Bnei Yisrael as the mouth of creation

בענין מ"ש חז"ל שנזכר בני ישראל ה"פ בפסוק להודיע חיבתן שנחשבו כחמשה חומשי תורה.

Regarding what Chazal said: that "Bnei Yisrael" is mentioned five times in the pasuk to make known their belovedness — that they are reckoned like the five Chumashim (Books) of the Torah.

Chazal note that the verse repeats "Bnei Yisrael" five times to express Hashem's love, corresponding to the five books of the Torah.

ואמו"ז ז"ל אמר כי רמזו כאן ע"י שנבחרו הלוים לא יהי' פחיתות לבנ"י כי כח הלוים ג"כ מכללות בנ"י.

And my grandfather, of blessed memory, said that they hinted here that, through the Leviim being chosen, there should be no diminishment to Bnei Yisrael, for the power of the Leviim is also part of the totality of Bnei Yisrael.

The Chiddushei HaRim explained the fivefold mention as reassurance: selecting the Leviim for special service does not lessen the rest of Yisrael, since the Leviim's power belongs to the whole nation.

וכ"כ בס' קדושת לוי.

And so it is written in the sefer Kedushas Levi.

The Sefas Emes notes the Kedushas Levi says the same.

ולבאר הענין דאורייתא וישראל כולא חד.

And to explain the matter: the Torah and Yisrael are entirely one.

The foundation of the explanation is the principle that Torah and Yisrael are essentially a single unity.

וכמו שיש בתורה ה' חלקים כן באדם חמשה מוצאות הפה.

And just as there are five parts in the Torah, so too in a person there are the five places of articulation of the mouth (motza'os ha-peh).

Paralleling the five Chumashim, the human mouth has five points from which speech is articulated.

ובאמת כלל העולם הוא ציור האדם.

And in truth, the entirety of the world is the form of a person (the macrocosm mirrors man).

The whole world is structured like a human being, man being a microcosm of all creation.

ובכלל בנ"י הם הפה כמ"ש כחן של ישראל בפה.

And within the whole, Bnei Yisrael are the mouth, as it is said "the strength of Yisrael is in the mouth."

In this cosmic "body," Bnei Yisrael function as the mouth — their power lies in speech, tefillah, and Torah.

כי כמו שבה' מוצאות הפה מתגלה רצון האדם מכח אל הפועל.

For just as through the five places of articulation a person's will is revealed from potential into actuality.

Speech is the faculty by which a person's inner will is brought out from potential into expressed reality.

כמו כן ע"י בנ"י נשלם פנימיות הרצון מכל הנבראים.

So too, through Bnei Yisrael the inner will (penimiyus ha-ratzon) of all creatures is brought to completion.

Bnei Yisrael, as the world's "mouth," give voice to and complete the hidden inner ratzon of all creation, drawing it into actuality.

ובפרטות בנ"י עצמם נמסר כח הפה ללוים שדיברו בשיר.

And specifically within Bnei Yisrael themselves, the power of the mouth was entrusted to the Leviim, who spoke through song.

Just as Yisrael is the mouth of the world, within Yisrael the Leviim are the "mouth," for their avodah was song in the Bais Hamikdash.

כי העיקר הוא שיוכל האדם להוציא הפנימיות שבו מכח אל הפועל.

For the main thing is that a person be able to bring forth the penimiyus (innermost point) within him from potential into actuality.

The essential avodah is to express one's inner point outwardly, turning hidden potential into actual deed and speech.

וזה הוא כפי הנקיות מלכלוך החטאים.

And this is according to one's cleanliness from the filth of sins.

The ability to express one's inner point depends on how pure one is from the defilement of aveiros.

ולכן כשחטאנו נבחרו הלוים שישלימו הם הדיבור בשליחות כל בני ישראל:

Therefore, when we sinned, the Leviim were chosen so that they would complete the dibbur (speech) as a shlichus (mission) on behalf of all Bnei Yisrael.

Because sin clouded the nation's ability to express its inner point, the Leviim — who remained purer — were appointed to fulfill that role of holy speech as emissaries for the entire people.

Summary: Torah and Yisrael are one: just as the Torah has five Chumashim and the mouth five points of articulation, Bnei Yisrael are the "mouth" of the world, bringing the inner ratzon of all creation from potential into actuality through speech; within Yisrael this power was entrusted to the Leviim (who served through song), and after the nation sinned the Leviim were chosen to complete this holy speech as a shlichus for all of Bnei Yisrael — so their selection adds to, rather than diminishes, the whole.