To the court of the holy Rebbe, Rav Yissachar Dov of Belz zy’a came a Jewish man who had traveled from afar, having heard of the holy Rebbe, by whose light thousands of Jews derive benefit. He poured out before him his anguish and distress.
This was an accomplished God-fearing Jew, who had merited to establish his home in accordance with Torah and halachah—a home of Torah and sanctity—and who had even merited to see upright and blessed generations. Yet for some reason, his youngest son, a pleasant and charming youth, had been seized by severe doubts and confusions in matters of faith. This was a very unusual phenomenon in their family and community, all of whom were upright and complete, and had never fallen into such doubts or inner turmoil. Yet this young boy repeatedly fell into difficult trials of faith. He immersed himself in “investigations” and inquiries into the foundations of faith and philosophy, opening various “research books” that only entangled him further and further, until he descended from one level to the next. Beyond his spiritual decline and weakening in Torah and mitzvah observance as a result of all these confusions in his mind, he also suffered greatly from them; his peace of mind was utterly disturbed, and he wandered about like a sleepwalker, his pain unbearable.
After the Rebbe gazed carefully at the kvittel before him, he suddenly began to question the father about the celebration of the bris milah of the son in question.
The man was somewhat taken aback by these questions—what connection did the joy of the bris have to this matter? Nevertheless, he answered each of the Rebbe’s questions one by one: Who was the mohel? Who was the sandak? Where was the bris held? After whom was the child named? And so on.
“And where was the seudah of the milah held?” the Rebbe pressed.
“Ah...” the man stammered, “we did not hold a seudas bris... Because the bris took place on Friday, late in the day, and all the attendees hurried home. However, as is customary, we served mezonos and beverages in abundance after the bris, and we even added more varieties of pastries to substitute for a meal, as well as several kinds of lekach that were baked especially in honor of the celebration. Everyone enjoyed and rejoiced—but a proper seudas bris with netilas yadayim, according to halachah, did not take place.”
At this, the Rebbe’s eyes lit up. “Now everything is understood,” he said, and he explained to the Jew something of the great significance of that holy meal, revealing to him matters from the inner chambers.
“Listen,” the Rebbe explained gently, “Jews usually sit down for a seudah mitzvah of a bris milah [which Rashi alludes to in Perek Rebbi Eliezer De’milah (Shabbos 130a) regarding the statement, ‘Every mitzvah that they accepted upon themselves with joy, such as milah, as it states (Tehillim 119:162), שָׂשׂ אָנֹכִי עַל אִמְרָתֶךָ כְּמוֹצֵא שָׁלָל רָב - I rejoice over Your word as one who finds great spoil —they still perform it with joy; Rashi explains, ‘With joy’—by making a feast]. And at the conclusion of that exalted meal, in which many tzaddikim throughout the generations were meticulous to participate, the cup is taken for Birkas Hamazon. Before beginning the zimun, the assembled open their mouths in joyful song, with the well-known melody uniquely associated with bris milah, נוֹדֶה לְשִׁמְךָ בְּתוֹךְ אֱמוּנַי.
“At that sacred moment,” the Rebbe revealed, “an immense flow of complete and pure emunah is bestowed upon the soul of the tender newborn, who has just entered the covenant of Avraham Avinu a”h, the father of believers, as he too joins the legion of the King—to connect within the faithful of the holy faith of Yisrael. For at that time, when we sing at the seudas bris that song, and the one leading the zimun proclaims aloud, מִשְׂגָּב לְעִתּוֹתֵל אָיוֹם וְנוֹרָא בִּרְשׁוּת קוּרָה. אַדִּיר בַּמָּרוֹם ה‘ֵל נֶאְזָר בִּגְבבַּצָּרָה. ק - “With permission of the Awesome and Fearsome God, a Fortress in times of distress, a God girded with might—the Mighty One on high, Hashem!” and the entire assembly responds after him with joy: נוֹדֶה לְשִׁמְךָ בְּתוֹךְ אֱמוּנַי, repeating it again and again—נוֹדֶה לְשִׁמְךָ בְּתוֹךְ אֱמוּנַי and so forth—from that supernal flow, faith takes root in the heart of the newly circumcised child.
“It is therefore no wonder,” the Rebbe concluded, “that if the seudas bris was omitted, and they did not sing for your son נוֹדֶה לְשִׁמְךָ בְּתוֹךְ אֱמוּנַי, doubts and confusions in faith should later awaken in his heart, for he was lacking one of the fundamental channels through which the influence of the mitzvah of emunah is bestowed upon the heart of a holy Jewish person.”
[Here it is fitting to append the wording of the Chochmas Adam (Klal 149:24): “It is customary to prepare a meal on the day of the milah, for every mitzvah that Klal Yisrael accepted upon themselves with joy, they still perform with joy, as it states (Tehillim 119:162), שָׂשׂ אָנֹכִי עַל אִמְרָתֶךָ כְּמוֹצֵא שָׁלָל רָב - I rejoice over Your word. One who is able to make a meal but is stingy and provides only coffee or spirits and sweets does not act properly, and the Vilna Gaon protested against this.”]
