Yehoshua 5: Eight are the days of the Bris

After crossing the Jordan, God instructs Joshua to make sure the people are circumcised. After the mass circumcision, the people celebrate Pesach. Both of these incidents are firsts post Exodus.“At that time the LORD said to Joshua: Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites a second time.”בָּעֵת הַהִיא אָמַר ה׳ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עֲשֵׂה לְךָ חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים וְשׁוּב מֹל אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל שֵׁנִית(Joshua 5:2)“The Israelites encamped at Gilgal and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the plains of Jericho.”וַיַּחֲנוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּגִּלְגָּל וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֶת־הַפֶּסַח בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ בָּעֶרֶב בְּעַרְבוֹת יְרִיחוֹ(Joshua 5:10)What is the connection between the circumcision and Pesach? On a halachic level there are two connections. The first is that anyone who is uncircumcised cannot partake of the Pesach offering as instructed in Exodus 12:48.“If a stranger who resides with you would offer the Passover to the LORD, all his males must be circumcised; then he may draw near to offer it.”וְכִי־יָגוּר אִתְּךָ גֵּר וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח לַה׳ הִמּוֹל לוֹ כָל־זָכָר וְאָז יִקְרַב לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ(Exodus 12:48)The second connection is that Brit Milah and the Pesach offering are the only two positive commandments that one can be punished for not doing. It makes sense then, that God wanted the people to fulfill both of these commandments early on after their entry into the land.On a historical level, there is a parallel between these events and the events in Exodus. Before returning to Egypt, Tzipporah is forced to circumcise Moshe or Moshe’s child (Exodus 4:25).וַתִּקַּח צִפֹּרָה צֹר וַתִּכְרֹת אֶת־עָרְלַת בְּנָהּ(Exodus 4:25)Moshe agreed to return to Egypt, but he complained to God that he had a speech problem before speaking with Pharaoh. He described it as “uncircumcised lips” (Exodus 6:30).וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי ה׳ הֵן אֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם וְאֵיךְ יִשְׁמַע אֵלַי פַּרְעֹה(Exodus 6:30)God reassured Moshe by providing the help of Aaron. It was only after these two “circumcisions” that Moshe was able to take the people out of Egypt.Now, forty plus years later, the people are about to embark on the final arc of the Exodus narrative—conquering the land. The people may be unsure about this task. By linking the circumcision and Pesach, God reminds the people that Moshe too was nervous and unsure of the task God set before him. But once he was circumcised, he was able to lead the nation out of Egypt.This could also be why after the circumcision here God says that “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt” (verse 9).וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַיּוֹם גַּלּוֹתִי אֶת־חֶרְפַּת מִצְרַיִם מֵעֲלֵיכֶם(Joshua 5:9)Why was the circumcision considered the disgrace of Egypt? No other nation was circumcised at the time. The people entering the land were not circumcised because of the travels in the wilderness, not because of Egypt. Perhaps God is referring to the mental disgrace of Egypt, where Moshe would not believe that God could help him take the people out. Now that the people had rededicated themselves to God and reenacted the Exodus, they were ready for their task of conquering the land.