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Showing posts from September, 2026

Thought for the Day: The Two Days of ראש השנה are Fundamentally Different Days of Judgement

Consider these two facts we know about Avraham Avinu: Avraham Avinu kept all the mitzvos, both those from the Torah and those of Rabbinic origin. Avraham Avinu performed a self-administered (!!) Bris Milah at 99 years of age. Question: Why the delay? The mitzvah of Bris Milah is about as fundamental to Torah Judaism as you get. The answer is surprisingly straightforward: Avraham most certainly could have circumcised himself. But that is not the mitzvah of Bris Milah. Being circumcised (roughly a third of the world population) does not make you Jewish any more than eating a salad makes you a vegan. The circumcision is, so to speak, the way we Jews sign on the dotted line that we have accepted the Covenant that HaShem, the Creator and Author of reality, has offered to His treasured nation. When Avraham Avinu circumcised himself at the behest of the Creator, he was entering into that convenant. He obviously couldn't do that until the covenenant was offered. Can we talk a bit about ראש...