“Naked and bare”, and thus, He gave them two mitzvot – the blood of the Korban Pesach and the blood of Brit Milah. Through the merits of these two mitzvot, and drawing their hands from the idolatry they were steeped in, they could be redeemed. Why are two mitzvot needed for redemption? And furthermore, why specifically the blood of the Korban Pesach and the blood of Brit Milah? Why not another mitzvah unrelated to blood?
In the human body there are רמ"ח אֵ יבָ רִ ים and שס" ה גִּ ידִ י ם – 248 organs corresponding to the 248 positive commandments, and 365 sinews corresponding to the 365 negative commandments. Every organ in which a person fulfills a commandment, the organ is rectified, and when he transgresses with it, the organ is corrupted. However, the Chida says, when a person transgresses idolatry, his entire body is corrupted rather than a single organ or sinew – it is a corruption of the entire body! Therefore, to exit idolatry, it isn’t enough to perform a single mitzvah, but an action that shakes the entire body is needed. What action is that? The blood of Korban Pesach and the blood of Brit Milah.
Prior to leaving Egypt, Bnei Yisrael set out to slaughter the gods of Egypt – i.e., the lamb (a young sheep). When Moshe Rabbeinu hears that they need to slaughter the Korban Pesach, he asks Hakadosh Baruch Hu how the Egyptians won’t stone them. Hakadosh Baruch Hu responds that this act of slaughtering the Egyptians’ gods is a pre-requisite to leaving Egypt; until now the people served the gods of Egypt, and now they must slaughter it to uproot the idolatry!
Chazal say (Pesachim 8b; Berachot 20a), miracles happened to our ancestors because they risked their lives for the sanctity of Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s name. And in this context, the dialogue between Moshe Rabbeinu and Hakadosh Baruch Hu can be understood. Bnei Yisrael needed to slaughter the gods of the Egyptians and risk their lives, because they needed miracles and wonders, which could not be given to them until they risked their lives for the sanctity of Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s name. Both the Korban Pesach and Brit Milah were commanded because both acts of self-sacrifice qualified them for the miracles seen during their redemption.
The Menorat HaMaor writes, when speaking about the virtue of Bnei Yisrael on their way to receive the Torah – it is clear that among the nations, no nation is worthy of receiving the Torah except Bnei Yisrael, the children of Avraham Avinu, who are circumcised in the covenant of Milah, and trained in servitude. The foundation of Brit Milah as preparation for the Exodus from Egypt is one of the basic foundations we will stand on today – and why? Because Chazal say (Tanchuma, Mishpatim 5): Forever, if a person is not circumcised, he cannot learn Torah, as it is said: מַגִּיד דְּבָרָו לְיַעֲקֹב חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל – He issued His commands to Yaakov, His statutes and rules to Yisrael. They were issue only to one who is circumcised, like Yaakov, and not to any other nation – לְכׇל־גּוֹי לֹא עָשָׂה כֵן – because they are uncircumcised.
