The Significance of the Eighth Day in Jewish Tradition: Uncovering the Mystery Behind Brit Milah Timing

We traditionally perform Brit Milah on the eighth day after birth. Interestingly, from a medical standpoint, this marks the ideal day given crucial blood clotting factors essential for healing. But why is the number eight significant? The world was created following the divine blueprint of the Torah. So, why does the Torah stipulate Brit Milah on the eighth day?

The timing of eight days is so crucial that it even overrides Shabbat. While Brit Milah is a positive mitzvah, Shabbat encompasses both positive and prohibitive commandments, carrying severe consequences like karet and stoning. Typically, positive commandments do not override Shabbat. However, the sages learned from the word "day," indicating that Brit Milah is performed "even on Shabbat." Thus, the eighth day holds greater significance than maintaining Shabbat.

Interestingly, according to Rabbi Leib Mintzberg, our patriarch Abraham was not initially commanded to perform Brit Milah on precisely the eighth day. Hashem directed him to wait until at least the eighth day, as the newborn needed to complete a full week to truly resemble a human form. Just as an animal cannot be sacrificed before eight days with "eight days it shall be under its mother," likewise, Abraham could have delayed. Yet, he hurried to fulfill this mitzvah. In fact, Abraham's descendants among the Ishmaelites and Keturah's sons, unlike the Jewish people, perform the circumcision at age thirteen, akin to Ishmael himself.

Post-Torah, the Brit Milah is strictly on the eighth day, even overriding Shabbat, symbolizing inclusion within Abraham's covenant. However, in the instance of a "C-section birth," considered an "exception" by the sages, Brit Milah does not override Shabbat. Why? Rabbi Mintzberg explains that Hashem determines the heavenly birth date, deciding when the child should enter the covenant fully. In the case where humans choose the delivery timing, albeit with good intentions, this date does not attain holiness, nor does it mandate Brit Milah to override Shabbat.

Rabbi Chaim Halevi writes that while there still exists the mitzvah to perform Brit Milah on the eighth day for a "C-section" child, Shabbat is not overridden.