Selecting Holiness From Chaos

במדרש הצור תמים פעלו לא הניח הקב"ה פתחון פה לאומות לומר שאתה ריחקתנו כו'

The Midrash on the verse "The Rock, His work is perfect" (Devarim 32:4) teaches that the Holy One, Blessed is He, left the nations of the world no room to claim, "You distanced us," and so forth.

The Midrash stresses that Hashem arranged history so the nations could never accuse Him of unfairly rejecting them.

דהנה קודם בחירת בנ"י היו גם נביאי אוה"ע

For before Bnei Yisrael were chosen, the nations of the world too had their prophets.

There was an era when prophecy was not exclusive to Bnei Yisrael; the nations had prophets too.

ואח"כ זכו בנ"י כמ"ש ונפלינו אני ועמך כו' וניטל הנבואה מן האומות

Afterward Bnei Yisrael merited, as it is written, "so that we are distinguished, I and Your people" (Shemos 33:16), and prophecy was taken away from the nations.

When Bnei Yisrael were chosen at the Giving of the Torah, prophecy was withdrawn from the nations, marking their distinction.

והרשעים הרגישו זאת כי בנ"י יקחו הכל

The wicked sensed this, that Bnei Yisrael would take everything.

Evil figures perceived that Bnei Yisrael were destined to absorb all spiritual greatness.

ובאמת כן הי' כוונת הבורא ית' להיות מקודם הכל מעורבב ואח"כ בנ"י בכח התורה יבדלו ויבחרו הטוב מן הרע

And in truth this was the very intent of the Creator, may He be blessed: that at first everything be intermingled, and afterward Bnei Yisrael, through the power of the Torah, would separate and select the good from the bad.

Hashem deliberately created a mixed world so that Bnei Yisrael, armed with Torah, would do the work of separating good from bad.

וכמ"ש ואבדיל אתכם בורר וחוזר ובורר

As it is written, "and I have separated you" (Vayikra 20:26) — one selects, and then selects again.

The verse about being separated teaches an ongoing process of selecting and re-selecting the good.

וזה שהשיב בלעם כי מראש צורים אראנו כו'

This is what Bilaam answered: "For from the top of the rocks I see him" (Bamidbar 23:9).

Bilaam's prophecy that he sees Bnei Yisrael from "the top of the rocks" alludes to their being the root and beginning of creation.

כי כל העולם נברא בעבור בנ"י שנקראו ראשית והכל שייך רק להם

For the entire world was created for the sake of Bnei Yisrael, who are called "reishis" (the first), and everything belongs only to them.

Bnei Yisrael are called "reishis," the purpose of creation, so ultimately everything belongs to them.

וכל מה שנמצא ניצוצי קדושה באומות הוא קודם התיקון והבירור

And whatever sparks of kedushah are found among the nations exist only before the rectification and the selection.

Any holiness still present among the nations is only a temporary state before the final sorting.

וכ' והרשעים כים נגרש כו' השקט לא יוכל כו'

And it is written, "but the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot rest" (Yeshayahu 57:20).

The wicked are compared to a restless sea, never finding peace, because the kedushah within their domain is not truly theirs.

ובאמת גם מבלק יצא אח"כ רות ומלך המשיח והרגיש בנפשו כי יש בו איזה שייכות להקדושה ולא יכול להוציאו מכח אל הפועל

And in truth, even from Balak there later emerged Rus and Melech HaMashiach, and he sensed within his soul that he had some connection to the kedushah, yet he could not bring it from potential into actuality.

Even Balak had a thread of kedushah — Rus and Mashiach descend from him — but he himself could not actualize it.

ובנ"י הם כלים להוציא כל נ"ק כמ"ש והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים

And Bnei Yisrael are the vessels to draw out all the sparks of kedushah, as it is written, "and you shall be to Me a treasure from among all the peoples" (Shemos 19:5).

Bnei Yisrael serve as the vessels that extract the holy sparks, which is why they are Hashem's treasured segulah.

וזה הענין הוא בעולם שנה נפש

And this matter applies in olam (world), shanah (year), and nefesh (soul).

This principle of sorting holiness operates across the three dimensions of world, time, and soul.

ואיתא בגמ' קודם שנכנסו בנ"י לארץ ישראל נאמרה שירה בנס שבחוץ לארץ וכשנכנסו בנ"י לארץ נפסלו כל המקומות לומר שירה

And it is brought in the Gemara that before Bnei Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael, shirah was said over a miracle that occurred outside the Land, but once Bnei Yisrael entered the Land, all other places were disqualified from having shirah said over them.

The Gemara shows that once Bnei Yisrael entered the Land, only Eretz Yisrael could host shirah, because holiness had been concentrated there.

והיינו כי הוציאו כל הנ"ק מכל המקומות להיות בא"י וכמו כן בזמנים שקידשו בנ"י המועדות כמ"ש ישראל דקדשינהו לזמנים והבדילו בין קודש לחול

And this is because they drew out all the sparks of kedushah from every place so that they should be in Eretz Yisrael; and likewise with regard to time, Bnei Yisrael sanctified the festivals, as it is written that Yisrael are the ones who sanctify the appointed times, and they separated between kodesh and chol.

The holy sparks of place were gathered into Eretz Yisrael, and parallel to this, Bnei Yisrael sanctify the festivals, separating holy time from ordinary time.

וכמו כן בנפשות ונפלינו אני ועמך

And likewise with regard to souls: "so that we are distinguished, I and Your people."

The same separation occurs in the realm of souls, where Bnei Yisrael are set apart from the nations.

וכל אלה הבדלות הם בכח התורה כדאיתא אם אין דעת הבדלה מנין

And all these separations come through the power of the Torah, as it is brought, "If there is no daas (knowledge), how can there be havdalah (separation)?" (Yerushalmi Berachos 5:2).

All such separations depend on the daas that Torah provides; without knowledge, no meaningful havdalah is possible.

וכשנכנסו בנ"י לארץ ישראל נגמר הבירור זה במקום ולכן לא הניחו הרשעים שיכנסו לארץ ישראל

And when Bnei Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael, this selection was completed in the realm of place; and that is why the wicked would not allow them to enter Eretz Yisrael.

Entering the Land completed the sorting of holiness in the dimension of place, which is why the wicked fought so hard to bar their entry.

וכמו כן קדושת הזמן כמ"ש במדרש שרמז לו שביקש לעקור אומה החוגגת ג' רגלים פי' שע"י הבירור יוציאו מכח אל הפועל הקדושה שבזמן שנתגלה בשלש רגלים

And likewise with regard to the kedushah of time, as it is stated in the Midrash that it was hinted to Bilaam that he sought to uproot a nation that celebrates the three Regalim — meaning that through the selection they draw from potential into actuality the kedushah of time that is revealed on the Shalosh Regalim.

Bilaam's wish to uproot the nation of the three Regalim shows he sought to block the actualization of holy time revealed on the festivals.

כי כל זמן שיש תערובות אין הקדושה יכולה להתגלות

For as long as there is an intermingling, the kedushah cannot become revealed.

Kedushah remains hidden as long as good and bad are still intermingled.

וז"ש הצור תמים פעלו לא כמו שאומרים האומות שבנ"י גזלו אשר להם רק הכל הי' עפ"י התורה ורצונו ית'

And this is the meaning of "The Rock, His work is perfect" — it is not as the nations claim, that Bnei Yisrael stole what belonged to them; rather, everything was according to the Torah and His will, may He be blessed.

"The Rock, His work is perfect" answers the nations' charge of theft: everything Bnei Yisrael received was by Torah and Hashem's will.

וכאשר ביאר מו"ז ז"ל בפ' בראשית במד' כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו שלא יאמרו לסטים אתם כו' לכן הראה הקב"ה שכן הי' סדר הבריאה מקודם תוהו ובוהו ואח"כ הבדיל בין אור לחושך כו' ע"ש

And as my grandfather, may his memory be a blessing, explained on Parshas Bereishis, on the Midrash regarding "the strength of His deeds He told to His people" (Tehillim 111:6), that they should not say to Bnei Yisrael, "You are robbers," and so forth — therefore the Holy One, Blessed is He, showed that such was the order of Creation: first tohu and bohu (chaos and void), and afterward He separated between light and darkness, and so forth (see there).

The Sfas Emes cites his grandfather, who explained that the Creation narrative — from tohu and bohu to the separation of light and dark — was recorded precisely to refute the accusation of robbery.

והם דברינו הנ"ל מראש צורים אראנו רק שמקודם הי' בחי' תוהו וכדאיתא במד' כ"ז שהי' תוהו ובוהו לא נראה מלאכת שמים ע"ש

And these are our words above: "from the top of the rocks I see him" — except that at first there was the aspect of tohu, as it is brought in the Midrash that as long as there was tohu and bohu, the handiwork of Heaven was not visible (see there).

This matches the idea of "from the top of the rocks": at first there was a state of tohu, during which Heaven's handiwork was invisible.

ובנ"י ביררו והבדילו בין אור לחושך

And Bnei Yisrael selected and separated between light and darkness.

Bnei Yisrael perform the cosmic task of separating light from darkness.

ומסיים הפסוק הן עם לבדד כו' כי לבסוף יוציאו בנ"י כל הנצוצי קדושה ולבדד ישכון

And the verse concludes, "Behold, it is a people that dwells alone" (Bamidbar 23:9) — for in the end Bnei Yisrael will draw out all the sparks of kedushah, and it will dwell alone.

The verse's conclusion, that the people "dwells alone," foretells that once all sparks are extracted, Bnei Yisrael will stand entirely on their own.

רק לעת עתה נמצא עוד ניצוצי קדושה באומות ולעתיד בגוים לא יתחשב

Only for the present moment there are still sparks of kedushah found among the nations, but in the future "it will not be reckoned among the nations" (Bamidbar 23:9).

For now, holiness is still scattered among the nations, but in the future they will count for nothing.

רק הקב"ה חפץ לזכות בנ"י שיוציאו מכח אל הפועל אותן הנצוצי קדושה שנמצא בהם

It is only that the Holy One, Blessed is He, desires to give Bnei Yisrael the merit of drawing out from potential into actuality those sparks of kedushah that are found among them.

Hashem's purpose is to grant Bnei Yisrael the merit of actively drawing out those buried sparks of kedushah.

ונמצא שאין זה גזילה ביד ישראל רק החזרת הדברים לראשיתן:

And it emerges that this is no robbery in the hands of Yisrael, but rather the returning of these things to their origin.

Therefore Bnei Yisrael are not stealing anything; they are restoring everything to its rightful origin.

Summary: The Sfas Emes addresses the nations' complaint that Bnei Yisrael unjustly seized greatness that once belonged to all — prophecy, holiness, and spiritual standing. He explains that Hashem intentionally fashioned a world in which holiness was at first intermingled with everything, so that Bnei Yisrael, through the power of the Torah and its daas, would perform the avodah of separating the good from the bad and drawing the sparks of kedushah from potential into actuality. This sorting unfolds across the three dimensions of olam, shanah, and nefesh — place (the holiness gathered into Eretz Yisrael), time (the festivals that Bnei Yisrael sanctify), and soul (their distinction from the nations) — which is precisely why the wicked, sensing this, fought to keep them from the Land and from the Regalim. Bilaam's own words, "from the top of the rocks I see him," testify that Bnei Yisrael are the reishis, the root and purpose of creation, just as the Torah's account of Creation moves from tohu and bohu to the separation of light from darkness. In the end Bnei Yisrael will draw out every spark and dwell alone, proving this was never robbery but the returning of all things to their true origin.