הָרַחֲמָן דִּבְרִית מִילָה - אוֹמְרִים.

[The six stanzas beginning] HaRachaman1 are recited [at the Grace after Meals] following a circumcision.

(מִשִּׂיחָה בִּסְעוּדַּת בְּרִית מִילָה): בִּבְרִית מִילָה אוֹמְרִים כְּשֵׁם שֶׁנִּכְנַס לַבְּרִית כֵּן יִכָּנֵס לְתוֹרָה וּלְחוּפָּה וּלְמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים. וְנוֹהֲגִים אֶצְלֵנוּ, אַז מעֶן גִיט דְּמֵי קְדִימָה אַז דעֶר אִינְגעֶל זאָל לעֶרנעֶן — (וְנָתַן כְּבוֹד קְדוּשַּׁת אַדְמוּ"ר שְׁלִיטָ"א סְכוּם מְסוּיָּם בְּאָמְרוֹ): — דאָס אִיז פאַר דעֶר יְשִׁיבָה.

[The Rebbe Rayatz] said the following at a festive meal celebrating a circumcision:

“At a bris, the wording of the blessing offered by those present is: ‘Just as he has entered the Covenant, so may he enter into Torah [study], into marriage, and into good deeds.’2 [He then added:] “Our custom is to make a deposit [toward the child’s future tuition fees] — so that he should become a Torah scholar.”

[The Rebbe Rayatz]then took out a certain sum of money and said: “This is for the yeshivah.”3

Delving Deeply

The Rebbe explains4 that the three blessings of Torah, marriage, and good deeds, correspond respectively to the Patriarchs — Yaakov, Yitzchak, and Avraham.

Torah: Yaakov is described as “a dweller in tents,”5 the tents of Torah study.

Marriage: Yitzchak is identified with the Beis HaMikdash, for the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac, took place on that spot, and the dedication of the Beis HaMikdash is called the wedding of G‑d and His people.6

Good deeds: Avraham is the paradigm of acts of lovingkindness.7

Thus, as a child is initiated into the Covenant of our people, the traditional blessing seeks that he follow in the paths of his forebears, who forged our nation’s spiritual heritage.