Sefat Emet, Genesis, Vayishlach 14:5

בפסוק ויבא יעקב שלם ויחן את פני העיר שדרשו חז”ל שקבע תחומין כו’

On the verse, “And Jacob came whole, and he encamped before the city,” our sages expounded that he established boundaries, etc.

The Sefat Emet cites the rabbinic teaching that Jacob enacted halachic boundaries upon arriving, indicating intentional spiritual settlement.

דרשו לשון ויחן שהוא מנוחת שבת קודש.

They interpreted the word “and he encamped” as alluding to the rest of the holy Sabbath.

The term suggests not only physical encampment but the spiritual repose associated with Shabbat.

וכתבנו כבר כמו ביציאת יעקב מן העיר פנה הודה זיוה כן עתה שבא חל החן על העיר

And we have already written that just as when Jacob left the city its splendor and radiance departed, so now, when he came, grace descended upon the city.

Jacob’s presence alters the spiritual character of a place; his arrival restores beauty and blessing.

כמ”ש וירא כו’ כל אשר עשה כו’ טוב מאד הוא מציאות החן שיש להקב”ה במעשה הצדיקים.

As it is written, “And God saw… all that He had made… and behold it was very good”—this refers to the grace that God finds in the deeds of the righteous.

The “very good” is understood as the divine delight revealed through the actions of the righteous.

Summary: Jacob’s encampment brings Shabbat-like grace to the city, for the presence and deeds of the righteous draw divine favor into the world.

וזהו ענין השבת כי זה החן נמצא רק ע”י הביטול אליו ית’

And this is the matter of Shabbat: this grace is found only through self-nullification before the Blessed One.

Shabbat reveals grace because its essence is yielding oneself entirely to God.

וכפי מה שכל העולם ומלואו בטל אצל האדם ויודע כי תכלית הכל לכבודו ית’

And to the extent that a person regards the whole world and all within it as nullified before him, recognizing that the purpose of all is for His glory—

The person’s awareness that everything exists to honor God opens the channel for divine grace.

עי”ז נמצא החן בעיני הקב”ה כי זה תכלית כל הבריאה לכבודו ברא.

through this, grace is found in the eyes of the Holy One, for this is the purpose of all creation: He created it for His glory.

When human intention aligns with creation’s purpose, divine grace is revealed.

וכמו שאיתא הוא מקומו של עולם ואין העולם מקומו כן יש מזה במקום של הצדיק שהוא מעלה החן על המקום.

And as it is taught: “He is the place of the world, but the world is not His place.” So too, in a similar manner, the righteous elevate grace upon the place.

The righteous do not depend on place; rather, they sanctify and uplift the place itself.

Summary: Shabbat and spiritual self-nullification reveal the world’s true purpose—honoring God—and through this awareness the righteous draw grace into their surroundings.

ובזוהר איתא בפסוק נותן נשמה לעם עלי’ ורוח להולכים בה פירוש המתהלכים בארץ הגשמיי אין להם רק רוח.

And in the Zohar it is taught regarding the verse, “He gives a soul to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it”: those who walk upon the physical earth have only spirit.

The Zohar distinguishes between those bound to material existence and those who rise above it.

ואותן שהם עלי’ ושולטים על הארץ. להם יש נשמה ע”ש.

But those who are “upon it,” who rule over the earth—they possess a soul.

Dominion over the material, not subservience to it, allows access to a higher soul-level.

וכמו כן בשבת שמבטלים כל המעשים אליו ית’ וזה החירות והמנוחה שהאדם שולט על המעשים לבטלם בעבורו ית’.

And likewise on Shabbat, when one nullifies all deeds before the Blessed One—this is the freedom and rest, that a person rules over actions by nullifying them for His sake.

Shabbat grants mastery over one’s actions, freeing them from worldly compulsion and orienting them toward God.

אז זוכין לנשמה יתירה:

Then one merits an extra soul.

This deeper soul-level is the fruit of Shabbat’s surrender and spiritual elevation.

Summary: Those who rise above materiality merit a higher soul, and Shabbat—through the surrender of worldly action—bestows this added spiritual life.