בְּרֵאשִׁית‎

BeReshit

Genesis

CHAPTER 17

With Commentaries

“And no longer will your name be called Avram, and your name will be Avraham, for/because (the) father (of) many nations I will make you.”

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew

And Avram was at the age of 99 years old and perceived YHVH, which directed Himself towards Avram and said to him, “I am, El/God Shadai, walk in front to/for me and be unblemished/blameless.”

1 וַיְהִי אַבְרָם בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה וְתֵשַׁע שָׁנִים וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל־אַבְרָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי־אֵל שַׁדַּי הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי וֶהְיֵה תָמִים׃

א

“And Avram was at the age of 99 years old.”

HaShem spoke to Avram 13 years after Hagar gave birth to Yishmael for Avram. Making it the year,

2047 After Creation

This makes Yishmael 13 and Avram 99 years old, as this verse says. Hashem once again had Avram have a vision like all the other times, and the Scriptures say how. HaShem directed his voice by looking in Avram’s direction and directed His words towards him. Only Avram could hear Him in his head while he was in this vision while awake and in full control of his senses. Avram does not go to sleep or fall into a trance; he just hears HaShem’s words in his head.

“I am El Shadai”

HaShem starts by identifying Himself to Avram as “אֵל שַׁדַּי/El Shadai/God Shadai.” Some say that Shadai means “Almighty,” but this word has no translation to any other language. The best description of the word comes from rabbis/teachers of Scripture. These rabbis say that Shadai is best described as a mother breastfeeding a child, and what is meant by that is that, especially back in those days, breastfeeding was the only way a newborn baby could eat and survive. If a mother could not produce milk, the baby died, or if a child did not learn how to breastfeed, the baby died also. All nutrients, or everything the baby needed to survive, were from the mother. Even new bird hatchlings die without the parents going out and bringing food for the little hatchlings that cannot fly yet. We will come to a chapter in which Avraham holds a celebration in which his son Isaac was weaned from his mother’s breast and started eating solid food. This celebration meant that the baby Isaac would make it and live. This is what this word means, and HaShem describes Himself as such. HaShem is saying, “I am the only One God you need.” He says, “For you to live, you only need Me and no one else; without me, you die,” “Without Me, nothing exists.” He is also saying, “Until you can stand for yourself.” What do I mean by, until you can stand by yourself? Until you decide if you choose HaShem as your God and follow his rules or if you will not follow Him and go on your own without Him. When you reach the age that you know right from wrong, and you start to be the person you choose to be.

“Walk to/for me and be תָמִים/Tamim.”

The meaning of the word תָמִים/Tamim is:

blameless

1) complete, whole, entire, sound

1a) complete, whole, entire

1b) whole, sound, healthful

1c) complete, entire (of time)

1d) sound, wholesome, unimpaired, innocent, having integrity

1e) what is complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact (neuter adj/subst)

What HaShem is telling Avram goes together with how HaShem described Himself as “Shadai.” If Avram walks to/for HaShem, Avram will be all these things that the word תָמִים/Tamim means. If Avram lives his life according to HaShem rules, Avram will be blameless, complete, whole, sound, healthy, entire (if time), unimpaired, innocent, and having integrity if he walks entirely in accord with the truth with Hashem. HaShem will be everything Avram needs and Avram will be taken care by HaShem. This is also true of us if we follow HaShem’s rules and have Him as our God, then He will be El Shadai for us too.

“הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי/Walk in front to/for me.”

What does this verse mean when it says, “Walk in front to/for me.” In order to understand this, we first have to understand the word תְשׁוּבָה/Teshuva, which means to answer, to respond, to reply, to return, to repent, and to rejoin. This word should be familiar to you as I have already explained it. To do teshuva is, as we know it, to repent, but that is not how the word is used when it comes to HaShem or kind of is. What you do when you sin is walk away from HaShem. You are deciding not to follow His rules and go on your own. The more you sin, the farther away you are from Him. When someone sins so much and feels the weight of their sinful ways and wants to amend for their sin and does, that is to do teshuvah. This is an act, a decision you made to amend for your sins, and by doing so, you are returning, rejoining, back to HaShem. Teshuvah means to come back to HaShem, our God. And this is the meaning of this part of the verse, “Walk in front to/for me.” HaShem says, never leave my side; walk to me and for me, and I will be El Shadai for you. How do we do that? By following HaShem's rules in the Torah, loving him, and fearing desapointing Him. By standing in awe of His power, mercy, and everything He is and does for us all.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: אני אל שדי I AM GOD ALMIGHTY — I am He whose (ש) Godship suffices (די) for every creature (Genesis Rabbah 46:3), therefore, ‘‘walk before Me”, and I will be your God and Protector. Similarly, wherever in the Scriptures this Divine Name שדי/Shadai occurs, it signifies the idea of His sufficiency — but it all depends upon the context as to what the “sufficiency” refers to.
התהלך לפני WALK BEFORE ME — as the Targum takes it: worship before Me — cleave to My service.

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: AND BE THOU WHOLE-HEARTED. This is an additional commandment in this matter, similar in meaning to the verse, Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the Eternal thy G-d, which follows G-d’s admonition: There shall not be found among you any one that … useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or sorcerer, etc. The purport of both verses is that one should believe in his heart that the Holy One, blessed be He, alone is the Omnipotent from beginning to end. It is He who has the power to do and to undo, and therefore he should not listen to the soothsayers and diviners or to the enchanters and the sorcerers. He shall in no way believe that their words shall be fulfilled, but he should decree in his heart that everything is in the hand of the Supreme One, who is G-d, G-d Almighty, Who doeth a person good, which was not predestined by his constellation, and bringeth evil upon him despite a constellation that was good and auspicious. In accordance with the manner in which a man walks before Him, He frustrateth the tokens of the impostors, and maketh diviners mad. It is this which the Sages had in mind when they said: “[G-d said to Abraham], ‘Go forth from your astrological speculations, etc.’”
Now Rashi explained: “And be thou whole-hearted. Be whole-hearted in all the trials I impose upon you.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the verse means that he should not seek the reason for the commandment of circumcision, it being similar in meaning to the verse: Let my heart be undivided in Thy statutes, in order that I may not be put to shame. The correct interpretation is as I have explained.

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: וירא ה, a מראה is always a vision one level lower than true prophecy. This is why G'd said to Moses in Exodus 6:3 ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם, "but I had not revealed to them My true name Hashem."
והיה תמים/be unblemished/blameless, "acquire the maximum degree of perfection human beings are capable of attaining. Be intelligent so that you can acquire more intimate knowledge of Me through recognising the way I operate in the universe. As a result you will be emulate My attributes to the degree that this is possible for humans." The deeds of man reflect his having emulated G'd when he tried to do so. This is what Moses had in mind when he asked G'd: הודיעני נא את דרכיך ואדעך, "Make know to me Your ways so that by this means I will get to know You." (Exodus 33:13) This is the ultimate perfection that the human species is able to achieve. This was G'd's objective for man when He created him, when he added the word בצלמנו, "in our image," when announcing that He was about to create man with the words נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו, "Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1,26).

And I will set my covenant between me and between you, and to multiply you greatly.”

2 וְאֶתְּנָה בְרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וְאַרְבֶּה אוֹתְךָ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד׃

ב

HaShem repeats the covenant between them and adds to it. What is the addition? Even though Avram was already doing so, Avram must walk in HaShem's ways to be unblemished/blameless and to receive what HaShem promised him

Bereshit/Genesis 12:1-3

“Go from your land, and from your people, and the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, and I will magnify your name, and you will be a blessing. And blessed will be those who bless you, and he that curses you shall be cursed, and blessed in you will be all the families on the land/earth/surface of the earth.”

Bereshit/Genesis 12:7

“To your seed, I will give this land.”

Bereshit/Genesis 13:14-17

“Please, lift your eyes, and look from the place where you are, to the north, and to the south, and to the east, and to the sea/west, for all the land that you see, to you, I give it and to your seed for ever. I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, which if men is able to count the dust of the earth, so will your seed be. Rise, walk the land, to its length, and to its with, for to you I give it.”

Bereshit/Genesis 15:7

“I, YHVH, which send you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land, for it to be your possession.”

Bereshit/Genesis 15:18-21

“To your seed/descendants I give this land. From the river of Egypt till/to the large/great river, the River Perat/Euphrates. The Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, and the Amorite, and the Kenaanite, and the Gargashite, and the Yebusite.”

Nothing is given for nothing. Everything is provided by effort, and staying in God’s grace is effort because we are in the flesh, and the flesh is always getting in the way, but we must overcome this tendency that the flesh imposes on us. We must do it. It has to come from you. Nobody can save you but yourself. If you want HaShem to be El Shadai for you, we must follow Avram's example, walking to/for HaShem so we can also be unblemished/blameless.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: ואתנה בריתי AND I WILL MAKE MY COVENANT — a covenant of love and a covenant regarding the land — to give it to you as an inheritance through your observance of this precept.

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: ואתנה בריתי ביני ובינך, it is on this basis that I will establish My covenant between Me and between you. להיות לך לאלוהים ולזרעך אחריך, so that you will teach your descendants the lesson you have absorbed about Me.

Malbim (1809 - 1879) Commentary: I will give My covenant. Hashem’s earlier covenant with him (15:18) was unilateral, but this one was “between Me and you,” imposing obligations upon both parties. Thus, Avraham was also obliged to do his part to perfect creation, starting with his own body.

And Avram fell upon/on his face, and ELOHIM spoke to him saying,

3 וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָם עַל־פָּנָיו וַיְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר׃

ג

“And Avram fell upon/on his face.”

This is an interesting verse. HaShem has communicated with Avram before by the same means, and Avram has always listened, even arguing with HaShem once; as HaShem said of Avram, Avram was His friend. This time, though, Avram seems surprised. What changed? So far, the covenant is, for the most part, the same. It could be that HaShem showed more intensity in His power of communication so that Avram may feel more of HaShem’s power in His speech, but I do not think so.
What I think changed here is that HaShem spoke at the beginning of the chapter. HaShem spoke to Avram as He usually does with Avram, but as He did, a messenger/angel appeared before Avram as well. It is this messenger who is now about to speak for HaShem. Much later in Scripture, we will discover that HaShem has a court system and that some of His messengers/angels are his officials. This is the reason for the change of HaShem’s name to ELOHIM. HaShem sent one of His court system’s messengers to Avram to make the covenant official. As we continue the chapter, we will find out how lawyer like, the speech changes. The speech will sound more like a court setting than HaShem just telling Avram what he already knows. A contract is being read to both parties, HaShem and Avram. This will be a contract of the highest court of law—the court of HaShem.

Psalms 82:1

“ELOHIM stand in gathering in the congregation of EL/God amid ELOHIM judgment.”

Meaning: The messengers/angels gather in the presence of HaShem amid the court's judgment made up of messengers/angels. HaShem is the Judge over everything and everyone, and the messengers/angels are the other court officials.

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: ויפול אברם על פניו/And Abram fell on his face, this was a voluntary act demonstrating his gratitude to G'd for entering into the covenant with him.

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: ויפול אברם על פניו, “Avram prostrated himself” from joy over this welcome message [that finally he qualified for performing this commandment. Ed.]

Malbim (1809 - 1879) commentary: ...This is the first time that the name, Elokim, is mentioned in God's speaking to Abraham. As we find that the name, Elokim, is attached to His creatures: "Elokei Avraham"; "Elokei Yitschak", Elokei Yisrael" - which is something that we do not find with the other names [of God]. As [this aspect of God] is diffused into the entire creation; such that from this angle, He is called Elokei HaOlam (the God of the world). And this is the name, Elokim, that is mentioned in the story of creation, in which he implanted the laws of nature... And there is [this aspect of God] that descends upon any man that is prepared for it, based on his preparation, like the forefathers... upon whom He had [this aspect] dwell upon in a different way that was elevated from [how this aspect] is found in nature...

Malbim says that the name ELOHIM is attached to His creatures, and I have explained why this is. This name/description of HaShem, ELOHIM, is attached to both men and messengers/angels when HaShem sends them to do His will. When HaShem sends them to do a task for Him, this are called ELOHIM.
In the beginning of the Bible, messengers/angels do most things for HaShem, but as Avraham and then later Isaac, then Jacob, who will be the nation of Israel, are chosen, not to mention all the prophets that will follow, the messengers/angels will take a back seat and do less because Israel by way of their king and the kohen/priests of HaShem, whom HaShem will establish will start to take over the tasks of the messengers/angels. Now, as the Bible has been written, and we await the fulfillment of the prophecies, everything that HaShem needed to teach us is already said in the Bible/Tanakh. Now, no messengers/angels are coming, and there will be no more prophets until the messiah comes. Now, it is up to every individual to search for the truth and decide who their God is. If they choose HaShem as their God, their knees should only bend for Him. Then, you must act according to HaShem's law to continue this covenant. This covenant is still alive today.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ויפול אברם על פניו, he prostrated himself and thanked the Lord Who had told him that He would make this covenant with him, something he interpreted as a sign of G'd's love for him.
וידבר אתו אלוהים לאמור/And God spoke to him to say, He said the following word to him לאמור/to say, in order for Avraham in turn to communicate them to the members of this household when he would meet them.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: Abram fell upon his face, in awe, due to the prophecy, and as an expression of his complete submission to whatever God was about to tell him, as the promise would no doubt include an obligation as well.

“I, here/thus, is my covenant with you and to/for you to be a great father of a great number of nations.

4 אֲנִי הִנֵּה בְרִיתִי אִתָּךְ וְהָיִיתָ לְאַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם׃

ד

The messenger starts reading out HaShem’s contract/covenant to Avram. The wording says that Avram will become the father of many great nations. The word used is גּוֹיִם/goyim, which is generally today, used to signify nations other than or apart from Israel. Still, here refers to all nations coming from Avram, even Israel, because Jacob has not yet been born or become Israel.

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: BEHOLD, MY COVENANT IS WITH THEE, AND THOU SHALT BE THE FATHER OF A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS. This refers to the covenant of the circumcision, as He will explain, “This is the sign of the Covenant, and after the covenant you will be the father of a multitude of nations.”
Blessed be the Lord! By Him alone are actions weighed, for He preceded and commanded Abraham to enter into His covenant to be circumcised before Sarah became pregnant so that his seed would be holy.

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: אני הנה בריתי אתך, "I am now doing what I had told you, to make the covenant actual."

Kitzur Ba’al HaTurim (approximately 1270 - 1340) commentary: "Twice a father of a multitude" in the passage, which refers to Abraham, is taken into account for Isaac. And "arbah" (meaning "four") has the same numerical value as Isaac in Hebrew numerology (gematria).

Rabbeinu Bahya (1255 – 1340) commentary: אני הנה בריתי אתך, “As for Me, this is My covenant with you.” Nachmanides writes that the mystical meaning of these words is the same as Kings I 5:58 יהי ה' אלוקינו עמנו, “may the Lord our G’d be with us;” or, it is similar to Genesis 28:15 והנה אנכי עמך “and here I am with you.” We also find a similar expression in Exodus 3:12 where G’d assures Moses כי אהיה עמך, ”for I am going to be with you.” What G’d meant by His words was that this very covenant would be with Avraham and would enable him to become fruitful and to multiply. Subsequently G’d commanded Avraham to observe this covenant by performing the visible sign of it, the rite of circumcision. The constantly recurring sign of the circumcision is the Sabbath. There the Torah (Exodus 31:13) also writes that the Israelites would observe the Sabbath as a sign of the eternal covenant between G’d and the children of Israel. The similarity of the language of the Torah in both instances makes it clear that both ”signs” (the circumcision and Sabbath observance) refer to the same covenant although the Torah delayed mentioning this until Exodus 31:13.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: אני הנה בריתי אתך, just as you have ben certain that when I said to you that I am א-ל שדי that I have the power to change the laws of nature, I am telling you additionally, that you will not only be the founder of one nation, but that you will became the founder of numerous nations. Both Yitzchok, Ishmael, and the sons of Keturah will al become important nations.
The expression המון means "a multiplicity." In order that this will be remembered for all future times, I change your name by the addition of the letter ה, which by being joined to the letter מ symbolizes the word המון/lots of.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: I, My covenant is hereby being established with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

And no longer will your name be called Avram, and your name will be Avraham, for/because (the) father (of) many nations I will make you.

5 וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵא עוֹד אֶת־שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָם וְהָיָה שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָהָם כִּי אַב־הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ׃

ה

The new covenant of HaShem with Avram changes Avram’s name to Avraham, and Scripture says that this is because Avram, or Avraham, now will be the father of many nations. This means that his future would not have been so before the covenant. Without HaShem, Avraham would have been a normal person if you could apply that term to someone like Avram. What I mean is that Avraham, as Avram and without HaShem, would have been a good man, but one of many who have a family lives his life and is forgotten in history, even within his own family given enough time. And this, as the covenant says at the end of this verse, “has been given to him.” What does it mean to have been given? It means that it is something you did not have before. Even if you had one of something, now you have more of the same. It is a gift you did not own previously and, in Avraham’s case, would have never gotten on his own.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: ABRAHAM. The new name with the addition of the resh means the mighty one of a multitude of nations. This is so because the new name did not come to diminish a letter from Abraham’s original name but to add one.

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: והיה שמך אברהם, "henceforth your name will be Avraham. Immediately."
כי אב המון גויים נתתיך, for the significance of this name change will commence as of this day. The word נתתיך in the past tense means that this process has already commenced. This is why לא יקרא עוד שמך אברם, your name from now on will now longer be Avram, ever. This was a different name change from when Yaakov was accorded the name ישראל/Yisrael. That name was an additional name which did not replace his original name Yaakov. The matter will be explained in due course.

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: ולא יקרא עוד את שמך אברם, “henceforth your name will no longer be called Avram;” anyone still referring to Avraham as Avram will be violating a positive commandment. (Talmud, B’rachot 13)[The underlying reason for this may be that by depriving him of his full name, the caller implies that he was still partially a gentile. This is loosely translated by me for the words לפי שנתלוה עמו גיות, used by the author. Ed.] Nechemyah 9:7 where reference to this name change is made, is no contradiction to what is stated in the Talmud, as it also records what has been written here. The Talmud refers to the difference from Yaakov who was given the additional name Israel, without the name Yaakov having been erased. Seeing that he had been a descendant of Avraham and Yitzchok, the name Yaakov never had a connotation of something connected to paganism which had to be erased. Already Yitzchok’s name never required to be changed.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ולא יקרא, people of subsequent generations will never refer to the original names of Avram and Sarai when referring to them, but will refer to them only as Sarah and Avraham. You are to tell all the people you meet that G'd has changed both your names, so that these people will tell others and soon everyone will know about this. As a result, the miracle that I have worked with you both will become public knowledge when you and Sarah will have a baby-son.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: This is a new status, and therefore your name shall no longer be called Abram, with its simple meaning of lofty [ram] father [av]. But rather, your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. As part of the covenant, the name given to him by his parents was exchanged for a name chosen by God. The meaning of this name is far more complex, and the verse itself explains it: The father of a multitude [av hamon], or the lofty father of a multitude.

And you, I will make you fruitful in great abundance, and I will give you to/for the nations, and kings will come from you.

6 וְהִפְרֵתִי אֹתְךָ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְגוֹיִם וּמְלָכִים מִמְּךָ יֵצֵאוּ׃

ו

Once again, HaShem states in the contract/covenant that Avraham should be fruitful and increase in number, repeating the first commandment to Adam/mankind given to Adam and then again to Noakh after the Great Flood. If Avraham does, HaShem will give Avram nations, and kings will come from him. However, Hashem says that He will give this to him. HaShem will be the cause for Avraham to be able to accomplish this.

The word Goyim was used again to refer to these kings who would come from Avraham. We know that Avraham has Yishmael, and in a verse or two, we will find out that HaShem granted Avraham another child, and in a future chapter, after Sarai’s death, or Sarah then, Avraham will marry again and have many more children. All these kings that will come from Avraham will be coming through all these children. They will be different nations of their own and with their own kings. You can also say that many kings will come from the line chosen by HaShem through Yitzkhak, the son given from HaShem that will be granted to Avraham and Sarah, but the word used, Goyim, makes me think otherwise. Goyim refers to different nations and not one. If so, the word would have been Goy/Nation, not Goyim/Nations. Israel is only one nation and not many. Plus, as I mentioned before, neither Yitzkhak nor Yaakov has been born yet. Although, this could also mean that, as Scripture says, Israel will be and is a priestly nation. Israel comprises the twelve sons of Yaakov, so there are twelve tribes. It makes me wonder if, in the world to come, after Mesiakh, these twelve tribes will be in charge of twelve different world countries, each tribe in charge of a country of Goyim. With the priests, the sons of Levi spread among them. But at this point, I am reading too much into it. I do not remember anything resembling this in Scripture, but yet again, there is not much said in Scripture about the state of the world after the Messiah or how or if there will be different nations.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: ונתתיך לגוים AND I WILL MAKE NATIONS OF THEE — Israel and Edom only are intended here for Ishmael was already born to him and He could not, therefore, have been making any announcement concerning him.

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: AND I WILL MAKE NATIONS OF THEE. The language of Rashi: “Israel and Edom are referred to here, for Ishmael was already born to him, and He could not therefore have been making any announcement concerning him.”
But in my opinion it is not correct that He should inform him of Esau at the time of the covenant of circumcision since Esau does not observe circumcision and has not been commanded thereon, as the Sages expounded in Tractate Sanhedrin: “For in Isaac shall seed be called to thee, but not all of Isaac.” Instead, [the proper interpretation is that] Israel alone is called “nations” and “peoples,” as in the verses: Yea, He loveth the peoples; They shall call peoples unto the mountains; After thee, Benjamin, among the peoples. Even after the birth of all the tribes, He said: A nation and a company of nations shall be of thee; And I will make of thee a company of peoples.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: והפרתי אותך במאד מאד ונתתיך לגוים, as we already explained, this refers to Yitzchok, Ishmael and the sons of Keturah. Alternatively, it refers only to Yitzchok's offspring Yaakov, and his offspring alone. The meaning of the word גוים then would be "tribes" as suggested by Onkelos. [in a different manuscript from that copied in our Chumashim. Ed.]

I see what Radak is saying, but HaShem said that the crown would only be from the house of David and not from any of the other tribes, and rightly so; legally, it has always been so. There have been other kings from other tribes, but HaShem has always been on the line of David’s house, as He promised. HaShem does not honor these self-imposed kings as when Israel split into two, north Israel and south Israel, in the time of Isaiah. Isaiah was sent to the south of Israel to help the king, a descendant of David, and sent another prophet to the north to condemn them.
גוֹיִם/Goyim means nations/people and שֵׁבֶט/Shevet or שִׁבְטֵי/Shiveti menas tribe and tribes. So this verse means to say nations, not tribes.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: God promised Abraham: As the father of a multitude of nations, I will make you exceedingly fruitful, I will make you into the progenitor of various nations, and kings shall emerge from you and rule, each in his own realm.

And I will establish my covenant between me and between you and between your seed after you, through their generations forever, to be to/for you ELOHIM/GOD and to your seed/descendants after you.

7 וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ לְדֹרֹתָם לִבְרִית עוֹלָם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹהִים וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ׃

ז

“Forever through their generations”

The terms of this covenant/contract are between HaShem, Avraham, and Avraham's descendants forever. Even if they fail, the covenant/contract stands, but punishment will be dealt to them, and when they decide to do Teshuvah/repent/come back to HaShem, they will be accepted back into the covenant/contract. Why would HaShem do this, knowing full well that they would fail? Because they did fail, and HaShem knew they would, why would HaShem make commandments that would not get broken if they were not going to fail? But because they would fail is the reason for the commandments. HaShem also knows that no matter what, they will always do teshuvah/repent/come back to Him. Out of all the nations of the world, HaShem saw that they would. Israel will be the priestly nation of HaShem. This is why Israel is the nation most punished by HaShem, and still, they cling to Him. Over the course of history, there has not been a nation that has gone through so much suffering as the nation of the Jews. And still, they cling to their beliefs of following the Law of the Torah and having HaShem as their only God. Having said that, it does not mean that every Jew is going to do teshuvah/repent/return to HaShem. Only a few will, and they are called the “remnant.”

Isaiah 10:20-22

“In that day, the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them but will lean on YHVH, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty EL/God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return.”

Only a remnant, a few, will cling to HaShem and be redeemed by HaShem. This will also be true of all the other nations of the world. I am talking about us. Of us, the rest of the nations, me, you, that are not Jews. Of us also will there only be a remnant, a few, that will seek the truth and learn about HaShem and leave whatever false religion we were born in because we, the remnant, will read this Law, Torah, Tanakh, Bible, and study it and understand. Of those few from the Jewish people and the few from the other nations is who HaShem will claim as His, as His remnant. This means that the masses, the majority of the people, are wrong. If HaShem says there will only be a few, there will be a remnant, then this is true. Now that you know this, let us talk about real numbers and see what a remnant looks like. Today is Thursday, December 19th, 2024, and today, the only ones that follow this faith, as said in this Scripture and follow this covenant/contract, are the Jewish people and a few none Jews, and it comprises a mere 0.2% of the world’s population. Let that sink in for a bit. There are 8.2 billion people in the world today, which means that out of 8,000,000,000 people, only 16,000,000 (this is 16 million) follow God in the way He wants us to follow Him. Do you want to be a remnant or a follower of the masses?

“To be to/for you ELOHIM/GOD and to your seed/descendants after you.”

HaShem will only be GOD to those who follow Him: that remnant that chooses to follow Him, His Law, and this covenant/contract. Does this mean that HaShem will not be my God if I do not follow this faith? I can not say. HaShem is God; only He knows what He will and will not do. I am only telling you what is written. Still, living in a present where information is easily accessible and easy to get through books and the internet, there are no excuses for not looking for the truth. However, there is a merit to being a kind human who always thinks of others and does what is morally and ethically correct. But I know that most of the population believes in a god of sorts, and I know that we all, for the most part, have the capacity to reason. We can analyze whether the faith we are in is flawed or not. Many have done it, but if we put no effort and we just go through the motions of life and never question and never get or find answers, how are we to find out what the truth is? I questioned and asked for answers only to be told to have faith and got no answers in return. This is a red flag. The answers are all here in Scripture, and HaShem hides nothing, and if your superiors of faith do not have an answer, then it makes me question them. That tells me how little they know of who God is. So, do not hold back; seek answers to all your questions, and question the answers you get if you are unsatisfied until you get the truth. If you do not get a satisfactory answer, look elsewhere. The truth is in Scripture; if a superior does not know the answer, they are flawed. These are our lives and the lives of our loved ones, and we can not play with them.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: והקמתי את בריתי AND I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT — And what is this Covenant? להיות לך לאלהים TO BE A GOD UNTO THEE.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: והקימותי את בריתי ... ובין זרעך אחריך, G'd refers to promised made both to Yaakov and to his descendants as spelled out in Leviticus 26:12. The reciprocal relationship between the Jewish people and G'd is spelled out there clearly.

Leviticus 26:12

And I will walk among you and will be your ELOHIM, and you shall be my people.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: I will establish My covenant, a private, personal connection between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an eternal covenant, to be your God and for your descendants after you. The God and King of the universe, who created the entire universe with all of the planets and stars, now established a personal, family covenant with Abraham and his descendants. This covenant expresses a unique relationship with them, different from His relationship with the rest of humanity, other creatures, and worlds.

I give to you and to your seed/descendants after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Kenaan, for a possession forever, and to be to/for them their ELOHIM/GOD.

8 וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ אֵת׀ אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֶיךָ אֵת כָּל־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לַאֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים׃

ח

I do not know if you see it as I do, but all this sounds like a contract. It sounds clear, concise, and deliberate, like someone reciting precise details and terms with a sense of formality and finality. It sounds like someone carefully reading out a legally binding document with clear expectations for both parties involved, with no room for ambiguity or vagueness. The covenant/contract also reinforces all that HaShem previously promised to Avraham.
In this verse, the covenant/contract states that HaShem gives the land of Khenaan to the descendants of Avraham for possession. It also says that it will be theirs forever. Also, the covenant/contract says that HaShem will be a God for Avraham’s descendants.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: לאחזת עולם FOR AN EVERLASTING POSSESSION — and there I will be your God; but whoever resides outside the land is as if he has no God (Ketubot 110b).

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: לאחוזת עולם, "I will be your G'd in order that you may carry out My will, and He gave them the land presently belonging to other nations in order that they keep His statutes." (Psalms 105, 44-45) When they do this they will achieve eternal existence individually, not merely as a species.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ונתתי ... את ארץ מגורך, a reference to the locations in which Avraham had dwelled, not only these but the whole of the land of Canaan.
לאחוזת עולם, even though the Jewish people would be exiled from that country for a period of time, it would remain their eternal heritage. They would return to that land and G'd would be their G'd.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: As part of this covenant, I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land of your residence, the entire land of Canaan, for an eternal portion. Here God repeats His earlier promise, thereby declaring that this covenant does not replace the Covenant between the Parts as a new spiritual arrangement. Rather, it exists in addition to the previous covenant. And He added an additional promise: I will be their God. From this point onward one finds the phrase, God of Abraham. From now on God is not only the Creator of heaven and earth (14:19, 22), but also our God, the God of Abraham’s descendants.

I am fully aware that this contract is between Avraham and his descendants, but is it really only for them and no one else?

Deuteronomy 31:12-13

“Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear YHVH your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear YHVH, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

The word for sojourner is גֵּר/ger, and it means

1) sojourner

1a) a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights

1b) of foreigners in Israel, though conceded rights

In those days, you had to travel to hear this Torah, but nowadays, we can read it in the comfort of our house. We have books and the internet. I explained this before: even though the Jews are going back to Israel, there are still a lot of Jews all over the world, and we are among them. Some hate the Jews, and some do not, and we choose whether we embrace them and their teaching of the Torah or we choose not to listen to them and continue with the faulty teachings of our youth. A גֵּר/ger is not only a none Jew but also a person lacking inheritance rights from Israel. So if you choose to follow HaShem and stay true to His Laws as written in the Torah in Deuteronomy 31:12-13, then HaShem will also be an ELOHIM/GOD to you. That we can get this scripture means that the Jews are following this law of the Torah. They could have kept it for themselves and only for themselves because this covenant was only for them, as these commentators think, but they did not because of this verse in Deuteronomy 31:12-13. The Torah and the whole Tanakh are for anyone who chooses HaShem to be their ELOHIM/GOD. It is also for the גֵּר/ger/sojourner within the Jews, one who lacks inherited rights. We all must hear and learn who HaShem is. The real Creator, the Everlasting God of everything in existence.

Some people also cling to their religion because it is simple and want minimal effort, saying that the law of the Torah is too hard and it can not be done. But HaShem says this to that,

Deuteronomy 30:10-14

“When you obey the voice of YHVH your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”

Especially in the time in which we live today, there are no excuses; the Torah is available to anyone. This is a requirement of HaShem. This is one of the efforts we have to put forth. To read, study, and follow the rules in the Torah. If you want salvation with no effort, well that is not a relationship, and that is what HaShem is asking of us. For us to love Him with all our hearts and all our souls. And how do we show this love? By following His Law written in the Torah.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

“You shall love YHVH your ELOHIM/God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

And ELOHIM said to Avraham, “And for your part of the covenant is to keep it/obey it, you and your seed after you for generations.

9 וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־אַבְרָהָם וְאַתָּה אֶת־בְּרִיתִי תִשְׁמֹר אַתָּה וְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ לְדֹרֹתָם׃

ט

In this verse, ELOHIM is telling Avraham that what will come in the next few verses is what he and his descendants must do to keep this covenant alive forever, and we will get to it next. What comes next seals and continues this covenant/contract; without it, the contract is broken.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: ואתה AND AS FOR THEE — This ו (of ואתה) connects this verse with the preceding matter (v. Gensis 17:4, thus setting ואתה of here in contrast with the ואני of there): “As for Me, behold My covenant is with thee” — “and as for thee, thou shalt be careful to keep it.”

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: ואתה את בריתי תשמר, just as I keep My part of the covenant, I want you to keep your part of My covenant. Unless the covenant is respected mutually it will be invalid.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: God said to Abraham: And you, you shall observe My covenant; you, and your descendants after you throughout their generations, as it includes an obligation on your part as well:

This is my covenant that you shall keep, between me and between you, and between your seed/descendant after you, all your males shall be circumcised.

10 זֹאת בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְרוּ בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ הִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל־זָכָר׃

י

When it says “between me and between you.” The “you” means Avraham and is in the plural form, which refers to every male descendant of Avraham.

To keep this covenant between HaShem, Avraham, and his descendants, all males must be circumcised.

הִמּוֹל/HaMol/The Circumcision

This word’s meaning in Ancient Hebrew is the prefix “the” plus the word Mul which means

1) to circumcise, let oneself be circumcised, cut, be cut off

1a) (Qal) to circumcise

1b) (Niphal) to be circumcised, circumcise oneself

1c) (Hiphil) to cause to be circumcised

1c1) of destruction (fig.)

1d) (Hithpolel) to be cut off

1e) (Polel) cut down

The circumcision will have all of these meanings. The keepers of the covenant will be circumcised of the flesh, they will be cut off from destruction, and they will not be cut down. This is a covenant of life in the Kingdom to come.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: 'ביני וביניכם וגו BETWEEN ME AND YOU — “you” is plural and refers to all those belonging to Abraham who were then alive.
ובין זרעך אחריך AND THY SEED AFTER THEE — those who are yet to be born.
המול/the circumcision is an infinitive equal to לְהִמּוֹל/to/for/the circumcision just as you may say עַשׂוֹת in place of לעשות (i.e. the infinitive may be with or without ל prefixed).

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: זאת בריתי, just as I keep and observe my end as spelled out in verse 7, so you must keep and observe it. The Torah employs the plural mode when speaking of Avraham and his descendants, i.e. תשמרו, as it had done in verse 9 when spelling the word אחריך, "after you,: with the letter י indicating such a plural. This covenant was to be between G'd (sing.) and the Jewish people (ph.)
ביני וביניכם/between me and between you, a reference to Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov, seeing that Avraham was still alive for 15 years of Yaakov's life.
ובין זרעך אחריך/and your seed after you, a reference to Yaakov's descendants.
המול לכם כל זכר/the circumcision to you (plural form) all males, every male of you shall be circumcised. By saying לכם/to all, he included that both he and his descendants were meant. After Avraham had heard the words כל זכר/all males, he understood that this circumcision was to be performed on the male member, the reproductive organ. It was to be the area of the body where the difference between the sexes was most notable. Our sages in Kidushin 29 say that the word לכם/to all, meant that if a baby had no father, the commandment to have the circumcision performed devolves on the court in the respective city in which the child lives.

Circumcise/cut off the flesh, your foreskin, and (this is to be for a) sign (of the) covenant between me and between you [you is in plural form].

11 וּנְמַלְתֶּם אֵת בְּשַׂר עָרְלַתְכֶם וְהָיָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם׃

יא

ELOHIM told Avraham that he and his descendants must cut off the foreskin of their flesh, meaning circumcision as we know it. Why? This is because when done, there is no going back, just like the covenant is as circumcision; there is no going back. You are bound by it. As an example, when a male is accepted and converts to the Jewish faith, and they are circumcised, it is said that you can not un-convert. You were accepted into the Jewish family, and there is no going back; once a Jew, always a Jew. This is why the process for conversion into their faith or family is long and has to be accepted by several Rabbis. They have to make sure that this is what you want, that you know precisely what converting means, and that you know the basics of Scripture as they know it. They know that living the life of a Jew is not easy, and they do not want to accept someone that they know will fail, especially if they do not live in Israel. If you still live in another country, it is even more challenging for a new convert. Keeping the Law becomes almost impossible.
This is what this means: cutting off the foreskin of the flesh is a sign of this covenant that will be with you for the rest of your life. It will be a reminder that you will see every day of your life. There is no taking it back; once in the covenant, always in the covenant, you are liable if you break it. You are in a contract with the Most High.

The “you” that refers to Avraham is again plural. This means Avraham and all his descendants must be circumcised. Anyone accepting this faith, that is male, has to do it. This is the sign that you have agreed to the conditions of the contract and is a sign that can be seen and can not be taken back.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: ונמלתם AND YE SHALL CIRCUMCISE — This word, in spite of the נ in it, is not Niphal but the same as ומלתם and the נ in it is an addition to the root, which only sometimes appears in it, as, for example, the נ of נושך and of ונמלתם ;(נושא is Kal like ונשאתם “and ye shall carry” (Genesis 45:19), but יִמּוֹל (Genesis 17:12 and Genesis 17:13) is a Niphal form — “shall be circumcised” — like יֵעָשֶׂה “it shall be done,” and יֵאָכֵל “it shall be eaten.”

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: לאות ברית, as a constant reminder to walk in His paths. The sign of the circumcision is to be like the stamp on the skin of a slave identifying him as belonging to a certain master.

This is very barbaric, and I never thought of it this way, but I guess it could be looked at this way. Over the years, there have been countless people, even nations, that the reason for them not to embrace this faith is because of circumcision—something, in my eyes, so minor and not even traumatic to go through. No, this is a decision that must be made, and you can never go back once you have made it. Besides, the Law in this chapter about circumcision is to be made to a child of eight days old, which they will not even remember to have been done to them. Only Avraham and the grownups with him will do it as adults, and any future converts who have decided on their own as grownups. It is only for those people who grew up in a different faith and found out their faith was wrong and want to return to the real Creator that this presents a challenge.

Bekhor Shor (12th century) commentary: "And it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you". A symbol and a sign that I am the Master and you are my servants, and the sign is sealed in a private place that will not be seen. The reason for this is so that the (non-Jewish) nations of the world won't say that the Jews are blemished ("ba'alei mumin"). And since the Holy One, Blessed be He, commanded men and not women, we learn that the place of manhood ("makom zachrut") was where God commanded to seal the covenant. And the blood of niddah that women guard, and tell their openings to their husbands, this is to them the blood of the covenant ("dam brit").

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: ונמלתם, “you shall circumcise yourselves;” all those who had not been circumcised on the eighth day after birth.
והיה לאות ברית, “it will be the enduring symbol of the covenant.” The act of circumcision will make you known as my servants.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: לאות ברית, as a mark of the covenant; although there are other symbolic acts which are signs of the covenant and the obligation to keep the laws of the Torah, such as the phylacteries, the fringes, the Sabbath, etc., this symbol is by far the most potent one, the only one to be performed on one's body. The other "signs" are only a reminder. This is the only such "sign" to be performed on one's body. Seeing that this is so, The Torah chose to select the reproductive organ of the male, seeing that most of the sins one commits are somehow related to this organ and involve misuse of that organ. It is the organ, which, unless handled with care, is apt to allow the bestial party of the human being to come to the surface, thereby weakening the aspect of our nature which wishes to cling to godliness. When looking at that part of one's body one reminds oneself automatically that G'd has forbidden Jews to engage in recreational sexual activities, in mating with partners which the Torah has forbidden in the interest of purity, etc. Sexual emissions are to be used only for the purpose of impregnating one's wife or when prescribed for medical reason by a physician.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it, this cutting of the flesh, shall be a mark of a covenant between Me and you. The covenant is the relationship itself, while the circumcision serves as a concrete symbol, an indication of, and reminder about the covenant.

And at the age of eight days, circumcision shall be done to them, every male for all their generations born in the house and/or purchased with silver, from all sons of a foreigner that is not your seed/descendant, of them shall be done.

12 וּבֶן־שְׁמֹנַת יָמִים יִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל־זָכָר לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם יְלִיד בָּיִת וּמִקְנַת־כֶּסֶף מִכֹּל בֶּן־נֵכָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִזַּרְעֲךָ הוּא׃

יב

It is known that newborn babies, because of vitamin K deficiency, do not bleed as much. Nowadays, newborn babies get a vitamin K shot for this reason.

Every male and their male children who embrace this faith is to be circumcised, with no exceptions. Whether they are descendants of Avraham or not. As a male of this faith, this is the sign of your faith and this covenant. Remember that once HaShem makes a Law, it stands forever, and if anyone comes along that says otherwise, it is a false prophet and does not belong to or was not sent by HaShem.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

“Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it. If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For YHVH, your God is testing you to know whether you love YHVH, your God, with all your heart and with all your being. You shall walk after YHVH, your God, and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”

The Law of HaShem, the Torah, also known as the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), will stand forever and are not to be changed. No one should add or take away from it, meaning it is unchanging. If someone comes along and changes it, he is no prophet. If they say you do not have to follow the Law because there is another law or any other reason, this is false and should not be listened to. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 says that there will be people who will try to change the commandments of Hashem and even make miracles, and they will be true miracles, but because they say words that go against the Torah means that they are false prophets. They are not to be trusted and ignored, even put to death for going and trying to lead the people astray. HaShem says that He lets these false prophets exist and gives them powers to test you, to see if you know His Law and love Him. Circumcision is a Law of HaShem, and there is no way around it; every male of this faith must do it.
Now, some people of faith say that the old ways, the Law, the Torah do not have to be kept anymore, and there will be another commandment that overrides it, but this is false. That commandment is an addition to these Laws, not one that overrides them.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

“Behold, the days are coming, declares YHVH, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares YHVH. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares YHVH: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know YHVH,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares YHVH. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

This new commandment does not say to ignore the old commandments but is an addition to the old. These verses from Jeremiah are a messianic prophecy and have not come true yet. It does not say to do away with the Laws; on the contrary, it says the people broke it. Meaning that they should not have broken it, and this is said of the future, our present, and our past. So if someone tells you that the Law of these books should not be done anymore for any reason, know that that is false because HaShem, our God, said that the Law stands then, now, and forever, which means that even this commandment of circumcision still stands, as well as all the others.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: יליד בית HE THAT IS BORN IN THE HOUSE — one to whom a handmaid gave birth in the house.
מקנת כסף HE THAT IS BOUGHT WITH THY MONEY — one whom a person bought after his birth.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED AMONG YOU. Yimmol (shall be circumcised) is a nifal, as are himmol yimmol (must needs be circumcised) (v. 13). Why does Scripture state twice, He that is born in thy house…must needs be circumcised? This is the answer: Scripture first states that in the future all males, those of thy seed and also those born in the house or bought with money, shall be circumcised on the eighth day. It then states, “ Abraham immediately circumcise all males born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money although they are adults.”

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: This verse constitutes a normative commandment that forms a binding obligation in Jewish law, similar in style to the many commandments found in the later books of the Torah: And one who is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, whether born in the house, an actual member of the family or anyone else born into the household, even if not a biological descendant of Abraham, or purchased with silver, a slave purchased from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. Not only must Abraham’s descendants be circumcised, but all males who are his property. The covenant applies to these people from the moment of their birth, although the mark of the covenant is placed on their flesh only on the eighth day.

The circumcision: They will circumcise those born in your house and dose bought with your silver/money, and it will be for my covenant on their flesh for a (sign of the) covenant forever.

13 הִמּוֹל׀ יִמּוֹל יְלִיד בֵּיתְךָ וּמִקְנַת כַּסְפֶּךָ וְהָיְתָה בְרִיתִי בִּבְשַׂרְכֶם לִבְרִית עוֹלָם׃

יג

For both a Jew and a non-Jew that accepts this faith, whether you were born into it or decided, later in life, that these Books are the truth and accepted and will try your best to follow the rules of HaShem, and accept HaShem as your God, circumcision, which is a Law, must be done. It is a sign in the flesh of your decision and an oath of a promise to The Most Highest that He is your God and that you will follow His rules. After all, what is a covenant or a contract? It is a binding promise to do what the covenant or contract says. As this verse says, it is a promise/covenant/contract that is to be kept forever, just like circumcision; it is forever in your flesh, and once done, it can not be undone. So is this promise.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: המול ימול יליד ביתך HE THAT IS BORN IN THY HOUSE MUST NEEDS BE CIRCUMCISED — Here the statement that one born in the house must be circumcised is repeated but it does not say “after eight days” as in 5:12, thus teaching you that there are some cases of those “born in the house” who have to be circumcised on the first day of birth, as is explained in Treatise Sabbath (Shabbat 135b).

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: בבשרכם; the word בשר is a euphemism for the reproductive organ of the male, as for instance in Ezekiel 16:26 גדלי בשר, "with outsized male member." Or, Leviticus 5:2-3 זב מבשר, "an uncontrolled seminal emission from his male organ." There are more examples of the word בשר having that same meaning. Seeing that the organ on which the covenant with G'd is marked is the organ instrumental in ensuring a man's continuity beyond death through the genes of his offspring, it is appropriate that the covenant which represents the eternal intimate and reciprocal relationship of G'd and the Jewish people should be symbolized in this manner.

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: המול ימול, “the first word refers to the removal of the foreskin, the second to the removal of the thin membrane covering the head of the penis below it, known as פריעה

The reason for the various translations and comments here is that the word מּוֹל/Mul/circumcision/to be cut off/cut off is confusing everyone because it is in the same sentence twice, right next to each other. This is sometimes done in Scripture for re-enforcement, but it does not seem to be in this case. The first one says, “The circumcision,” with the prefix “the” attached to it, and in the second one, it is with another prefix, which means “He/they will.” In my translation, I went with “The circumcision: They will circumcise.” My reasoning behind this is that the first word for circumcision has the prefix “the” attached to it. The second has the prefix “He/they will” attached, and right after the first word for “the circumcision,” there is a symbol that means a pause or a brake in words. They will circumcise, which means that the descendants of Avraham and anyone male who accepts this faith will circumcise their children on the eighth day for all their generations.

And uncircumcision: A male not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that life will be cut off from his people, breaking my covenant.”

14 וְעָרֵל׀ זָכָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִמּוֹל אֶת־בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ אֶת־בְּרִיתִי הֵפַר׃ס

יד

“That life shall be cut from his people.”

That male will be like the other nations who do not believe in HaShem. He does not have rights to this covenant as he has broken the covenant of HaShem. That person did not do as the covenant stated nor belong to it. He is excluded; HaShem will not be his God, the God of his wife, or the God of his children. If said children grow up and they circumcise themselves, then HaShem will be a God to his family but not to his father, who did not circumcise. This child, as a grown-up and circumcised, will have the right to the covenant again.
We have to understand that HaShem wants a personal relationship with us, and with this act of circumcision, you can look at it as getting married to HaShem. For Him to be our God and we to be His people. Circumcision symbolizes this relationship, like wearing wedding rings, but it is permanent. Now, knowing what this circumcision symbolizes, you will understand when HaShem says in scripture that He is a jealous God. He does not want to share you with other fake gods that do not exist, just like a man or a woman would not like to share their significant other with other people.

Exodus 34:14

“For you shall worship no other god, for YHVH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: וערל זכר AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED MALE — This phrase teaches that circumcision must be at that place where the distinction between male and female is evident (Genesis Rabbah 46:13).
אשר לא ימול HE WHO DOES NOT CIRCUMCISE HIMSELF) as soon as he reaches the age when he is legally liable to punishment, ונכרתה THEN HE SHALL BE CUT OFF — his father, however, who did not have him circumcised is not punished on his account with כרת (excision, “being cut off from his people”), but is merely transgressing an עשה “a positive commandment” (for which the punishment is flagellation).
ונכרתה הנפש THAT SOUL SHALL BE CUT OFF — i. e. he shall depart hence childless and shall suffer an untimely death.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED MALE WHO IS NOT CIRCUMCISED. The meaning of the verse is, a male who reaches the age when he is obligated to observe the commandments of the Torah and does not circumcise himself is subject to the penalty of karet (being cut off). The verse refers to an adult because while a person is yet a child, the obligation to circumcise him falls upon his father. However, should his father fail to do so, then upon reaching maturity he must circumcise himself. Karet (being cut off) is a penalty inflicted by God. Those who err hold that a child that dies uncircumcised does not have a share in the world to come. However, the meaning of the word nefesh is not as they think, a soul, but a person; it means a body containing a soul. Similarly, If anyone (nefesh) shall sin (Lev. 4:2). Some say that karet refers to death before the age of fifty-two. Others say it means the eradication of one’s name via the death of one’s children. Therefore Scripture states, that soul shall be cut off from his people, for a person who leaves children is considered to live on even after his death, and his name is not cut off.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: And the uncircumcised male among your descendants who shall not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be excised from his people. This is the most severe of punishments; the soul is cut off and destroyed, a penalty that begins with death and continues in the world of the souls after death. An individual who chooses to remain uncircumcised is deserving of such a severe punishment, since he has breached My covenant, by essentially declaring that he wants no part in it.

And ELOHIM said to Avraham, “Sarai, your wife, no longer her name be called Sarai, for Sarah is her name.

15 וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־אַבְרָהָם שָׂרַי אִשְׁתְּךָ לֹא־תִקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמָהּ שָׂרָי כִּי שָׂרָה שְׁמָהּ׃

טו

HaShem changed Avram’s name to Avraham, and He also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. Sarai means “my princess,” and Sarah means “princess.” Avraham’s name changed from Avram, which means “exalted father,” to Avraham, which means “father of many nations.” Why change their names? As said before, names have meaning in Scripture, and where Avraham and Sarah, before their name change, had a destiny in life, now, by the power of HaShem, their destiny has changed. HaShem’s covenant will change their life in a way that would have been impossible before.

“For Sarah is her name.”

HaShem is saying that He is not changing her name but that the name has already been changed. In other words, as we already know, HaShem changed Avraham’s and Sarah’s names because He changed both their destinies, but HaShem is saying that He has already done so, and her name is Sarah and not Sarai and has been so, but He does not say for how long this has been. This name change from Sarai to Sarah and the time when it was changed is important for the next chapter.

“And no longer will your name be called Avram, and your name will be Avraham, for/because (the) father (of) many nations I will make you.”

Notice the difference in the wording when HaShem changed Avraham’s name. Avraham’s name and destiny were changed at the time of the covenant, but Sarah’s name had already been changed, but there is no indication of when this was. Well, there is, but we will get to that in the next chapter.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: לא תקרא את שמה שרי THOU SHALT NOT CALL HER NAME SARAI which means “my princess”— a princess to me and not to others — BUT SARAH, in a more general sense, SHALL BE HER NAME: she shall be princess overall (Berakhot 13a).

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: שרי, כי שרה שמה, Sarai, (“my princess) for Sarah, “princess,” of many nations, is her name. Rabbi Yoshua ben Korach, commenting on the name changes of both Avraham and Sarah, points out that there was no change in the total numerical value of the letters in their combined names, seeing that G-d had reduced the value of the letter 10=י, by substituting the letter 5=ה, in Sarah’s name, but had added the letter 5=ה to Avraham’s name.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: God said to Abraham, referring to him by his new name, by which he was to be forever known from that moment forward: Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, as Sarah is her name.

And I bless her, and I give her, and also from her to you, a son. And I bless her, and I will make her kings to/for (the) nations; Kings of people/nations will be/come from her.”

16 וּבֵרַכְתִּי אֹתָהּ וְגַם נָתַתִּי מִמֶּנָּה לְךָ בֵּן וּבֵרַכְתִּיהָ וְהָיְתָה לְגוֹיִם מַלְכֵי עַמִּים מִמֶּנָּה יִהְיוּ׃

טז

I will refrain from putting commentaries from other commentators on this verse as all the commentaries skip ahead, making it very confusing. We will get there soon in the next chapter.

“And I bless her, and I give her, and also from her to you, a son.”

This is the reason why Avraham’s name is changed from this time forward where as Sarah’s was change since before, but it is not known exactly when. Sarah’s new capacity to give birth is the reason for Avraham new name and destiny change.

What we can take from all this is that Avraham and Sarah, under the covenant, will give birth to nations, and kings will come from them. The part about the kings is understandable, as Israel has had many kings; however, where it gets confusing is the part of the nations. Israel is only one nation. However, we must know that the son promised to both Avraham and Sarah is Yitzkhak, and Yitzkhak has two kids, Esau and Yakove, who are twins. There will be a struggle between the two, and they go their different ways, and both become great nations of their own. But is this enough to make it “a great many nations?”
The part that interests me the most is in verse six, which says, “And I will give you to the nations.” Which could also be translated as “And I will make you to the nations, and kings will come from you.” But this does not make sense. My previous idea fits a lot better now, though. But for this, we need to know more about scripture. What is said of the nation of Israel as written in scripture? They will become a “priestly nation.” The Israelites will be the priests of HaShem for the world. They are also to be a “light to the nations.” They are to show the way and exemplify what a nation should be in teaching how to follow HaShem through example. They are called “My firstborn son” as a nation by HaShem, meaning that they are the first nation of HaShem, but what does “My firstborn” mean? It means that other nations will follow and be other sons of HaShem. Otherwise, HaShem would have said, “My only,” but He did not. And this is where my idea, as I understand it, is that HaShem will give the descendants of Avraham to the world's nations in all these ways. To be a priestly nation, that will be a light to the nations/world by being an example, and to be the firstborn son of more sons/nations to come. In this way, they will be given to the nations. Once again, this is said throughout scripture and not in one place, just like HaShem explained how He communicates with Avrajam and other prophets throughout our reading so far, making it very important to know all Scripture and not just read verses out of context, as I have said many times before.

Exodus 19:5-7

“Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that YHVH had commanded him.

Exodus 4:22

“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says YHVH, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”

Hosea 11:1

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt, I called my son.”

Isaiah 42:6

“I am YHVH; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.”

Isaiah 49:6

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

HaShem is raising Israel as a father, raising a son with reward and very harsh punishment to make them the nation that this world needs, for more than one reason. Other nations sin, and HaShem lets them, and when their sin is full, He destroys them, in many ways, by being conquered and never returning, or by other means, again, to never return. But Israel is punished, and when this remnant does teshuvah/repent/come back to HaShem, they are forgiven and claim the right of this covenant/contract again. Just like a father or mother forgives their children. And this is all for the sake of the remnant of the other nations. Israel is not lifted up so that we can worship them. They are chosen so that we can see them as Big Brother, who teaches us how a person or a nation should behave by example. We follow HaShem and His Law, and we get rewarded. We do not, and we will be punished. If we follow HaShem and become part of the covenant, we get punished harshly, just like Israel, because HaShem loves us. There is no love in a parent that lets his children destroy themselves.
When you are in the wrong faith, whose god is not real, whether you sin or do good deeds, there seems not to be any reward or punishment for your behavior because this god or gods are not real. Therefore, they can not reward you or punish you. They do not see your sin or good behavior, and since you follow a different god other than HaShem, he ignores you, too. In that case, HaShem lets you be, and you go through your life making choices on your own, and your good deeds and bad choices alone determine your life length. Only in the case of an extremely good person will HaShem reach out to you to bring you to Him, but in the case of a person who makes the worst choices, your sin reaches fullness and reaches the end of your sin at an early age. I know this sounds harsh, but these are the rules of HaShem, and we may ask why and do not understand. But HaShem gave these rules to Moses, and he wrote them for us. If we do not make an effort to learn them, that is each of our choices to make.

Avraham fell upon his face, and he laughed and said in his heart, “At the age of one hundred years, I will conceive? And surely no Sarah, the daughter who is ninety years old, will beget/give birth?”

17 וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָהָם עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּצְחָק וַיֹּאמֶר בְּלִבּוֹ הַלְּבֶן מֵאָה־שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד וְאִם־שָׂרָה הֲבַת־תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה תֵּלֵד׃

יז‎

“Avraham fell upon his face, and laughed.”

I have always felt that this act was disrespectful towards HaShem of Avraham and Sarah, as when Sarah finds out that she will give birth to a son, she will do the same. And maybe this is why HaShem told Avraham to name his son, to whom Sarah would give birth, what He did. Avraham laughed, Sarah laughed, and so many other people would do the same when they found out. Some in the future would laugh when they read this story as well. And so HaShem will tell Avraham, in verse 19 of this chapter, to name his son Yitzkhak which means “he laughs, he laughed, he will laugh or they will laugh.”
Based on the questions Avraham asked in his heart, is he doubting or amazed and happy with the news? I guess it all depends on who is reading it. After some comments from the commentators, I will expand on this on this same vers.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: ויפל אברהם על פניו ויצחק AND ABRAHAM FELL UPON HIS FACE AND LAUGHED — This word ויצחק Onkelos translates by וחדי which signifies joy (“and he rejoiced’’) but the similar verb in the case of Sarah (ותצחק Genesis 18:12) he translates as meaning laughter. From this you may understand that Abraham had faith and rejoiced, and that Sarah had no faith and sneered, and that is why God was angry with Sarah (when she laughed) but was not angry with Abraham.

I went to the passage where Sarah finds out and laughs, and as far as I can see, the same word is used in the same context. The phrase used for “laugh,” as used for Avraham, is “וַיִּצְחָק/VaYitzhak” which means “and laughed,” and for Sarah, the word is “וַתִּצְחַק/VaTitzkhak” which means “and she laughed.” The word, when used for Sarah, just adds the תִּ to mean “she” because she is the subject of the laughter. Both Avraham and Sarah laughed. The only real difference is that Avraham did it in the presence of ELOHIM, and also, it was written that he felt it in his heart, meaning to himself or thought it rather than saying it, and Sarah did not. She laughed where she thought no one could see her, but HaShem did see her. Also, it is said of Avraham that he felt it in his heart, whereas in difference, Sarah felt it in בְּקִרְבָּהּ/BeKirbah/in her entrails or in her stomach, which is sweet as she felt it in her womb. If you ask me, this is beautiful.
At the words from the ELOHIM, Avraham felt it in his heart while Sarah, when she heard the news, felt the words or news in her womb. I think that when it comes to joy at the words of a baby, for a man and a woman, this is accurate. Was it wrong of Avraham or Sarah to question the news as they did, as this is something coming from HaShem? This is when Avraham and Sarah's flesh, or human counterpart, as opposed to the spirit part of them both, comes through once again. As man and woman that they are, who can blem them for feeling a little doubtful and joyful at the same time? Avraham’s questions, like Sarah’s, are legitimate for humans. He is one hundred years old, and Sarah is ninety, and they are told they will have a baby boy. This is something that they both have been longing for all their lives. No, I do not think they should be blamed for feeling as they did, both joyful and doubting.
Rashi says that Avraham had faith, but Sarah did not because HaShem said something when Sarah laughed but not when Avraham laughed. I guess this could be true, but I believe Hashem knew this would happen and waited until Sarah laughed to scold them both. Don’t you think that when HaShem scolded Sarah, Avraham did not think back to his own laughter and thoughts of doubt? As he behaved in the same way. I think this was written for all of us in the future. It was written to teach us that even if we doubt something coming from Hashem, whether it be scripture or anything else HaShem-related, it is natural to have doubt. Still, we should keep going because nothing is impossible for HaShem. People look at the world and think things are getting worse and worse, and HaShem promises an end to suffering and a Kingdom to come where all will be well, and doubt that it will ever happen. Well, like HaShem said when Sarah laughed, “Is anything too hard for YHVH?” No, nothing is too hard for Him.
However, why did HaShem scold them if He knew our weakness of the flesh and the strength of His spirit inside us all? One, remember that we were created in His image, and we get angry just like HaShem gets angry, and so HaShem got angry. He wants us to think with His spirit and not with our flesh. If Avraham and Sarah had thought with HaShem's spirit, they would not have doubted. This is hard to do, but we must learn to do it. Suppress the flesh's feelings and wants, and strengthen the Spirit of HaShem inside us. Two, Avraham and Sarah have seen everything HaShem has done for them, and they still doubt. That Avraham is 99 and Sarah is 89 is not an obstacle for HaShem, and HaShem wanted both Avraham and Sarah, as well as all of us, to know this.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: הלבן SHALL A CHILD BE BORN TO ONE WHO IS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD? — There are some questions expressing astonishment which do not imply a doubt but rather affirm the certainty that the circumstance referred to has happened or will happen, as (1 Samuel 2:2) “Did I reveal myself [unto thy father’s house?]” (Of course, I did) and (Ezekiel 8:6) “Seest thou what they do?” (You, of course, have seen it). This question, too, affirms the certainty that it is possible for God to cause Abraham, at the age of hundred, to beget a son and this is in effect what he said to himself: Would there be done to another man one hundred years old this favor that the Holy One, blessed be He, is doing to me”?
ואם שרה הבת תשעים שנה OR SHALL SARAH, WHO IS NINETY YEARS OLD be worthy to bear a son? Although the previous generations used to beget at the age of five hundred years, yet in Abraham’s days the length of life had already become shorter and a diminution of strength had come upon people. Go and learn this from the ten generations from Noah to Abraham who begot their children at the then early age of sixty or seventy.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: SHALL A CHILD BE BORN UNTO HIM THAT IS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD. Abraham was amazed at being told that he would have a son because the sperm of an old man is cold and therefore aged men are infertile. However, he was even more amazed that Sarah, a woman whose menstrual cycle had ceased, would bear a child, since the embryo is made and constructed from the woman’s menstrual blood. If you will reflect you will conclude that Sarah’s conceiving was a greater wonder than Abraham’s begetting a child. For we find instances of men over ninety begetting children in later generations, and the life span of people in Abraham’s time was much longer than in later times. As soon as the angel left, Abraham immediately circumcised Ishmael and all those born in his house and those bought with money.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ?הלבן מאה שנה יולד Avraham spoke of being 100 years old, seeing that by the time his son would be born he would be 100 years old. This would be so even if his wife were to conceive immediately. He had been 99 years old and Sarah had been 89 years old for some time. The amazement Avraham expressed was not due to his lack of belief, seeing that the Torah had already told us in chapter 15:6 that Avraham did believe in G'd's promise and was even credited with a merit on account of his belief in this astounding prophecy. Avraham simply voiced his amazement of the fact that G'd would go to such lengths to change natural law. He added words about Sarah, seeing that when she would give birth this would be an even greater miracle, seeing that Sarah - as opposed to her husband - had not given birth at all, whereas Avraham had sired Ishmael. Her basic barrenness had been proven beyond doubt.

Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass (1641–1718) (Hebrew: שבתי בן יוסף; also known by the family name Strom[1]), born at Kalisz, was the founder of Jewish bibliography[2] and author of the Siftei Chachamim supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch. Commentery: There are expressions of astonishment that affirm ... I.e., they do not deny the matter. Avraham meant: “Hashem can do anything, even against the laws of nature, but not everyone merits that Hashem should bestow upon him such kindness!” [You might ask:] Rashi later writes: וכך אמר בלבו הנעשה חסד זה לאחר מה שהקב"ה עושה לי/And so he said in his heart that this kindness is done after what God is doing to me. Is this not an expression of astonishment that denies? The answer is: Avraham was not denying the matter, claiming it could not be. Rather, he was praising Hashem for bestowing upon him more kindness than He does anyone else. So it seems to me; this explanation is preferable to the Re’m’s.
In the days of Avraham, life was already shorter ... [Rashi is answering the question:] Why was Avraham surprised that Sarah should give birth at 90?] The Re’m writes: I do not understand Rashi’s answer. Although life was shorter in Avraham’s days, the question stands: Avraham’s age of 100 when compared to his lifespan of 175 is about the same as an age of 500 when compared to Noach’s lifespan of 950. Thus, Avraham should not have been surprised. The Re’m elaborated on this difficulty. But it seems to me that Avraham’s surprise was because they both were old. An elderly man can beget children if his wife is young, whereas if they both are elderly it is surprising. This resolves the Re’m’s difficulty. The Re’m also asks: Why did Rashi base his question on Noach? Noach [was different, because] Hashem decreed that he should not be able to beget children, so that his [oldest] son would not reach punishable age before the Flood. The answer is: Hashem decreed only that he should not beget [until then]. But the fact that he was able to beget at 500 was natural.
Who gave birth at the early age of 60-70. Meaning: Previously, people could not have children until age 100, for in those days a 100-year-old was still a youth, like today’s 13-year-old. Then their lifespan shortened and they began to have children at 30. The fact that Avraham begat at 100 does not raise any question. The astonishment is mainly over the fact that an elderly man who had become weak and an elderly woman would beget children. This answers all the Re’m’s questions. I found the Maharshal cited in a similar vein.

Tz'enah Ur'enah (The book was written by Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (1550–1625)) commentary: “Abraham fell on his face and laughed” [17:17]. Abraham could not keep himself from laughing, but he was ashamed to laugh openly, so he lay on his face and laughed. He was so old, and Sarah was too, so should they have children?

And Avraham said to the ELOHIM, “If only, that Yishmael live prosperously before you!”

18 וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ׃

יח‎

לוּ/Lu

Word meaning:

1) if, oh that!, if only!

1a) if (unlikely condition)

1b) if only!, oh that!, would that!

יִחְיֶה/YihYeh

Word meaning:

1) to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health

If only Yishmael remains alive before your face!
Oh, that Yishmael live prosperously before you!
Would that Yishmael live before you!

These are the three translation possibilities for what Avraham said to ELOHIM.

I know the commentators say that Avraham had no doubts that Hashem would grant him what HaShem promised him, but we must be honest. According to Avraham’s reactions, including this verse, there are two possibilities of what Avraham was feeling at this time. One, he had doubts about Sarah and himself having a son, or Avraham felt undeserving of such a reward.
As I said before, Avraham was a normal man, and like such, he and we can not deny what our hearts feel, and this is what Avraham felt at the time. Who can blame Avraham? He was 99 years old, and Sarah was 89 years of age. By men’s standards, they are way above the age of having children. Avraham has lived all his life wanting an heir, and now he has Yishmael. I guess he feels this is enough, but not for HaShem. HaShem has plans that go beyond Avraham having an heir. HaShem needs Avraham to have an heir worthy of continuing this covenant without forgetting about it and to become the people who will grow into a priestly nation, to be a light to the nations, and to be the firstborn son. They are to be for the world, what HaShem needs them to be for the world’s sake. HaShem sees this in Avraham. For Avraham to teach and for the descendants of Avraham to teach their children who they are and what they must be, no matter what the world thinks about them. To be stubborn and cling to HaShem and follow His rules. By doing so, they will teach us what we should be and what we need to become.
However, this will not be easy, and they will go through many punishments from HaShem in teaching them how to become the nation He envisions. Through their growth, over time, and our history and future, they will learn how to become the nation HaShem needs. HaShem saw this of Avraham and his descendants through Avraham’s heir, whom HaShem will give to Avraham and Sarah.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: לו ישמעאל יחיה means O THAT ISHMAEL MIGHT LIVE: I am unworthy to receive such a reward!
יחיה לפניך LIVE BEFORE THEE — live in reverence of thee; similar in sense is Genesis 17:1, התהלך לפני, which Onkelos renders by “worship Me”.

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: ‘LU’ (O) THAT ISHMAEL MIGHT LIVE BEFORE THEE. The meaning of this word lu everywhere is as the word im (if), and it is also found combined in the word lulei, which means “if not.” [The Hebrew word lulei, ordinarily written with a yud at the end] is sometimes written with an aleph at the end. It is also combined into the form of ilu, as in the verses: ‘Ve’ilu’ (But if) we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen; ‘Ve’ilu’ (And if) a thousand years twice told. The purport of this word ilu is “even if,” and its meaning is as if it said, “if if,” the double use of the word being for the purpose of emphasis, as in the expressions: Is it only through Moses alone; Was it because there were no graves; and other similar cases. Abraham thus said: “If Ishmael live before Thee, I will be pleased with this blessing with which Thou hast blessed me, namely, with seed from Sarah.” For since He promised him at first, One born of your own body is to be your heir, and the heir was to be one person, he [Abraham] had thought that this referred to Ishmael. But now that he was told that he will beget a child from Sarah and he understood that this child was to be the heir, he feared lest Ishmael die. Therefore, he said this: [O that Ishmael might live before Thee].

Or HaChaim (approximately 1696 - 1743) commentary: ויאמר אברהם…לו ישמעאל יחיה לפניך. Abraham said…. "if only Ishmael will live (a righteous life) before You." Abraham prayed that Ishmael should enjoy divine assistance to live as a righteous person. The term "to live before You" is the source for the righteous being called "alive" in our rabbinic literature. Abraham "borrowed" a phrase from Deut. 4:11 where the Torah describes the fact that the Jewish people were "alive" at that time as due to their having cleaved to G'd. Abraham saw the need to pray for this as he had observed negative character tendencies in Ishmael (who was still a minor). Had Ishmael been truly wicked at that time, Abraham, though prejudiced as his father, would have been aware of such wickedness, just as any other righteous person could perceive such things. We have explained in connection with 15:2-3 that Abraham had worried about a son of his not being worthy because G'd described his seeds as comparable to dust. At this point Abraham prayed that Ishmael would turn out to be worthy.

One of the things I think you can not ask of HaShem is to make someone’s heart change. That is who you are, and your life decisions make you who you are. This is how HaShem determines what kind of person you are. This is why HaShem made the world like it is, with good and evil, with chances for you to do good and evil according to your own desires. This is the test we go through in life. HaShem told us to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth, and HaShem knew that not all of us would make the right choices as we have free will. This is a recipe for finding out who is deserving. We multiply in this world and make choices with free will, and HaShem judges us to see if we are worthy. Worthy means that we care for others, love, and go before Him, following His rules. As I said before, HaShem did not create mindless people who have no choice but to obey Him and love Him without a choice. This ties to what I wrote about regarding the remnant of the people that would make it to the Kingdom to come: those that follow HaShem and His rules. HaShem told us to be fruitful and to multiply, knowing that only a remnant of all those un-countless people who lived and will be born will make it. If you are reading this, you have a good chance as you are searching, and it means that you care for God and are trying to find the truth. Just remember that as you search and read the Torah, you think with the spirit of HaShem inside you. Forget what you have been told and think of what HaShem is trying to say in your reading. As you read, ask yourself what HaShem is trying to say to you and what He thinks, and forget what people think. Who is important here is HaShem and you and your relationship with Him. Take these two passages as examples; now, forget what you have been told and take the words at their value.

Deteuronamy 6:4

“Hear, O Israel: YHVH is our God, YHVH is ONE.”

Isaiah 43:10-11

”My witnesses are you —declares YHVH— My servant, whom I have chosen. To the end that you may know, And believe in Me, And understand that I am He: Before Me, no god was formed, And after Me, none shall exist, none but Me, YHVH; Besides Me, there is no savior.”

Now think for yourself and read these two passages, forget what you have been told, and think what it really says. Do not just read it because you want to get to the end of the chapter; that should not be your goal. Your goal is to understand every word’s meaning as it applies to HaShem and you. As a hint, what does one mean? For example, you say, “I only own one car”? Or “I only have one child”? Now, what does besides Me, there is no savior mean? And if HaShem is the only savior? Who else can save you if not Him? The answer is no one.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: Abraham said to God: If only Ishmael shall live before You. You have promised me miracles, which go against the laws of nature. However, I already have a son, Ishmael. If only he could be considered my son and receive this blessing.

And ELOHIM said, “Truly, Sarah, your wife, she will beget to/for you a son, and (you are) to call his name Yitzkhak, and I will establish my covenant with him forever for your seed (he is) after you.

19 וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֲבָל שָׂרָה אִשְׁתְּךָ יֹלֶדֶת לְךָ בֵּן וְקָרָאתָ אֶת־שְׁמוֹ יִצְחָק וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אִתּוֹ לִבְרִית עוֹלָם לְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו׃

יט‎

Elohim is saying here that the covenant will continue through Yitzkhak, the son that Avraham and Sarah will have, and not Yishmael. We have read many times now that HaShem will continue the covenant with Avraham and his descendants after him, and Elohim is saying that Yitzkhak will be the man through which his descendants will come.
You may be asking why. We have read what type of person HaShem knows Yishmael would be, and HaShem also knows what type Yitkhak will be.
Now, you may be asking. Then HaShem already knows what type of person we will be and whether we will make it or not. Well, there is a big difference between Yitzkhak and us. Remember when I said that HaShem himself would make sure to guide the Israelites personally after Avraham? Well, that is where the difference lies. HaShem guides the descendants of Avraham and whoever chooses Him as their own God through reward and harsh punishment. But if your love is with a different god, who is not Him, you are on your own. HaShem will be, from this time of the story and forward, guiding Avraham, Yitzchak, and, in turn, all their descendants through the ages. But only that remnant that stays true to Him. Honoring this covenant and all that comes with it is the goal of life. This is the covenant; HaShem promised Avraham this, and HaShem will follow through always. He will personally make sure the remnant of Avraham and whoever chooses HaShem as their God will make it. Not because He knows you and the decisions that you will make but because you are putting an effort into staying and behaving according to His rules as written in the Torah. This is the love you show to Him. You, going against your nature and doing what He tells you and not what your flesh wants. When the world tells you to act in a certain way, or the world does not accept you because you act according to HaShems rules. You decide to stay stubborn to HaShem and His rules. Even at the cost of staying, let's use the words popular and accepted by the world we currently live in.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: והקמתי את בריתי AND I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH HIM — Why is this stated? Is it not already written (Genesis 17:9) “as for thee, thou shalt keep My Covenant, thou and thy seed etc.”? But since is said, (Genesis 17:7) and I will establish My Covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations”, it might be inferred that the children of Ishmael and the children of Keturah (who are all descendants of Abraham) are included in this promise of the establishment of the Covenant, therefore it states here (Genesis 17:19) “And I will establish My Covenant with him (Isaac), not with the others” (cf. Sanhedrin 59b). If so, why is there a repetition of the statement that the covenant will be established with Isaac in the words (Genesis 17:21) ואת בריתי אקים את יצחק “but My Covenant will I establish with Isaac”? But it is repeated in order to add the words אשר תלד/which will give birth so as to teach that he was holy from his birth (Shabbat 137b). Another explanation of why 5:21 is repeated is: R. Aba said, “from here Scripture draws a logical conclusion regarding the son of the Mistress (Sarah) from what is said regarding the son of the handmaid (Hagar): It is written (Genesis 17:20) “Behold I have blessed him and will make him fruitful”, and this refers to Ishmael: Surely then, it follows logically that “I must establish my covenant (of blessing) with Isaac also!” (Genesis Rabbah 47:5).

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: והקימותי את בריתי אתו, “I will maintain My covenant (the promise contained therein) with him.” G-d means that Yitzchok will be the first person to be circumcised on the eighth day of his life.

Rabbeinu Bahya (1255–1340) commentary: וקראת את שמו יצחק, “and you will name him ‘Yitzchak.’” Yitzchak was given this name by G-d. This is why we never find that he was given another name such as his father or his son Yaakov who was given the additional name Yisrael. Both Avram’s name and Yaakov’s name had been given them by their respective fathers and not by G-d Himself.
Another reason why Avram’s name had to be changed whereas Yitzchak’s name did not need to be changed: G-d had given Avraham an additional destiny, i.e. to become a founder of many nations. This had to be reflected in his name being changed. Similarly Yaakov. His additional name Yisrael was in recognition of his having successfully contended with opposing celestial forces as attested to by the angel who struggled with him (Genesis 32,29). Yitzchak had not had similar experiences so that these did not require any changes or additions to his name. He had remained throughout his life on holy soil in the Holy Land.

The Torah: Women’s Commentery (completed in 1517) commentary: 19–22. The repetition of Sarah’s unique role in both of these verses leaves no doubt that she is necessary for the covenant and its blessings. [In other words, the Torah conceives of the Israelite lineage not only in male terms. On women and lineage, see at 10:1 and the introduction to 22:20–24. —Ed.]

And as for Yishmael, I heard you, see/behold: I bless him, I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly great, twelve princes/leaders he will beget which I will give him to be a great nation.

20 וּלְיִשְׁמָעֵאל שְׁמַעְתִּיךָ הִנֵּה׀ בֵּרַכְתִּי אֹתוֹ וְהִפְרֵיתִי אֹתוֹ וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֹתוֹ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר נְשִׂיאִם יוֹלִיד וּנְתַתִּיו לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל׃

כ

The last verse, together with this one, tells Avraham that HaShem will bless Yishmael but only in abundance in the form of multiplication. The descendants coming from Yishmael will increase in numbers but will not share in the inheritance of the land or become the priestly nation; they will not be a light to the nations and will not be the firstborn son of HaShem. It is interesting how the Elohim did not tell him why, and this is because of the type of people they would end up being like it was told to Hagar. HaShem has chosen Yitzhak for this. A child that has not yet been born, but this is also a child that, in regular circumstances, would not have been. In other words, yes, Yitzhak was God-sent. This is why Yitzhak’s name was not changed like Avraham’s and Yaakov’s. Yitzhak was who he was meant to be from the beginning. HaShem helped Yitzhak throughout his life, but Yitzhak lived his life in fear of HaShem. Always trying to do the right thing. Why do I tress fear? We will see this as we progress.
Avraham was also told that Yishmael would have twelve descendants who would become leaders and that they would make a great nation. Now, the Arab people have never been one nation, not even now. Today, the nations of the Arab people consist of 22 nations. This makes me wonder if they will unite into a single nation in the future. Yishmael had twelve sons altogether, which may mean that they all became leaders of independent nations of their own, and, through history, have multiplied to become even more numerous nations, unlike the descendants of Avraham through his son, Yitzkhak, who will stay together through the generations and still, to this day, be one nation, Israel.

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: ולישמעאל שמעתיך, “and concerning Yishmael, I have heard your request, etc.” I am going to bless him, but I will not include him in My covenant with you which I will maintain with Yitzchok, the covenant that I concluded with you between the “pieces” as detailed in chapter 15. In the interpretation of the [covenant of] circumcision, the covenant is mentioned 13 times to teach you it symbolizes a man who is 13 years old and had not had circumcision in his youth, and he intentionally does not circumcises himself - he is liable for extirpation.

Or HaChaim (approximately 1696 - 1743) commentary: ולישמעאל שמעתיך, "Concerning (your prayer for) Ishmael, I have listened to you, etc." Inasmuch as the only reason Abraham had prayed for Ishmael was because he was at that time his only son, and he had not prayed for him again after Sarah had born Isaac, G'd listened to his prayer. We can understand this according to the principle postulated in Makkot 11 that even the conditional curse of a Torah scholar comes true. We have another principle that a blessing is much stronger than a curse, i.e. has far wider ramifications. G'd told Abraham that Ishmael would eventually become a בעל תשובה since Abraham had prayed for Ishmael to develop into a G'd-fearing person. This is the meaning of G'd's words: "Here I have blessed him." G'd used the past tense to hint that when He promised that Abraham would die in a ripe old age, He had already made provisions for Ishmael's conduct not to cloud Abraham's departure from this earth.

Rabbeinu Bahya (1255 – 1340) commentary: שנים עשר נשיאים יוליד, “he will sire twelve princes.” Ishmael had twelve sons and they have been listed by their names at the end of Parshat Chayei Sarah. We read there: בכור ישמעאל נבוית, וקדר, ואדבאל, ומבשם, ומשמע, ודומה, ומשא, חדר, ותימה, יטור, נפיש, וקדמה. This gives you a total of 12. As to the reason the Torah speaks of twelve princes and not of twelve nations, this is to inform us that their distinction lay in their being so extraordinarily fruitful and numerous, far more so than other nations. The word נשיא then reflects their numerical “superiority.” This is precisely what G-d predicted when He said: “Here I have blessed him and made him fruitful and greatly increased his numbers very much indeed.”

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ולישמעאל שמעתיך, to bless him, to make him fruitful so that he will multiply and to grant him international prominence.
שנים עשר נשיאים, "will be descended from Ishmael, just as from Yitzchok. In fact I have already ברכתי אותו, blessed him by means of the angel who appeared to Hagar, and I took personally, will bless Ishmael. But this covenant which I have entered into with you I will maintain with Yitzchok.

And/But my covenant will arise/stand/be established through Yitzkhak, which will be born to/for you through Sarah and such appointed time will be in the following year.”

21 וְאֶת־בְּרִיתִי אָקִים אֶת־יִצְחָק אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד לְךָ שָׂרָה לַמּוֹעֵד הַזֶּה בַּשָּׁנָה הָאַחֶרֶת׃

כא

HaShem told Avraham through this Elohim (which means the same as if HaShem Himself had said it. This one talking is a MalAkh/messenger/angel, but everything he says is as if HaShem was saying it. This is why the MalAkh/messenger/angel is referred to as God, just like Moses was.) that Yitzkhak would be born in a year’s time. Avraham will not have to wonder when this will happen as he has, as written, an appointed time. Why use the word “appointed.” By this word, “appointed” means that HaShem wanted it to be so at the set time, not before this and not after this time or date. By this appointed time, I am not sure if it means the year after Creation or the age of Avraham and Sarah not mattering the year after Creation. One thing is for sure: HaShem wanted this to be a miracle, and the ages of Avraham and Sarah mattered in this regard. A one-hundred-year-old man and a ninety-year-old woman, who was barren all of her life, having a child. That Avraham could have a child at this age is not a miracle on its own, but Sarah giving birth to a child is impossible, as we will see in the next chapter.

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: למועד הזו לשנה האחרת "at this season next year;" Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Idi: that year was a leap year [in which an additional month of Adar was added before Nisan], meaning "מועד" and "מועד" was one year apart from each other, and he calls it "next year" because of the additional month it has in it.

Da’at Zekenim (Author: Tosafot, Composed: Middle-Age France / Germany / Italy / England, c.1100 – c.1300 CE) commentary: ואת בריתי אקים את יצחק, “and My covenant I will establish with Yitzchok;” the word אקים is to be understood as an acrostic from the phrase: אשר קידש ידיד מבטן, a phrase recited after every circumcision, meaning: “who is well beloved already when he emerges from the womb.”

Kitzur Ba’al HaTurim (approximately 1270–1340) commentary: "I will establish my covenant with Yitzkhak" - "אקים" can be interpreted as a hint that God sanctified His beloved friend (Yitzkhak) from the womb.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: בשנה האחרת. G'd informs Avraham that a year will elapse between the time he received this message and its realization. It is as if the Torah had written that Sarah would give birth at this time in the following year. He did not tell him when she would become pregnant, nor the length of time of her pregnancy. Our sages in Rosh Hashanah 10 assume that the birth occurred on Passover (the date on which Passover would occur in the future) seeing that Sarah became pregnant on Rosh Hashanah.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: But My covenant I will keep with Yitzkhak. God stressed the difference between Abraham’s two sons. Ishmael, his first son, who was raised in his home and was undoubtedly beloved by his father, was blessed with great fertility and power. However, the unique personal connection embodied by the covenant was reserved for Yitzkhak alone, whom Sarah shall bear to you at the designated time, on the same date, in another year.

And ELOHIM finished talking to him and ascended from the presence of Avraham.

22 וַיְכַל לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ וַיַּעַל אֱלֹהִים מֵעַל אַבְרָהָם׃

כב

I believe this is the second time a MalAkh/messenger/angel appears to a person. Hagar and now Avraham. In Hagar’s place, we do not know how the Elohim (MalAkh/messenger/angel) departed from her, but in Avraham’s place, Scripture uses the word “ascended.” To understand this, we must first remember what I said before. I believe that this MalAkh/messenger/angel that appeared to Avraham is one of HaShem’s courtly MalAkhim/messengers/angels. So he went back to his place where he belonged, according to his job, back to heaven. To the celestial court. In the case of Hagar, the MalAkhi/messenger’s/angel’s job was on the earth, so he did not ascend to heaven but stayed on earth to continue his job. Plus, the MalAkh’s/messenger’s/angel’s job was done. He was only there to read the covenant/contract to Avraham, and that is it.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: מעל אברהם [GOD WENT UP] FROM ABRAHAM — This is a more fitting expression to use of God, and we learn from it that the righteous are the Chariot of the Omnipresent God (Genesis Rabbah 47:6).

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: AND G-D WENT UP FROM ABRAHAM. This is an expression of respect towards G-d, and we learn from it that the righteous are the Chariot of the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus the language of Rashi. But the saying of the Sages in the Bereshith Rabbah is: “It is the patriarchs that constitute the Chariot.” This is an allusion to that which is written: Thou wilt give truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham; And the Fear of Isaac had been on my side. The student learned [in the mysteries of the Torah] will understand.

“Thou wilt give truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham; And the Fear of Isaac had been on my side.”

This is hinting at the characters of each patriarch. Avraham was a very kind man; Yitzkhak was very, over the top, fearful of HaShem, for reasons that we will get to as the time comes, and Yaakov, we will get to as well. Each patriarch has unique characteristics to them.

And Avraham took Yishmael, his son, and all in his house, and all purchase with his silver/money, all male person in Avraham’s house, and they circumcised themselves in the flesh of their foreskin on that very day when ELOHIM spoke/told/commended with/to him.

23 וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָהָם אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ וְאֵת כָּל־יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ וְאֵת כָּל־מִקְנַת כַּסְפּוֹ כָּל־זָכָר בְּאַנְשֵׁי בֵּית אַבְרָהָם וַיָּמָל אֶת־בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתָם בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אִתּוֹ אֱלֹהִים׃

כג

Avraham did not even think about it and wasted no time. As the verse says, Avraham circumcised himself, his son, Yishmael, and every male in his house on the same day Elohim read the covenant/contract to him. They were all circumcised at a time when there were no painkillers, local anesthesia, or stitches, at least that we know of.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: בעצם היום IN THE SELFSAME DAY — on the very day when he received the command of circumcision: by day and not by night — he was afraid neither of the heathens nor of the cynics. And he did it in broad daylight in order that his enemies and other people should not say, “If we had seen him we would never have allowed him to practise circumcision and carry out the commandment of the Omnipresent (Genesis Rabbah 47:9).

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ויקח, as soon as G'd had withdrawn Avraham proceeded to make all the preparations necessary to perform the circumcision on all the members of his household who qualified for this, followed by his circumcising himself. He waited with circumcising himself, realizing that if he would circumcise himself first, he would be too weak to perform this operation on all the male member of his household immediately afterwards.
וימול בשר ערלתם, both the removal of the foreskin and the removal of the membrane underneath it. (פריעה). Some of our sages (Yevamot 71) claim that Avraham had not been commanded to perform פריעה also. The majority opinion is that he had been commanded concerning both these stages of circumcision. This is also the opinion expressed in Bereshit Rabbah (compare Torah Shleymah 157)

Or HaChaim (approximately 1696 - 1743) commentary: Avodah Zarah 27 understands the repetition of המול ימול in 17:13 to mean that he who circumcises others must himself first have been circumcised. Perhaps this is what is meant by the words: "as He commanded him to do," i.e. Abraham circumcised himself first before he circumcised anyone else. If we accept this explanation we do no longer have to search for a reason why the Torah did not specifically mention that Abraham circumcised himself. There were two reasons why it is assumed that Abraham was the first to circumcise himself. 1) It was his nature to comply with any commandment of G'd immediately. Besides, how could he have persuaded others to do something he himself appeared to be afraid of doing? 2) In order for his circumcision of the members of his household to be halachically valid, he himself had to be circumcised first.

And Avraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

24 וְאַבְרָהָם בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה בְּהִמֹּלוֹ בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ׃

כד

Years from Creation 2047

This was the year after Creation when Avraham was circumcised, and in the next verse, we will learn that Yishmael was thirteen years of age. This was also the year of the covenant between HaShem and Avraham, his descendants, and any other person with this faith.

Rabbeinu Bahya (1255 – 1340) commentary: בהמולו בשר ערלתו, “when he was circumcised on the flesh of his foreskin.” The procedure followed exactly the instructions he had received in verse 11. The Torah teaches us here that this commandment leaves a permanent mark on the flesh of a person so that this mark can be considered the sign of the covenant. This is why this commandment is known for short simply as אות, “sign.”
There are a total of three commandments in the Torah which are called אות, “sign.” They are: circumcision, Sabbath, and phylacteries [a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law]. All of them, i.e. performance of them by a Jew are testimony to his belief in G-d and His Torah. It is not appropriate for a Jew to not have at least two of these commandments as his advocates. Maintaining a claim to something successfully requires that the claim be supported by two valid witnesses (Deut.19,15). This is why a Jew needs to constantly move in the company of two such witnesses. They are the circumcision and the commandment of the תפילין, the phylacteries. They should never deport from him. A Jew who is careful to mind this may say of himself as did Rabbi Zeyra (Megillah 28) “I have never walked four cubits without Torah and without the phylacteries.” On the Sabbath, when the commandment to wear phylacteries does not apply, one still has both the Sabbath and the sign of the covenant on one’s flesh as the two valid witnesses which one should never be without. From the above we learn that observing the commandment to wear phylacteries fastidiously means that one is never without the protection of these two witnesses who may testify on one’s behalf.

And Yishmael was thirteen years old on the day he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ בֶּן־שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בְּהִמֹּלוֹ אֵת בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ׃

כה

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: בהמולו את בשר ערלתו WHEN HE HAD THE FLESH OF HIS FORESKIN CIRCUMCISED — With Avraham, [the word], et is not stated [as it is here with Yishmael], because the only thing he was missing was the cutting of the flesh, as [his foreskin] was already flattened through sexual relations. But Yishmael - who was only a child - was required to cut his foreskin and open [and push back] the circumcision. Hence about him, et is stated. (Genesis Rabbah 47:8)

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: את בשר ערלתו, the flesh of his foreskin; according to Rashi, Ishmael, although still a child, had to proceed and perform the circumcision on himself. He adds that this was more painful for him than for his father, whose member had become softened through frequent use in sleeping with his wife. The additional word את/et, used by the Torah when describing Ishmael’s circumcision, is supposed to draw our attention to this distinction. According to the Talmud in Yevamot 72, even though the additional commandment for Jews to also remove the membrane mentioned earlier had not yet been given, Avraham understood that it would be given in the future, and he performed the circumcision precisely as we do nowadays. According to our sages in Yuma 28, Avraham even performed the rites known as eyruv tavshilim, preparing some food for the Sabbath following a festival when the festival occurred on a Friday so that cooking on the festival would not look as if one had used the festival as merely a day to prepare for the Sabbath.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Although significantly younger than his father, circumcision is difficult at that age as well, for a variety of reasons.

On this very day Abraham and his son Yishmael were circumcised.

26 בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִמּוֹל אַבְרָהָם וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ׃

כו

And all men of his house, a house born or bought with silver/money from the foreign’s son, were circumcised with him.

27 וְכָל־אַנְשֵׁי בֵיתוֹ יְלִיד בָּיִת וּמִקְנַת־כֶּסֶף מֵאֵת בֶּן־נֵכָר נִמֹּלוּ אִתּוֹ׃פ

כז

This is how important the commandment of circumcision is, which this chapter stresses so much. In the whole Scriptures, the word circumcision is mentioned 37 times, and in this chapter alone is mentioned ten times. As said before, Avraham lost no time to do his part of the covenant and circumcised every male with him. From himself to his son to those born in his house, those he bought with money, and even the sons of the strangers who decided to be with him. Also, why does it say “the son of the foreigners?” These are people not from his house and not bought with money as servants, but people who decided of their own accord to follow Avraham and chose HaShem as their God. Every male who has this faith and chooses HaShem as their God and wants HaShem to be a God to them must circumcise. If a woman marries a man and she has this faith, then He must also have the same faith, and that man she chooses must also be circumcised. If not, then that woman who decided to marry that man lives in sin because of this commandment. However, he must know what this circumcision means and understand why he is doing it and also have no other gods by any other name that is not HaShem’s name.