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Circumcision of Children of Israel in Desert

In the book of Joshua, he is required to circumcise all of the Israelites upon entering the land because they were not circumcised in the desert. Why didn’t Moses fulfill the covenant by circumcision on the 8th day?

Answer:

The Gemara (Yevamos) suggests two explanations for this.

One is that the people were unable to circumcise their children on account of the constant journeying in the wilderness. They feared that the strain of the coming journey (they could not tell when they would have to journey again) would endanger the infants.

Another reason is that the soothing “northerly wind” did not blow in the wilderness while the Children of Israel traversed it, and they therefore feared to circumcise their children.

The Midrash states that the tribe of Levi continued to circumcise their infants throughout, for their level of trust in G-d was higher. The rest of the people, however, who were not on the same spiritual level, refrained from doing so, until entry into the Land.

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