From number to infinite Oneness

במדרש והי' מספר בני ישראל כו' אשר לא כו' יספר כו' הבט השמימה כו' מאותו מזל שאתה רואה שאינך מוליד אראך שאתה מוליד כו'.

In the Midrash: "And the number of Bnei Yisrael shall be… that cannot be counted…" — "Look toward the heavens…" — "From that very mazal by which you see that you do not give birth, I will show you that you will give birth," etc.

The Sefas Emes cites the Midrash on the pasuk (Hoshea 2:1) about Bnei Yisrael being "uncountable," linked to Hashem's words to Avraham Avinu (Bereishis 15:5) to gaze at the stars. Chazal teach that Hashem lifted Avraham above the mazal that decreed childlessness, showing him from that very constellation that he would in fact have children.

ביאור הענין שאעפ"י שבנ"י הם חלק אלקי והם דביקים בשורש נשמתם למעלה מכל העולמות ומכש"כ מעוה"ז.

The explanation of the matter: even though Bnei Yisrael are a "portion of the Divine" (cheilek Eloka) and are attached to the root of their neshamah, which is above all the worlds, and all the more so above this world —

Each Jew's soul is a cheilek Eloka mima'al (a portion of the Divine from above, cf. Iyov 31:2), bound to its root that stands higher than every world, and certainly higher than Olam HaZeh.

אעפ"כ הלא הם נבראו בעוה"ז והם בגופם תחת הטבע.

Nevertheless, they were created in this world, and in their bodies they are under nature.

Yet despite this exalted root, Bnei Yisrael live in this world, and in their physical bodies they are subject to the laws of nature, including the rule of mazal.

אך כשיתרומם נפש הישראלי וכן בכלל נפשות בנ"י הם מרוממים כל הטבע ג"כ.

But when the soul of the Jew is elevated — and likewise the souls of Bnei Yisrael collectively — they elevate all of nature as well.

When a Jew raises his nefesh toward its supernal root, and so too when the souls of Bnei Yisrael as a whole rise, they draw all of nature upward along with them, lifting the natural order to a higher plane.

ולכן אף שהכל תלוי במזל. עכ"ז יש בכח בנ"י להגבי' ולשנות כל המזל.

Therefore, even though everything depends on mazal, nonetheless it is within the power of Bnei Yisrael to lift up and to change the entire mazal.

This is "ein mazal le'Yisrael" — although in the natural order everything is governed by mazal, Bnei Yisrael, by elevating their souls, have the power to rise above and transform their mazal entirely.

ולכן נשתלחו לעוה"ז כדי שבעלייתם יתעלה גם הטבע כנ"ל.

And therefore they were sent into this world, so that through their ascent, nature too should be elevated, as above.

This is the very purpose of Bnei Yisrael's descent into Olam HaZeh: their soul-root is so high that, as they rise, they carry the natural world upward with them — that is their shlichus (mission) in this world.

וז"ש והי' מספר בנ"י כו' אשר לא כו' יספר.

And this is the meaning of "And the number of Bnei Yisrael shall be… that cannot be counted."

The Sefas Emes now reads the paradoxical pasuk — that Bnei Yisrael will have a "number" and yet be "uncountable" — in light of this idea.

שיגביה בחי' מספר עד אין מספר.

That the aspect of "number" (mispar) is raised up until "without number" (ein mispar).

The avodah is to elevate the dimension of "number" — countable, finite multiplicity — until it reaches the state of "without number," the infinite.

והיינו בהתבטלות לשורש האחדות שם אין מספר כי מצד הריבוי לא שייך אין מספר כי אף שאין בכח בו"ד לספור ע"י מיעוט שנותיו אעפ"כ במה נקרא אין מספר.

And this is through bittul (self-nullification) to the root of Achdus (Oneness); there, "without number" applies — for from the side of multiplicity, "without number" does not truly apply, since even though flesh and blood lacks the power to count, on account of the fewness of his years, nevertheless, by what would it be called "without number"?

True infinitude is reached only through bittul to the root of Oneness. Mere multiplicity cannot be called "ein mispar" in essence — a person simply cannot finish counting because his lifespan is too short, but that is a limitation in the counter, not a real infinity. So in what sense is it genuinely "without number"?

רק ע"י שורש האחדות נקרא אין מספר כי הריבוי שמתבטלת להאחדות ואין נגלית נקראת אין מספר.

Only through the root of Achdus is it called "without number," for the multiplicity that nullifies itself to the Oneness and is no longer revealed (as multiplicity) is called "without number."

The answer: genuine "ein mispar" comes only via the root of Oneness. When the many nullify themselves to the One, the multiplicity ceases to appear as separate units — and that absorption of the many into the One is what truly deserves the name "without number."

ובמדרש צדקתך כהררי אל משל את הצדיקים בדירתן כו'.

And in the Midrash: "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains" — He compared the tzaddikim to their dwelling-place, etc.

The Sefas Emes brings a second Midrash on the pasuk (Tehillim 36:7) that likens the tzaddikim to towering mountains, comparing them to their "dwelling."

פי' כמו שאדם צדיק מוכן להטות כל החיות וכל הכחות וכל הבריאה להשי"ת. כן מתפשט השפעת הקדושה אליו בהתרחבות בכל הטבע והזמן ג"כ.

The meaning is: just as a tzaddik is prepared to direct all the life-force, all the powers, and all of Creation toward Hashem, so the flow of holiness spreads out to him with expansiveness, through all of nature and time as well.

Because a tzaddik is poised to turn every bit of chiyus, every power, and all of Creation toward Hashem, in measure-for-measure the shefa of kedushah expands toward him and spreads through all of nature and time — his bittul makes him a wide channel for holiness.

ובמ"א הארכנו בזה.

And elsewhere we have expounded upon this at length.

The Sefas Emes notes that he has developed this theme more fully in another place.

כלל הדברים והי' מספר הוא בימי המעשה שהוא תיקון הפרטים ועי"ז מתעלין בשבת ומתיחדין ונק' אשר לא יספר.

The sum of the matter: "and the number shall be" refers to the weekday days of work (yemei hamaaseh), which are the rectification of the particulars (peratim); and through this one ascends on Shabbos and becomes unified, and it is called "that cannot be counted."

To summarize: "mispar," number, corresponds to the six weekdays — the realm of avodah where each detail and particular is rectified individually. Through that work of the peratim, one rises on Shabbos into unity, and that state of unification is the "asher lo yisafer," the uncountable.

כמ"ש במדרש אשר לא יספר בעוה"ב.

As it is said in the Midrash, "that cannot be counted" — in Olam HaBa.

The Midrash applies "asher lo yisafer" to the World to Come — the ultimate state of unity beyond all number.

פי' שיתוקן בחי' מספר לעתיד.

The meaning is that the aspect of "number" will be rectified in the future.

In the future, the dimension of "number" and multiplicity will itself be fully rectified — elevated and absorbed into the Oneness.

וכמו כן מזה בשבת שהוא מעין עוה"ב שורש האחדות כנ"ל:

And likewise something of this is found on Shabbos, which is a semblance of Olam HaBa, the root of Achdus, as above.

Shabbos is me'ein Olam HaBa — a foretaste of the World to Come — so a measure of this future unity is already experienced on Shabbos, when the rectified particulars of the week are gathered up into the root of Oneness.

Summary: Though the soul of each Jew is a cheilek Eloka rooted above all worlds, Bnei Yisrael live in bodies under nature — and they were sent into this world precisely so that, by elevating their souls, they raise nature itself and transform their mazal. This is the meaning of being both "numbered" and "uncountable": the weekdays are the realm of "number," where each particular is rectified, and through that avodah one ascends on Shabbos — me'ein Olam HaBa — where the many nullify themselves to the root of Oneness and become truly "without number." So too the tzaddik, who turns all Creation toward Hashem, becomes a wide channel through which holiness spreads across all of nature and time.