The Rambam Was Saved in the Merit of Milah:
The Yalkut Mei’am Loaiz (Koheles 10:8) relates the following incredible story:
During the Rambam’s times, a new king was appointed who enacted numerous decrees against the Jews, which caused them much pain and suffering. When the Rambam heard about this, he went out and stood in the street and declared, “I am a Jew and I am a famous doctor!”
Many people heard his announcement, and sick people began lining up near him. He treated each one and provided them all with effective cures. Even those who no other doctor could help were healed by him.
The king was told about what was happening and he sent a message for the Rambam to come to him. When the Rambam arrived in the palace, the king told him, “I have a medical condition that causes me a lot of pain. No doctor has been able to help me. If you can heal me, I will make you an important government minister.”
The Rambam said, “I will do it if you promise to never kill me as long as you are alive.”
The king gave his promise and the Rambam provided him with a medicine that cured him.
The king was very happy and he appointed the Rambam to be his most powerful minister. The other ministers were quite jealous of the Jew who was receiving so much honor. They falsely libeled him to the king and asked him to kill him, and the king said that he would have him killed the next day. However, the king didn’t keep his word and he did not kill the Rambam. Ultimately, the highest-ranking minister told the king that if he didn’t kill the Rambam, he would start a rebellion against him. Faced with this threat, the king said that he didn’t know what to do, as he had promised the Rambam that he would never kill him. The minister told him, “By the gates of the city, there is a pit where old tar is burned. Send a message to the foreman that if a man passes by in the morning and asks if the king’s will was fulfilled, he should immediately grab him and throw him into the fire. That way, you can kill him secretly.”
Early the next morning, the king sent a message for the Rambam to come to him. When he arrived, the king told him to go to the man in charge of burning the tar and ask him if the king’s will had been fulfilled. The Rambam knew nothing of the scheme being orchestrated against him, so he hurried to do as the king said. On his way, he passed by a shul and thought to himself: How can I fulfill a human king’s command before I fulfill Hashem’s command? Therefore, he decided to daven Shacharis first and then to continue on his mission. He entered the shul and davened and, after davening way over, a poor man approached him and said, “I am making a bris milah in my house but I don’t have a mohel. Can you please make the bris?”
The Rambam agreed and he went to the poor man’s house for the bris. He served as the mohel and stayed for the meal until after Birchas Hamazon. Meanwhile, the minister who had slandered him went to the tar pit to see if his plan had worked. He asked the foreman if the king’s will had been fulfilled and, as soon as he said these words, the worker grabbed him and threw him into the fire. When the Rambam came by a short while later, he asked the worker if the king’s command had been done, and the man showed him the burnt body of the minister. The Rambam understood what had happened and he thanked Hashem for saving his life.
He then went to report back to the king and said, “The worker at the tar pit said that the king’s will has been fulfilled.”
The king was surprised to see him alive. He went to investigate and discovered what had occurred. He then proclaimed, “I see that Hashem is watching out for you.”
From then on, he gave the Rambam even more honor than before and ordered that no man may ever harm him.
