True Versus False Submission

אא"ז מורי ז"ל הגיד על המדרש שאמר בלעם טוב להיות נעבד מע' אומות והשיב הקב"ה טוב פת חריבה כו'

My grandfather, my teacher of blessed memory, taught regarding the Midrash that Bilam said it would be better to be served by the seventy nations, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, answered him, "Better a dry crust" (Mishlei 17:1).

The Sfas Emes opens with his grandfather's teaching on a Midrash in which Bilam preferred to be served by the seventy nations, and Hashem rebuffed him with the verse "Better a dry crust."

אף שכל אומה תתן כחה להכניע להקב"ה

Even though every nation gives over its strength to submit itself to the Holy One, Blessed is He,

He concedes that on the surface every nation appears to dedicate its strength toward submitting to Hashem.

מ"מ אינה באמת כמ"ש חז"ל מה דעבדין לגרמייהו כו'

nevertheless this is not truly so, as Chazal said, "Whatever they do, they do for their own sake" (Bava Basra 10b).

Yet Chazal teach that whatever the nations do, they do ultimately for their own benefit, so their submission is not genuine.

הרי במה שהכניע עצמו בלעם הרשע לפנים ואמר אם יתן לי כו' לא אוכל לעבור כו' ומזה עצמו נלמד רוח גבוהה שלו

For behold, in the very act through which the wicked Bilam outwardly submitted himself and said, "If he would give me" his house full of silver and gold "I cannot transgress" (Bamidbar 22:18) the word of Hashem from that very statement his haughty spirit is to be learned.

Bilam is the proof: his seemingly pious declaration that no amount of silver and gold could make him transgress Hashem's word is itself the very source from which his arrogance is exposed.

והחילוק הוא נקודה האמיתיות שסט"א מכניע כדי לגנוב ולעלות

And the distinction lies in the point of truth, that the Sitra Achra submits itself only in order to steal and to rise.

The decisive difference is the inner point of truth: the Sitra Achra only submits as a tactic, in order to steal and elevate itself.

ואנחנו בני ישראל גם העליות שמבקשין מהשי"ת שנוכל להתקרב אליו כדי להכניע ולשוב ליראתו באמת

But we, Bnei Yisrael even the ascents that we request from Hashem Yisbarach, that we be able to draw close to Him, are sought in order to humble ourselves and to return to true yiras Shamayim.

By contrast, when Bnei Yisrael ask Hashem even for spiritual ascents and closeness, their goal is to humble themselves and return to authentic yiras Shamayim.

וזהו סוף הרצון שבישראל לבוא לההכנעה [וזהו נפש שפלה שרוצה להישאר כך]:

And this is the ultimate desire within Bnei Yisrael, to arrive at true submission [and this is a lowly soul that wishes to remain in this state].

The deepest desire of a Jew is to reach genuine submission a lowly soul that wishes to remain in that humble state.

Summary: The Sfas Emes, citing his grandfather, contrasts the false submission of the nations with the true submission of Bnei Yisrael. The seventy nations, and Bilam as their archetype, may outwardly dedicate their strength to Hashem, but Chazal teach that whatever they do is for their own sake; Bilam's own pious-sounding claim that he could not transgress Hashem's word for all the silver and gold in the world is precisely where his haughtiness is revealed. The Sitra Achra submits itself only as a stratagem, in order to steal and to elevate itself. Bnei Yisrael, however, seek even their spiritual ascents and closeness to Hashem for the sake of humbling themselves and returning to true yiras Shamayim. The deepest desire of a Jew is to arrive at genuine submission and to remain a lowly soul that wishes to stay that way.