The Ohr Hachaim (Tazria) also discusses the reason as to why a baby’s bris is on the eighth day. In his second answer, he bases himself on the Midrash Rabbah (Devarim 6:1) which says, referring to a bris being on the eighth day, that ‘HaShem had mercy on each child and waited for him until he has strength.’ The Ohr Hachaim explains that this does not mean physical strength. Rather, the point is that the baby acquires a certain spiritual strength. How is this, and what does the eight days have to do with this? The Ohr Hachaim continues that the eight days is a way of ensuring that, whichever day he’s born on, the baby ‘experiences/lives through’ one Shabbos before his bris. Such is the power of a Shabbos that it is from this Shabbos that the baby gleans his special spiritual strength to physically survive and spiritually internalise (on a subconscious level) his bris milah.
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