The Secret of the Angel of Death

A thought on Parashas Korach

Note: This was initially written for the Shalom Zachor of my son Yair Simcha 7 years ago on Parashas Korach. I dedicate this Dvar Torah to Yair Simcha in honor of his birthday!

There is a custom not to have the same person be honored as a sandek twice in one family. The Rama¹ quotes the Maharil who likens a sandek to a kohen who brings the ketores in the Mikdash. The ketores was considered an important mitzvah and was a segulah for wealth. In order to create a fair society amongst the kohanim, they created a system so that no kohen should be able to bring the ketores more than once. During the daily lottery, they would announce that only those kohanim who have not brought the ketores should participate in the lottery.

Similarly, being sandek at a bris is a segulah for wealth, and like the kohen offering ketores, it is limited to once per family.

The Chida² references a Midrash³ that when Hashem went to visit Avraham Avinu after his bris mila, He told the malachim that the mila is as dear…