Genesis 17

This week’s portion is a very famous in which Hashem tells Avram to leave Haran and head southward to an unknown destination. It is there that Hashem changes his name and establishes his covenant with Avraham. The sign of this covenant is very interesting. Avraham is to circumcise himself and his offspring.

The term used in Hebrew is mol or the feminine milah. These words actually mean either against or word. Nowhere in the text. Do we see Hashem actually giving Avraham the commandment to circumcise. This commandment is given to Avraham, specifically to circumcise himself and his offspring, but it is not listed that way in the Torah itself.

So, how did Avraham that what Hashem meant by his command to “MOL” was to circumcise? What we see here is an example of oral law within the text of the Torah. It is not actually written for Avraham to circumcise, but Avraham understood that he should circumcise. How? Avraham was given oral law, that is Hashem told of what was meant, that is, to circumcise. But, the instruction is not written down in the Torah. This is but one of many examples of oral law being within the confines of the written Torah. Shabbat shalom.