Shlach תרל”א 1

תרל”א

In the following essay the Sfas Emes shows how the spies should have used the commandment that HaShem gave them to spy out the land, to actually push away their own selfish desire of spying and rather do it just for HaShem’s sake. Had they done that they would have been saved. Similarly every person can be saved by all the dangers of this world by doing every single action for the sake of Heaven. By focusing on the mitzvah that is in each deed and not for his own reasons.

במדרש שליחי מצוה שנותנין נפשם בשליחותם.
In context with the subject of the spies the Medrash brings the concept of a shaliach Mitzvah. Someone who is sent to do a mitzvah. They are called shluchei Mitzvah because they give their nefesh for their shlichus mission.
אא”ז מו”ר זצלה”ה רגיל לומר כי גם אדם המקיים מצות בוראו שנשתלח בעוה”ז כדי לעשות רצונו ית’ נקרא שליחי מצוה בודאי
The Chidushei Harim would often say, that similarly a person who keeps the mitzvos of his creator, that he is sent to this world to do, is also definitely called a shaliach mitzvah. (meaning as we perform our mission in the world we are constantly in the state of messengers of HaShem).
דקשה להמדרש מה ציווי השליחות מאחר שלא הוטב בעיני ה’.
(The abovementioned) Medrash is bothered by a problem. Why did HaShem indeed command Moshe to send the spies if it is not something that HaShem was happy with?
רק כי הי’ עצה להנצל ע”י שהשי”ת עשה מזה מצוה והי’ להם לילך בתורת מצוה.
However the answer is that by giving them a mitzvah to send the spies HaShem was giving them a way out to be saved (from their incorrect intentions) That they should go because it was (now) a mitzvah, (and not for their own reasons)
אף כי הי’ רצונם מעצמם לשלוח מרגלים מ”מ עתה שהי’ להם ציווי מהשי”ת היו צריכין למסור ולבטל רצונם לעשות רק כדי לעשות רצון השי”ת וממילא היו ניצולים.
Even though they had (originally) wanted to send spies on their own accord, nevertheless now that HaShem had commanded them to send spies, they needed to give up their desire and will and only send the spes because this is what HaSHem wanted them to do, and this would have automatically have saved them.
ובאופן זה הי’ טוב השליחות.
And in that way the sending of the spies would have been good.
וז”ש לאמר שידעו שהוא ציווי השי”ת כנ”ל
This is hinted to in the word “leimor” (Hashem said to Moshe) Saying. That they should know that this is the command of HaShem as above.
וכן בכל מצוה אם האדם מבטל באמת כל רצונו אף לא לזכות למדריגות רק כדי לעשות רצון ה’ בלבד.
And similarly in any mitzvah that a person does, if he would truly nullify his own will even (the desire) to reach a higher level, and only be focused on the will of HaShem alone
נקרא שנותן נפשו בהשליחות.
That is called that he is giving up his nefesh (his soul – desire) in this shlichus – mission
כי אם מצרף חפצו אינו שליח.
For if one combines (his action) with his own desire (and not exclusively HaShem’s desire) he is no longer a messenger
וז”ש בשליחי יהושע חרש שעשו עצמן קדרין כו’.
Similarly the messengers Yehoshua sent (to spy on Yericho), that they acted as jug merchants,
ושמעתי מאמו”ז ז”ל שכיון שהלכו לאשה זונה הוצרכו לבטל ההרגש שלהם וזהו חרש כו’.
And the Chidushei Harim said that (it is evident from that fact that they) went to a harlot, where they would have to completely nullify their personal desires. This is hinted to in the word Cheresh – silently
וז”ש קדרין שכלי חרס אין החשיבות רק התשמיש שבה אבל גוף החרס אינו כלום.
This is also referred to in them acting as Jug merchants. For earthenware does not have value in itself (as it is cheap to make and easily broken) rather the value is in what is inside of it. (So too a person’s value is not himself rather what is inside – his desire to do HaShem’s will)
וכן ענין הביטול לידע שהוא רק כגרזן ביד החוצב בו ממש. ואינו רק כלי מוכן לעשות רצון השי”ת
And this is the concept of bitul – nullification, that a person should know that he is merely like an axe in the hand of a chopper, and he is only a vessel to do HaShem’s will
אבל לא לצרף רצון עצמו כלל.
And not to combine his own desire as well
ובאמת המדרש הזה הוא לימוד על חיי העוה”ז שנשתלח האדם במקום סכנה שהכל הבל ורעיון רוח.
The truth is that this Medrash is a lesson for a person’s life. That he is sent to a place that is full of dangers and emptiness
והעצה ע”י המצות שהם בכל מעשה האדם לעשות רק רצונו ית’
And the advice given is through the mitzvos, that are in every action a person does, that he should do everything only because this is the will of HaShem.
ועי”ז יוכל להתדבק בפנימיות חיות השי”ת שיש בכל מעשה
And through that a person can connect to the inner life force of HaShem that is in every action
והוא באמת בחי’ שבת דכתיב לעשות כו’ השבת.
This is indeed the concept of Shabbos as it says to create the Shabbos
והוא שבימי המעשה צריך האדם ג”כ להתדבק (כל) [*בכל] מעשיו בחיות הפנימי שהוא פי’ שבת והוא ע”י המצות כנ”ל.
That in every action that a person does during the week he needs to connect to the inner life force which is the concept of Shabbos and this is done via the mitzvos as explained above
כי שבת עצמו הוא למעלה מהטבע וקביעא וקיימא רק בני ישראל עושין את השבת שממשיכין המעשה ג”כ אחר בחי’ השבת כנ”ל.
Because Shabbos itself is above nature and it is fixed and unaffected (by our actions). However Bnei Yisrael can create the Shabbos by drawing each action toward the concept of Shabbos. (By doing every action only because it is what HaShem commanded one to do, he is connecting to the life force in every action which is the concept of Shabbos)
וזהו ג”כ ענין המרגלים להמשיך אור התורה לההרגל והטבע.
This is also the concept of meraglim – spies (the root of the world is regel – legs) to draw the light of Torah into the ‘hergel’ the route and nature (that it becomes natural)
שהרי במדבר היו בני חורין כמ”ש חירות כו’ ולא הי’ שום עול אחר עליהם.
Because in the wilderness Bnei Yisrael were free as it says (by the luchos – cheirus) and they had no other yoke / responsibility upon them
והיו צריכין להביא הארת התורה גם בהטבע כמ”ש בד’ מוז”ל.
And (their mission was) to bring the light of the Torah into nature, as our sages have explained.
וז”ש בזוה”ק חברון תורה שבע”פ מאן דעוסק בי’ נק’ חבר. והפי’ חבר ג”כ כנ”ל שהת”ח כל מעשיו נמשכין אחר התורה ויש לעצמותו התחברות אל התורה.
This is the idea mentioned in the Zohar (3:160:71) “Chevron refers to the Oral Torah, for one who toils in the Oral Torah is called ‘chever’ – a friend. This idea is also as explained above, that all the actions of Torah scholar follow the Torah, and he has an integral connection, and being part of the Torah.
וז”ש שתרגילנו בתורתך ג”כ כנ”ל להמשיך אור התורה גם תוך הרגילות והטבע כנ”ל והוא ע”י המצות כנ”ל.
And this is (what he pray for in the blessing we say each morning on Torah) ‘Make our Torah be something we are used to, as above, that we should merit to bring the light of the Torah into nature, as explained above, which is done via the mitzvos
וז”ש ויתורו את ארץ כנען להמשיך בחי’ התורה לתוך הטבע כנ”ל.
This is also referred to that they spied out – vayasuru, the land of Canaan, which means to draw the concept of Torah into nature
כמ”ש בזוה”ק וירא על פסוק הנצנים נראו בארץ כו’ וקול התור נשמע כו’.
As it says in the Zohar, on the pasuk … and the voice of the ‘Tor’ (the same root as vayasuru) is heard in our land
שהוא ההארה הפנימיות שצריכין למצוא גם תוך ההעלם
This is the hidden light that needs to be found in the hidden places (and needs ‘spies’ to find it)
והוא אור הגנוז במעשה בראשית כמ”ש מה רב טובך כו
This is the hidden light that HaShem originally created when he made the world and hid it away for the tzadikim. As it says how great is your good that you have hidden away