פִּקּוּדָא שְׁבִיעָאָה לְמִגְזַר לִתְמַנְיָא יוֹמִין וּלְאַעֲבָרָא זוּהֲמָא דְּעָרְלְתָא, בְּגִין דְּהַהִיא חַיָּה אִיהִי דַרְגָא תְּמִינָאָה לְכָל דַּרְגִּין, וְהַהִיא נֶפֶשׁ דְּפָרְחָא מִינָהּ אִצְטְרִיכָא לְאִתְחֲזָאָה קַמָּהּ לִתְמַנְיָא יוֹמִין כְּמָה דְאִיהִי (בראשית ל"ג א) דַרְגָּא תְּמִינָאָה. The seventh precept is to circumcise the male child on the eighth day after birth and thereby to remove the defilement of the foreskin. The “living” (hayah) of which we have spoken forms the eighth grade in the scale, and hence the soul which has flown away from it must appear before it on the eighth day.
וּכְדֵין אִתְחַזֵּי וַדַּאי דְּאִיהִי נְפֶשׁ חַיָּה. נֶפֶשׁ דְּהַהִיא חַיָּה קַדִּישָׁא וְלָא מִסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא. וְדָא אִיהוּ יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם. בְּסִפְרָא דַּחֲנוֹךְ יִתְרַשְׁמוּן מַיָא דְזַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא רְשִׁימוּ דְּנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה. וְדָא רְשִׁימוּ דְּאָת יוּ"ד דְּאִתְרְשִׁים בְּבִשְׂרָא קַדִּישָׁא מִכָּל שְׁאָר רְשׁוּמִין דְּעָלְמָא. And in this way it is made clear that this is really a “living soul”, emanating from that holy “living” and not from the “unholy region”. And this is alluded to in the words: Let the waters swarm, which in the Book of Enoch are explained thus: Let the water of the holy seed be stamped with the stamp of the “soul of the living”, which is the form of the letter yod impressed on the holy flesh in preference to all other marks.
וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל הָאָרֶץ. דָּא אֵלִיָּהוּ דְּטָאס כָּל עָלְמָא בְּאַרְבַּע טָאסִין לְמֶהֱוֵי תַּמָּן בְּהַהוּא גְזִירוּ דִּקְיָימָא קַדִּישָׁא. וְאִצְטְרִיךְ לְתַקְּנָא לֵיהּ כּוּרְסַיָּיא וּלְאַדְכְּרָא בְּפוּמֵיהּ דָּא (לך לך צ"ג ע"א) כֻּרְסְיָיא דְּאֵלִיָּה"וּ. וְאִי לָאו לָא שָׁארֵי תַּמָּן. The words, “and let winged beings fly on the earth” are a reference to Elijah, who traverses the universe in four swoops in order to be present at the initiation of the child into the holy covenant. It is proper to prepare for him a seat and to proclaim, “This is the throne of Elijah”; otherwise he will not be present.
וַיִּבְרָא אֱלהִים אֶת הַתַּנִּינִים הַגְּדוֹלִים. תְּרֵין אִלֵּין עָרְלָה וּפְרִיעָה. גְּזִירוּ דְּעָרְלָה וּפְרִיעָה לְבָתַר. וְאִנּוּן דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא. וְאֶת כָּל נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרוֹמֶשֶׂת, דָּא רְשִׁימוּ דְּאָ"ת קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּאִיהִי נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה קַדִּישָׁא כִּדְקָאֲמָרָן. אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם מַיִין עִלָּאִין דְּאִתְמָשְׁכוּ לְגַבָּהּ דְּאָת רְשִׁימוּ דָּא. The words “And the Lord created the two great fishes” refer to the two operations, circumcision and uncovering, which represent the male and female principles; “and every living soul that moves” refers to the stamping of the sign of the holy covenant, which is a holy living soul, as has been explained. “Wherewith the waters swarmed”: to wit, the supernal waters which were drawn towards that distinguishing mark.
וּבְגִין דָא אִתְרְשִׁימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְשִׁימוּ קַדִּישָׁא וְדַכְיוּ לְתַתָּא, כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִנּוּן רְשִׁימִין קַדִּישִׁין, לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא בֵּין סְטַר קַדִּישָׁא לְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא דִמְסָאֲבוּ. אוּף יִשְׂרָאֵל רְשִׁימִין לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא בֵּין (סטר) קִדּוּשָׁא, לְעַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת דְּאַתְיָין מִסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא דִמְסָאֲבָא כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר. וּכְמָה דְּרָשִׁים לוֹן הָכִי רָשִׁים בְּעִירֵי וְעוֹפֵי דִלְהוֹן לִבְעִירֵי וְעוֹפֵי דְעַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת. זַכָּאָה חוּלַקְהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל: And it is for that reason that the Israelites were stamped with that sign of holiness and purity; for just as the supernal holy beings are marked in such a way as to distinguish between the “holy region” and the impure “unholy region”, so the Israelites are marked in order to distinguish between the holy people and the idolatrous nations who are derived from the impure “unholy region”, as has been already explained. And in the same way as the Israelites themselves are marked, so are the clean animals and birds permitted to them for food marked off from the other animals and birds eaten by the Gentiles. Happy the portion of Israel!