Study Sanhedrin folio 59B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
והרי מילה, שנאמרה לבני נח, דכתיב: ״ואתה את בריתי תשמר״, ונשנית בסיני: ״וביום השמיני ימול״ – לישראל נאמרה ולא לבני נח.
The Talmud asks: But isn’t there the mitzva of circumcision, which was stated with regard to descendants of Noah, i.e., Abraham and his descendants, who had the status of descendants of Noah at that time? As it is written that God said to Abraham with regard to the mitzva of circumcision: “And as for you, you should keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations” (Genesis 17:9). And it was repeated at Sinai for the Jewish people: “And on the 8th day the flesh of his foreskin should be circumcised” (Leviticus 12:3), and nevertheless it was stated for the Jewish people alone and not for the descendants of Noah.
ההוא למישרי שבת הוא דאתא, ״ביום״ – ואפילו בשבת.
The Talmud answers: That verse stated at Sinai is not necessary for the mitzva itself, but rather it comes to permit circumcision on Shabbat. It is derived from the phrase “on the 8th day” that circumcision must always be performed on the 8 day, and this is the halakha even if it falls on Shabbat. Therefore the mitzva is not considered to have been repeated at Mount Sinai.
והרי פריה ורביה, שנאמרה לבני נח, דכתיב: ״ואתם פרו ורבו״, ונשנית בסיני: ״לך אמר להם שובו לכם לאהליכם״ – לישראל נאמרה ולא לבני נח!
The Talmud asks: But isn’t there the mitzva of procreation, which was stated with regard to the descendants of Noah? As it is written: “And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm in the land and multiply in it” (Genesis 9:7). And it was repeated at Sinai, in the verse: “Go say to them: Return to your tents” (Deuteronomy 5:27), when the Jewish men were commanded to resume sex with their wives after having been commanded to separate from them in preparation for the giving of the Torah. Nevertheless, the mitzva of procreation was stated for the Jewish people and not for the descendants of Noah.