah 5:14), “And so does the pit widen itself and opened wide its mouth without measure (chok),” to he that doesn't have a statute [the words — "without measure" — can also be rendered "to he that doesn't have a statute"]. And where [do we see that] it (the commandment to circumcise) is called a statue? As it says (Ps. 105:10) "And He established it unto Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant," because the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His name with Israel. And what is the name and the seal that He placed in them? It is Shaddai, the shin is placed on the nose, the dalet on the hand, and the yud on the circumcision. Therefore when he goes to his eternal home, there is an angel appointed in the Garden of Eden who takes him and brings him into the Garden of Eden. And regarding the heretics and sinners, The Holy One, “blessed be He, commands the angel to pull his foreskin (i.e. reverse his circumcision), as it says (Ps. 55:21) "He hath put forth his hands against them that were at peace with him; he has profaned his covenant." It happened that Tyrannus Rufus the wicked asked R. Aqiva, “Which works are the more beautiful? Those of the Holy One, blessed be He, or those of flesh and blood?” He said to him, “Those of flesh and blood are the more beautiful.” Tyrannus Rufus the wicked said to him, “Look at the heavens and the earth. Are you able to make anything like them?” R. Aqiva said to him, “Do not talk to me about something which is high above mortals, things over which they have no control, but about things which are usual among people.” He said to him, “Why do you circumcise?” He said to him, “I also knew that you were going to say this to me. I therefore anticipated [your question] when I said to you, ‘A work of flesh and blood is more beautiful than one of the Holy One, blessed be He.’ Bring me wheat spikes and white bread.”16Qeluska’ot, from the Gk.: kollikes (“long rolls of coarse bread”) or kollikia (the diminutive of kollikes). He said to him, “The former is the work of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the latter is the work of flesh and blood. Is not the latter more beautiful?” Tyrannus Rufus said to him, “Inasmuch as He finds pleasure in circumcision, why does no one emerge from his mother's belly circumcised?” R. Aqiva said to him, “And why does his umbilical cord come out on him? Does not his mother cut his umbilical cord? So why does he not come out circumcised? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, only gave Israel the commandments in order to purify them. Therefore, David said (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31), ‘the word of the Lord is pure.’”