Disagreements within a family TB Shabbat 137

With today’s daf TB 137 we finish the 19^th chapter of massechet Shabbat. The daf concludes with the different barakhot (blessings) recited at a baby’s brit milah and those recited at a conversion ceremony for a male.

“The Sages taught in a Tosefta that one who circumcises a child recites: Who has made us holy through His commandments, and commanded us concerning circumcision. The father of the circumcised child recites: Who has made us holy through His commandments, and commanded us to bring him into the covenant of Abraham, our father. Those standing there recite: Just as he has entered into the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, marriage, and good deeds.

And the one who recites the additional blessing says: Who made the beloved one holy from the womb, marked the decree in his flesh, and gave his descendants the seal and the sign of the holy covenant. Therefore, as a reward for this, the living God, our Portion, commanded to deliver the beloved of our flesh from destruction, for the sake of His covenant that He set in our flesh. Blessed are You, Lord, Who establishes the covenant.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Although the brit milah ceremony in our Gemara seems straightforward, tosefot records a dispute between two of Rashi’s grandsons. Rashi’s eldest of three daughters, Yokheved, married Rabbi Meir ben Shlomo. They had four sons, Rabbi Shemuel a.k.a. Rashbam, Rabbi Yitzkhak a.k.a. Rivam, Rabbi Ya’akov a.k.a. Rebbeinu Tam, and Rabbi Shlomo the Grammarian. Rashbam and Rebbeinu Tam disagreed on the order of the blessings in the brit milah ceremony.

Remembering that the printing press had not yet been invented so all copies of the Talmud were handwritten, Rashbam must have had a different version of our text. He says the father first recites the blessing “Who has made us holy through His commandments, and commanded us to bring him into the covenant of Abraham, our father.” Afterwards the mohel recites the blessing “Who has made us holy through His commandments, and commanded us concerning circumcision.” He gives two reasons why this is the correct procedure. First of all the lamed in the word “to bring him (להכניסו ) always points to the future meaning this blessing is said before the actual circumcision. Secondly, all blessings are said immediately before the action (עובר לעשייתן). For example, we say the blessing Hamotzi immediately before we eat the bread and not afterwards. Based on this principle the father’s blessing has to come before the circumcision and not afterwards.

Rabbeinu Tam disagrees with his brother. First of all, he argues that his manuscripts follow the procedure of a brit milah found in our printed text. Secondly, the invited guests respond to the father’s blessing using almost the identical words, “Just as he has entered into the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, marriage, and good deeds.” Breaking up of this sequence just doesn’t make sense. Thirdly, he argues from the blessing that the mohel says after the circumcision which is the same one said after the circumcision of a convert. “Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who made us holy with His commandments, and commanded us concerning circumcision. And the one who recites the additional blessing recites: Who has made us holy with His commandments, and commanded us to circumcise converts, and to drip from them covenantal blood, as were it not for the blood of the covenant, the heaven and earth would not be sustained, as it is stated: “If My covenant would not be with day and night, the ordinances of heaven and earth I would not have placed” (Jeremiah 33:25), which is interpreted to mean that were it not for the covenant of circumcision that is manifest both day and night, the world would cease to exist. He concludes the blessing with the phrase: Blessed are You, Lord, Who establishes the covenant.” (Sefaria.org translation) It can’t be said before because the person hasn’t become a Jew yet. Similarly, the father’s blessing comes afterwards.

Perhaps we can say the disagreement over the order of the blessings can be distilled this way. Rashbam holds that the father’s blessing is a blessing over a commandment, ברכת המצוה, which is said before the act and Rabbeinu Tam doesn’t. Today all brit milah ceremonies follow Rabbeinu Tam’s order as found in our Gemara.

Rabbeinu Tam also disagrees with his grandfather Rashi concerning an interpretation of the third blessing. Rashi explains that “the beloved one holy from the womb” refers to our forefather Isaac. Perhaps his reasoning is simple. Isaac was the very first Jew who was circumcised on the eighth day. Rabbeinu Tam interprets the blessing to reference all three forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For the exact reference see the tosefot  ד''ה ידיד מבטן.