Hidden Miracles United with Revealed
עוד בפרשה זו והב בסופה כו' הנחלים ארנון
Further on this parsha: the verse "And the Vaheiv at its end, etc., the streams of Arnon" (Bamidbar 21:14-15).
The Sfas Emes opens by citing the cryptic verse about "Vaheiv" and the streams of Arnon, which serves as the springboard for the whole piece.
פי' חז"ל מקיש ניסי ארנון לניסי הים דבשניהם אמרו שירה רק שירת הים הי' אספקלריא המאירה וכן הי' הנס מפורש כמ"ש וירא ישראל כו' מצרים מת
Our Sages explained that Scripture juxtaposes the miracles of Arnon to the miracles of the Yam Suf (the splitting of the sea), for at both of them they recited shirah (song of praise); only that the Song of the Sea was through an "aspaklaria ha'meirah" (a clear, luminous lens), and likewise the miracle there was openly revealed, as it is written, "And Yisrael saw, etc., Mitzrayim dead" (Shemos 14:30).
He brings the teaching of Chazal that the hidden miracles at Arnon are compared to the open miracles at the Yam Suf, the difference being that at the sea Bnei Yisrael perceived Hashem's hand with perfect clarity, like seeing through a clear lens, and the salvation was plainly visible when they saw the Mitzriyim dead on the shore.
ופרשנו שם שזכו לראות מפלת הרשעים ובכאן הי' נסתר הנס רק שאח"כ הראה להם הבאר הנסים כו'
And we explained there that they merited to behold the downfall of the wicked, whereas here at Arnon the miracle was hidden; only that afterward the well revealed to them the miracles, etc.
Here he notes that at the Yam Suf the salvation came through actually witnessing the downfall of the wicked, while at Arnon the miracle was concealed and only later did the well disclose to them what Hashem had wrought.
וגם השירה בבחי' הסתר לכן לא נזכר בה מרע"ה כי הוא בחי' אספקלריא המאירה עכ"ז שני הבחי' הם אחדות אחד והקישן הכתוב
And the shirah too was in the aspect of concealment, which is why Moshe Rabbeinu is not mentioned in it, for he is the aspect of the aspaklaria ha'meirah (the luminous lens); nevertheless, the two aspects are one unified whole, and so Scripture juxtaposed them.
Because the Arnon experience was one of concealment, Moshe Rabbeinu, who embodies the luminous clarity of revelation, is absent from its shirah; yet the hidden and the revealed are ultimately one, which is why the verse links the two together.
ופרשנו עוד כי זה הי' ע"י שנתגלו בנ"י במיתת אהרן לכן לא הי' יכול להיות הנס בהתגלות
And we further explained that this came about through the fact that Bnei Yisrael became exposed and revealed upon the passing of Aharon, and therefore the miracle could not be in a manner of open revelation.
He explains that the reason the Arnon miracle stayed hidden was that with the passing of Aharon the protective Clouds of Glory departed and Bnei Yisrael were left exposed to the eyes of the nations, so Hashem could no longer perform the miracle in fully open fashion.
וכשהענן הי' מכסה את בני ישראל ולא היו יכולין הרשעים להסתכל היו הנסים נגלים לבנ"י
And when the Cloud was covering Bnei Yisrael, so that the wicked were unable to gaze upon them, the miracles were openly revealed to Bnei Yisrael.
When the Cloud sheltered Bnei Yisrael and shielded them from the gaze of the wicked, the miracles could appear openly to Bnei Yisrael themselves, since they were hidden from outside eyes.
ועי"ז הי' הארה מבחוץ לכל העולם כדאיתא ששירת הים כולל כל הזמנים וכל הדברים וכתי' שמעו עמים ירגזון כו' נבהלו אלופי אדום כו' שהי' התעוררות לכולם
And through this there was an illumination reaching outward to the entire world, as it is brought down that the Song of the Sea encompasses all the times and all matters, and it is written, "Nations heard, they trembled, etc., the chieftains of Edom were dismayed, etc." (Shemos 15:14-15), for there was an awakening for all of them.
Even so, that inner revelation radiated outward to the whole world, for the Song of the Sea contains within it all times and all matters, and the verse testifies that the nations trembled and the chieftains of Edom were thrown into panic, meaning the illumination stirred an awakening in everyone.
ועמ"ש בפ' בלק:
And see what is written in Parshas Balak.
He closes by referring the reader to his related discussion in Parshas Balak for further development of this theme.
Summary: In this piece the Sfas Emes draws on Chazal's juxtaposition of the hidden miracles of Arnon to the open miracles of the Yam Suf, both of which prompted shirah. At the sea the salvation shone through an aspaklaria ha'meirah, a clear and luminous revelation in which Bnei Yisrael plainly beheld the downfall of the wicked, whereas at Arnon the miracle was concealed and only later disclosed through the well, which is why Moshe Rabbeinu, who embodies the clearest revelation, is absent from its shirah. The Sfas Emes ties this concealment to the passing of Aharon, after which the protective Cloud that had shielded Bnei Yisrael from the gaze of the nations departed, leaving them exposed; only when the Cloud covered them and hid them from the wicked could the miracles appear openly to them. Yet he teaches that the hidden and the revealed are one unified whole, deliberately juxtaposed by Scripture. Even the concealed miracle radiates outward to encompass all times and all matters, awakening even the nations, as the verse attests that the peoples trembled and the chieftains of Edom were dismayed.