Serving Hashem through unchanging bittul

ובאבות עשה רצונו כרצונך כדי שיעשה רצונך כרצונו.

And in Avos it says: "Make His will like your will, so that He will make your will like His will." (Avos 2:4)

The Mishnah teaches that when a person makes Hashem's will his own, Hashem in turn fulfills that person's will — and the Sefas Emes will probe the precise meaning of these words.

קשה מאי כרצונו.

It is difficult: what is meant by "like His will"?

The phrase "like His will" seems redundant — if Hashem fulfills your will, why add that He does so "as His will"?

וי"ל בהקדים מ"ש רש"י ז"ל ויעש כן אהרן שלא שינה.

And it can be explained by first citing what Rashi wrote on "And Aharon did so" — "that he did not deviate." (Bamidbar 8:3, Rashi)

Rashi notes that the Torah praises Aharon for "not deviating" when he kindled the Menorah — the Sefas Emes will unpack what this praise really means.

ונראה הפי' שלא נשתנה אהרן ע"י המצוה הדלקת נרות.

And it seems the meaning is that Aharon was not changed by the mitzvah of kindling the lamps.

"He did not deviate" means Aharon himself remained unchanged in his essence even as he performed this exalted mitzvah.

שהובחר אהרן להיות מאיר לכל בנ"י ולכל העולם ע"י הדלקת הנרות.

For Aharon was chosen to give light to all of Bnei Yisrael and to the whole world through the kindling of the lamps.

Aharon's avodah of lighting the Menorah was meant to illuminate all of Bnei Yisrael and the entire world — an enormously elevating role.

ועכ"ז לא הי' נשתנה כי אם הי' בו שינוי הי' שינוי גם בהמצוה.

And despite all this he was not changed, for had there been any change in him, there would have been a change in the mitzvah as well.

Even such an exalted task did not inflate or alter Aharon — and that mattered, because any change in the doer would have introduced a flaw into the mitzvah itself.

כי השי"ת צוהו כמו שהי' אז.

For Hashem commanded him exactly as he was at that time.

Hashem's command was directed to Aharon as he was — so to perform it perfectly he had to remain his unchanged self.

לכן צריך האדם להיות בו בחי' ההשתוות.

Therefore a person must have within him the quality of equanimity (hishtavus).

One must cultivate hishtavus (an inner evenness and steadiness) — remaining the same whether honored or not, elevated or not.

ובספרים הקדושים משבחין מאוד לבחי' זו של ההשתוות.

And in the holy seforim this quality of equanimity is greatly praised.

The sacred works extol hishtavus as a lofty madreigah, for it reflects a person whose self is not stirred by external honor or change.

ולמד רש"י ז"ל דכ' אל כו' פני המנורה העלה כו'.

And Rashi derived this from what is written: "Toward… the face of the Menorah shall the lamps give light…" (Bamidbar 8:2)

Rashi's source for praising Aharon lies in the verse's wording, as the Sefas Emes now explains.

א"כ מיותר מ"ש ויעש כן.

If so, the phrase "And he did so" is superfluous.

Since the command was already stated, the words "And Aharon did so" seem unnecessary — prompting the search for their hidden message.

דהול"ל ויעל אהרן כו'.

For it should have said: "And Aharon kindled (lit. raised up the light)…"

The verse could have simply stated that Aharon lit the lamps; the extra phrase "he did so" must teach something more.

רק הפסוק משמיענו שעשה כן בלי השתנות עצמותו וכפי השתוות שהי' בו עשה המצוה ג"כ בלי שינוי כי המעשה תלוי בהעושה כנ"ל.

Rather, the verse informs us that he did so without any change to his essence, and in accordance with the equanimity within him he likewise performed the mitzvah without deviation — for the deed depends on the doer, as above.

"He did so" teaches that Aharon performed the mitzvah out of his unchanged inner state; because the quality of the act flows from the inner state of the one who does it, his steadiness ensured a flawless mitzvah.

וי"ל כן הפי' עשה רצונו כרצונך בלי השתנות.

And one can explain in this way the meaning of "Make His will like your will" — without change.

The Sefas Emes now applies the lesson of Aharon to the Mishnah in Avos: doing Hashem's will "like your will" means doing it from a steady, unchanging self.

כמו שאין האדם משנה עצמו לצורך מעשיו כן האדם שמוכן תמיד לבטל עצמו לרצונו ית' עושה הכל בלי שינוי.

Just as a person does not change himself for the sake of his deeds, so too the person who is always ready to nullify himself to His will does everything without change.

One whose constant posture is bittul (self-nullification) to Hashem's will acts from a settled inner essence, just as one acts naturally in ordinary affairs without remaking oneself.

והשי"ת משלם הכל במשפט מדה במדה.

And Hashem repays everything with justice, measure for measure.

Hashem responds to each person midah k'neged midah (measure for measure), in exact correspondence to how the person serves Him.

ולכן אף כי השי"ת גבוה ונבדל מכל העולמות.

Therefore, even though Hashem is exalted and separate from all the worlds —

Hashem is utterly transcendent and removed from all the created worlds.

וכשמשפיע אל הנבראים חיות ושפע ברכה.

And when He bestows upon the creatures vitality and an abundance of blessing —

In order to channel life and shefa (Divine flow) of blessing down to created beings —

צריך לצמצם עצמו כו' כנודע.

He must, as it were, contract Himself, as is known.

The flow of blessing into the world ordinarily requires tzimtzum (contraction) — a self-limiting of the infinite light so the worlds can receive it.

עכ"ז לזה האדם שבטל לגמרי אליו ועושה רצונו ית' בלי שינוי.

Nevertheless, for this person who is completely nullified to Him and does His will without change —

Yet for the one who has totally nullified himself to Hashem and serves Him from an unchanging essence, the rule is different.

אף שגוף הגשמיי ג"כ מרוחק מקדושת המצות רק ע"י הביטול אין צריך להשתנות כנ"ל.

Even though the physical body too is distant from the holiness of the mitzvos, yet through his self-nullification he need not undergo any change, as above.

Although the material body is naturally far from the kedushah of the mitzvos, this person's bittul means his very body serves without needing any "contraction" or transformation to receive holiness.

כמו כן השי"ת עושה רצונו בלי השתנות כנ"ל.

So too, Hashem fulfills his will without any change, as above.

Midah k'neged midah: since this person serves without requiring any change, Hashem reciprocates by fulfilling that person's will directly, without the usual tzimtzum — and this is the meaning of "He will make your will like His will."

והשי"ת יזכנו להיות מעושי רצונו ית':

And may Hashem grant us to be among those who do His will.

A closing tefillah that we merit to serve Hashem from such complete bittul.

Summary: Aharon was praised for kindling the Menorah "without deviating" — remaining unchanged in essence even through an exalted mitzvah. So too, one who lives in constant bittul to Hashem serves Him from a steady inner self that needs no change; and measure for measure, Hashem fulfills such a person's will directly, without the tzimtzum normally required to bring blessing into the world.