ืึผืึธึจื ื ืึฑืึน-ืึถึืืึธ ืึถืชึพืึฐืึธืึฐืึธึ ืึฐืึถืชึพืึฐืึทึฃื ืึทืจึฐืขึถึืึธ ืึฐืึทืึฒืึธึื ืึถืชึพื ืึฑืึน-ืึถึืืึธ
And Hashem, your G-d will open your heart and the heart of your descendants to love Hashem your G-dโฆ (Devarim 30:6)
This verse describes the closeness that will be achieved between Hashem and the Jewish people following their teshuva (return), to righteousness.
An interesting word is chosen to describe the opening of the hearts of the Jewish people. The word โืึธึจืโ related to the word “ืืืื” means “to circumcise.” A literal reading of the pasuk (verse) therefore means “Hashem, your G-d will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants.”
What is a circumcision of the heart? And if brit mila, the mitzva of circumcision, is exclusively male, how can we apply this concept to Jewish women?
The Ibn Ezra writes that unlike brit mila, where the Jewish people are commanded to perform an act, here, it is Hashem alone Who performs the mila. This is not the male mitzva of circumcision, but rather, a new, beautiful reality for the Jewish people. After our process of teshuva, where we actively seek a loving relationship with Hashem, we are reassured of a secure closeness with Him. We are no longer obligated to do more. Hashem will be the one to bind our hearts to Him โ and our children after us.
The Bechor Shor quotes a Gemara in Shabbat 104a on this pasuk. The Gemara teaches ืึธึผื ืึดืืึธึผืึตืจ ืึฐืกึทืึฐึผืืขึดืื ืืึนืชืึน โ “One who comes to purify himself is helped.” The first message of this pasuk is that if we turn our hearts towards Hashem and seek to cleanse ourselves, Hashem will help us achieve closeness with Him. The reward for our small acts of purity down here is a Heavenly circumcision of the heart.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah and the other days of awe, we are reminded that we do not need to make big or dramatic moves towards Hashem. We only need to express our desire to purify our hearts and Hashem will allow us to reconnect fully with him. As we say in Shir Hashirim (5:2) ืึฒื ึดึฅื ืึฐืฉึตืื ึธึื ืึฐืึดืึดึผึฃื ืขึตึืจ ืงึฃืึนืโ ืึผืึนืึดึฃื ืืึนืคึตึืง โ “I am asleep but my heart is awake, the voice of my Beloved is knocking.” When we access the deep awakening of our hearts, then we merit Hashem knocking on our inner doors.
How can we, as Jewish women, show Hashem that our heart belongs to Him?
By adding one small tefilla into our day. By closing our eyes and talking to Him for a minute by the Shabbat candles. By pausing for a moment before making a bracha. By beautifying ourselves in a modest way, in preparation for Shabbat. By spending a few minutes reviewing halachot of women’s mitzvot. In whichever small way we choose to redirect our hearts to Hashem, we are guaranteed that He will clear the pathway for us to love Him fully, heart and soul.
On Rosh Hashanah, we daven that the whole world should gather together to serve Hashem wholeheartedly: ืึฐืึตืขึธืฉืืึผ ืึปืึธึผื ืึฒืึปืึธึผื ืึถืึธืช ืึทืขึฒืฉืืึนืช ืจึฐืฆืึนื ึฐืึธ ืึฐึผืึตืึธื ืฉึธืืึตื. How do we achieve such a lofty state? There is an additional layer to the pasuk in Nitzavim. We cannot only focus on turning our hearts towards Hashem; we must practice turning our hearts away from anything which would distance us from Him.
The Malbim says that the circumcision of this pasuk is a circumcision of the ืขืจืืช ืืื (foreskin) of the Jewish heart. Removing this ืขืจืื is removing that which blocks us from Hashem: our yetzer hara. Whilst our yetzer hara may allow us to do some mitzvot, it always ensures we are trapped by our physical desires. This keeps us ensnared in a web of temptations, far from Hashem.
It is not enough to arouse our hearts with inspired feelings of Ahavat Hashem (love of Hashem). We must integrate this love so deeply that there is no room for any other love. We are not only instructed to turn our hearts towards Hashem, but to turn our hearts away from anything else.
The Ohr Hachaim explains that this ืขืจืื is a symbol of all our negative desires and our love for them. With this understanding, the pasuk means that Hashem will help us resist our temptations. This, in turn, will lead us to keep the negative commandments, a guarantee of this pasuk. Since the purpose of the negative commandments is to prevent us straying far from Hashem, removing our love for the forbidden will help us keep those commandments.
It is not enough to arouse our hearts with inspired feelings of Ahavat Hashem (love of Hashem). We must integrate this love so deeply that there is no room for any other love. We are not only instructed to turn our hearts towards Hashem, but to turn our hearts away from anything else. As David Hamelech writes ืึนึฝืึฒืึตึฅื ื ืฉึดืื ึฐืึซืึผึพืจึธึฅืข โ “Those who love Hashem, hate evil.” Only someone who is truly close with someone can grow to love that which they love and despise that which they despise.
I love Hashem more than I love non-certified food. I love Hashem more than I love gossip. I love Hashem more than I love sleeping in. I love Hashem more than any other pleasure. Once we internalize that only pure connection with Hashem will satisfy our deepest desires, then we can let go of our temptations and merit a true circumcision of the heart.
It is the practice of the sephardim to begin the tefillot of Yom Kippur with a beautiful piyut (poem) composed by either Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra or Rabbi Yehuda Halevi.
It starts ืื ื-ืื ืชืฉืืงืชื, ืื ืืฉืงื ืืืืืชื โ “Towards You, Hashem, I direct my yearning. On You I focus my longing and love.” There is no better way to commence the holiest day of the year than with a declaration of our unwavering love to Hashem, and only Hashem. With these intentions, we will merit that Hashem will open our hearts and keep us and our descendants close to Him, eternally.
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One response to “Nitzavim-Vayelech: Circumcision of the Heart”
What a beautiful and inspiring article by Tamara . I have never heard of this concept before and was explained in an articulate and uplifting way