Who has counted the dust of Yaakov?[1]
No ordinary dust, this. According to Chazal,[2] Bilaam here reacted in awe at the wilderness landscape before him. He saw it littered with the foreskins of so many who had been circumcised. “Who can stand up to a people who have the merit of the blood of circumcision, and who cover it with the dust of the earth?” Moreover, continues the midrash, it is for this reason that the custom developed to cover the foreskins of the circumcision with earth.
We struggle to understand. What great zechus is there in covering the blood with earth?
We could suggest the following. The mitzvah of milah comes with a very special bonus. It is a mark of distinction for us. It reminds us of our selection as a chosen people by Hashem. It therefore points to our specialness and uniqueness. It is therefore a mitzvah that we receive with pride, and regard as a special privilege.
Pride and privilege, however, diminish the lishmah of a mitzvah. Bilaam observed that the Bnei Yisrael did not allow that to happen. They covered over the foreskins and the blood of the bris, rather than showcase them. They tied their performance of the mitzvah to its first practitioner, Avraham Avinu. Avraham was also a person of extraordinary humility. He characterized himself after his milah as “earth and ashes.”[3] In their humility, they would not allow their personal satisfaction to compete with their desire to enthusiastically carry out the wishes of their Creator. They deliberately covered up the blood, focusing instead accepting their role as humble servants of Hashem, who wore a sign of subservience to their Master on their bodies.
Bilaam marveled at this. What great merit this nation has! With the mitzvah of bris milah, they show their willingness to become G-d’s servants. Every father brings his son into the protection of the Shechinah with this mitzvah, channeling Akeidas Yitzchok, with the blood acting in place of the zerikas hadam of a korban. But not only do they observe G-d’s commandments, they perform them with a lishmah dedication that is difficult to imagine.
Who can stand up to such a people?