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Since then, for almost four thousand years, Jews have been performing the same painful and dangerous ‘ritual’ to all their male children as an eternal reminder of this covenant.
As we say in the blessing before performing the circumcision:
“Blessed are You G-d…….who commanded to bring (this Jewish child) into the Covenant of AVRAHAM our father.”

This arouses several questions. First, why is Abraham called ‘our father?
Second; despite what we say in the blessing, the main reason we do circumcision today is not because of Abraham. Rather it is because G-d commanded it in the Torah over four hundred years after Abraham. “On the eighth day circumcise etc.” (Lev. 12:3). So why call it the ‘Covenant of Abraham’?
Third why did G-d have to give it again at Sinai?

To understand this here is a story.

Rabbi Kaminetski the Chabad representative in Dnepropetrovsk Russia was a very busy man; directing the activities of his Chabad House, giving Torah classes, visiting homes, encouraging Judaism, collect funds, running his schools and helping as many Jews as possible both spiritually and physically in addition to providing for his own family educating his children etc.
So it wasn’t surprising that he had limited patience for foolish requests.
Once he was approached by a young gentile girl, a big cross dangling around her neck, who asked him to visit her dying grandmother who lived over two hours’ drive away, was over ninety years old, was a bit senile, didn’t have a penny to her name, felt she was about to die and wanted a ‘Jewish priest’ to perform her last rites!
When the Rabbi asked why she didn’t just get a normal gentile priest she answered that the old lady hated them all because of something some priest did or said to her some fifty years ago. Since then, she never went to Church but now she’s dying and needs someone, so she said that she wanted a Rabbi. She repeated that her grandmother was bit senile but that was no reason to deny her strange, but last, request.
The Rabbi had no problem refusing: two hours’ drive both ways for a demented non-Jewish lady was definitely not his line of work.
But suddenly it occurred to him that perhaps the old lady was really Jewish. There were many such cases in Russia. He began asking the girl questions. Perhaps she had seen her grandmother light candles on Friday or separate milk and meat – something… anything Jewish? Maybe the old lady once mentioned something about Judaism?
But it was a dead end. There was nothing. It was clear as day; there were some three hundred million gentiles in Russia and this old lady was one of them.
Rabbi Kaminetski apologized, explained that he didn’t know any Church rites, this was definitely NOT for him, bade her farewell and the girl left.
But a few days later she returned. And this time with determination.
She began speaking quietly but gradually raised her tone to weeping and moaning. She had traveled two long hours and would never leave until he . fulfilled her precious, suffering, grandmother’s last wishes. He had to have mercy. Only he could do it. The lady was dying!!
The Rabbi tried to make excuses but she just screamed louder. He tried to reason with her but she wouldn’t let him finish a sentence. He even offered to personally call the local Church and introduce her to a nice Priest a real gentile genuine priest. But she wouldn’t hear of it. Her grandmother made her a bit crazy as well.
The Rabbi was stuck. He couldn’t ignore or get rid of her. There were only two choices; call the police and get her kicked off his property or give in.
But suddenly it dawned on him that the police wouldn’t understand why he, a man of ‘the cloth’ wouldn’t give last rites to this heart-broken girl’s grandmother. And even if they did understand and did evict her, she would certainly come back – perhaps every day!
So, he gave in. After all, she was a human being! But why did she have to live so far away?! Who knows, maybe the old lady had been an anti-Semite and wanted to repent on her deathbed. In any case there was no way out.
They drove silently and two hours later they arrived at a typical run-down hut in a typical Russian village. On the porch was sitting a very old woman in an old stuffed chair. She was no more than skin and bones with a blanket covering all but her face. She looked out of contact with the world. But when she saw the bearded Rabbi her eyes opened, filled with tears and she began quietly whimpering and weeping.
The Rabbi walked up the few stairs and as he approached, she looked deeply into his eyes and began speaking….in a wavering Yiddish!
“My whole life I have been waiting for this moment. I am a Jew!”
She hesitated, took out a handkerchief, wept aloud and slowly continued.
“When I was nine, my parents were killed in a pogrom, and I was put in a Church orphanage. One nun there once told me that I must never tell anyone I am Jewish because all Jews get killed. Now I am ninety-six, that’s right, ninety-six years old, and my entire life I have been keeping this secret, even from my children.”
The Rabbi was surprised but a thought flashed through his mind; It could be that she had once worked in a Jewish home and learned Yiddish. Now she’s senile; she’s crazy and thinks she’s Jewish.
“I know what you are thinking,” She interrupted his thoughts, “You’re thinking that maybe I’m not Jewish, right? Well you should know that I remember how my mother would light the candles and make a Brocha (blessing) before Shabbos; Boruch Ataw etc.” (and she repeated the blessing). “And my father would put on T’filin and a Tallis and daven in Shul in the weekdays. And she repeated some more details.”
She paused for a few minutes, dried her eyes again and continued.
“My whole life I have been repeating these things because I was afraid that I would forget them. See, I remembered! But I didn’t tell my daughter because I didn’t know how to explain it.
“Now I want you to tell her and my granddaughter that they are Jewish too, so that they will remember. Will you do that Rabbi? And teach them what it means to be Jewish. Then I will be happy.”

This answers our questions.

When Abraham made the ‘covenant’ with G-d he received eternal Jewish identity.
And because he passed this covenant; this identity to all Jews for all time he is called the ‘Father’ of Judaism.
As we saw in our story; the smallest spark of it was strong enough to keep a flame burning in the heart of that old woman despite her traumatic disappointments and total estrangement from Judaism almost 90 years.
Like Abraham, she felt like the FIRST Jew; connected to the Creator of the Universe above reason (despite all obstacles) and wanting to pass this to her offspring.
The reason G-d gave the commandment AGAIN at Sinai is that at Sinai they received the power to not only to hold on to Judaism but to actually improve and bring blessing and meaning to the entire world was given to all the Jews. Something like the difference between Av-ram and Avraham.
At Sinai was activated in every Jew G-d’s promise to Avraham “I have made you the Father of many nations”. (The entire world, Rash’i)” (17:4)

This will be totally fulfilled, as Abraham saw in his vision between the pieces (Gen.15:11 see Rashi); through Moshiach.
Moshiach will arouse and teach Abraham’s offspring, all the Jewish people, to, in turn, arouse and teach all people in the world to drop their religions, worship ONLY the Creator (through the seven Noahide commandments) and fill the world with peace, love and blessing.

That is exactly what the Lubavitcher Rebbe said time and time again:
Each and every Jew, has the power to change himself and the entire world; the power of G-d’s promise to Abraham and to all of us through Moses at Sinai. And not much is lacking.
We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish self-sacrifice, prayers and good deeds. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought can bring ….
Moshiach NOW!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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