Several visitors and important guests arrived in Rav Issamar of Nadworna's home in Czernowitz. The guests congregated impatiently as they waited for the bris to start. Rav Issamar had been honored to serve as sandak and he had gone to immerse in the mikveh and was now performing hachanos (preparations) to ready himself for this most sublime mitzvah!
A few guests couldn’t disguise their impatience and began to murmur. “The pasuk says Avrohom woke up early in the morning-- teaching us to hurry and perform mitzvos with zerizus (alacrity) and without delay” someone said. What's taking so long already?”
Ordinarily modest and reticent, Yitzchok Issac-- later known as the Zutshka Rebbe --was unable to restrain himself upon hearing the comment when his holy father's honor was at stake. He came forward and censured them with the following retort: “Does it say that Avrohom woke early, saddled his donkey, and took the knife to slaughter his son? Rather it says Avrohom woke early, saddled his donkey, chopped wood, prepared the firewood, and stacked them into a pyre--as all these preparations were necessary for readying himself to perform the mitzvah. In fact, the hachanos Avrohom did to prepare for the mitzvah were counted like the mitzvah itself. Similarly, we too need to prepare the house, arrange the chairs and tables, and the rebbe needs to immerse in the mikveh and do whatever is needed to properly arrange and prepare for the mitzvah of bris milah!”
