Sacred Power Of Speech

במדרש ונשבעת חי ה' כו'

The Midrash expounds on the verse, "And you shall swear, 'As Hashem lives'" (Yirmiyahu 4:2).

The Sfas Emes opens with a Midrashic teaching on the verse in Yirmiyahu about swearing in Hashem's Name.

אפילו באמת אי אתה רשאי לישבע אלא אם יש בך מדות הללו ה' אלקיך תירא כו'

Even to swear truthfully you are not permitted, unless you possess these traits: "You shall fear Hashem your God" (Devarim 6:13), and so forth.

Even a truthful oath is forbidden unless one first possesses yiras Shamayim and the other traits listed in the verse.

כי ענין השבועות והנדרים ניתן לצדיקים והוא כח הפה שניתן לבנ"י וכמו שמצינו כל התקנות מחכז"ל

For the matter of oaths and vows was given over to the tzaddikim, and it is the power of speech that was granted to Bnei Yisrael, just as we find with all the ordinances enacted by Chazal.

Oaths and vows draw on the power of speech entrusted to Bnei Yisrael and the tzaddikim, paralleling Chazal's authority to enact ordinances.

והן הן מצות השי"ת

And these very ordinances are the mitzvos of Hashem Yisbarach.

Those rabbinic ordinances are themselves considered the mitzvos of Hashem.

אך שכן הי' רצונו ית' שחכמי ישראל יוציאו הדברים מכח אל הפועל שזה ענין כל אסמכתות שבגמ'

Rather, such was the will of Hashem Yisbarach, that the Sages of Yisrael should bring matters from potential into actuality, and this is the meaning of all the asmachta'os (Scriptural supports) in the Gemara.

It is Hashem's will that the Sages actualize what lies in potential, which is why the Gemara attaches their enactments to verses as asmachta'os.

ובאמת גם בפרט כן הוא כמ"ש ידור נדר לאסר איסר

And in truth, even regarding the individual it is so, as the verse states, "He vows a vow to bind a prohibition" (Bamidbar 30:3).

The same principle applies to the individual who makes a vow, as the Torah's own language indicates.

היינו שמי שמיישר מעשיו עד שבא לשבועה ונדר אמת

That is to say, one who straightens his deeds until he arrives at a true oath and vow,

When a person refines his conduct to the point of making a true vow,

אז הקבלה שמקבל עליו הוא באמת רצונו ית' רק שזכה זה האיש לחדש האיסור בעצמו

then the acceptance that he takes upon himself is in truth the will of Hashem Yisbarach, except that this man merited to originate the prohibition by himself.

the prohibition he creates is really Hashem's will, with the unique merit that he himself originated it.

וזה הלשון ככל היוצא מפיו

And this is the meaning of the expression, "according to all that issues from his mouth" (Bamidbar 30:3).

The phrase "all that issues from his mouth" hints that the vow flows out naturally.

כנראה שממילא יצאו הדברים מפיו להיות שכן רצונו ית'

As it appears, the matter issued from his mouth of its own accord, because such was the will of Hashem Yisbarach.

The words emerge from his mouth on their own because they align with Hashem's will.

אך לא כל אדם מוכן לזה לכן הקדים ה' אלקיך תירא אותו תעבוד ובו תדבק אח"כ בשמו תשבע הוא ג"כ לשון נפעל כנ"ל

But not every person is prepared for this; therefore the Torah first stated, "You shall fear Hashem your God, Him shall you serve, and to Him shall you cleave" (Devarim 10:20), and only afterward, "and in His Name shall you swear" (Devarim 10:20) — which is likewise in the passive form, as above.

Since not everyone is ready, the Torah lists fear, service, and dveikus before the passive-form phrase "shall you swear."

ולכן עתה שהתחיל בחי' א"י ותורה שבע"פ נתן להם מרע"ה מצות נדרים ושבועות

And therefore now, when Moshe Rabbeinu began with the aspect of Eretz Yisrael and Torah She'be'al Peh (the Oral Torah), he gave them the mitzvah of vows and oaths.

Moshe taught the laws of vows specifically as Bnei Yisrael entered the realm of Eretz Yisrael and the Oral Torah.

והנה איתא ג' עבירות שצריכין למס"נ עליהם ע"ז ג"ע וש"ד

Now it is brought down that there are three transgressions for which one must give up his life rather than transgress them: idolatry, illicit relations, and bloodshed.

The Sfas Emes introduces the three cardinal sins for which one must give his life.

ולה"ר שקול נגד כולם כדאיתא במדרשים

And lashon hara (evil speech) is weighed against them all, as is brought in the Midrashim.

Lashon hara is so severe that it is weighed against all three of those sins together.

וכמו כן זה לעומת זה ג' המדרגות

And likewise, corresponding one to the other, there are three levels:

Paralleling those three, there are three ascending levels of avodah.

תירא

"You shall fear";

The first level is yiras Shamayim.

תעבוד

"You shall serve";

The second level is serving Hashem.

תדבוק

"You shall cleave."

The third level is cleaving to Hashem in dveikus.

ובשמו תשבע הוא כח הפה ולשון צדיק שעושה רושם בשמים ובארץ

And "in His Name shall you swear" is the power of the mouth and the tongue of the tzaddik, which makes an impression in the heavens and on the earth.

Swearing in His Name is the fourth element — the tzaddik's speech that leaves an impression in heaven and earth.

והד' בחי' אלו הם בחי' ג' אבות ודוד המע"ה

And these four aspects are the aspects of the three Avos — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov — and Dovid HaMelech.

These four aspects correspond to the three Avos and Dovid HaMelech.

ומענין זה נמצא בכל אדם שמקודם צריכין לייגע עצמו בתורה ומצות הערוכים לפנינו ואח"כ זוכה האדם להוסיף מדעתו וע"ז אמרו יגעתי ומצאתי תאמין דאיתא חיי עולם נטע בתוכינו שהקב"ה גנז בפיהן של ישראל סודות התורה כדכ' ואשים דברי בפיך

And from this matter we find in every person that first one must toil in the Torah and mitzvos that are set before us, and afterward the person merits to add from his own understanding; and concerning this Chazal said, "If a man says: I have toiled and I have found — believe him" (Megillah 6b), for it is brought down, "He implanted eternal life within us," meaning that the Holy One, Blessed is He, concealed within the mouths of Yisrael the secrets of the Torah, as the verse states, "And I have placed My words in your mouth" (Yeshayahu 51:16).

Every person must first toil in the revealed Torah and mitzvos, and only then merits original insight, since Hashem concealed Torah secrets within the mouths of Bnei Yisrael.

וע"י היגיעה בתורה אז חוזר וניער בחי' תורה שבע"פ שהוא בלבן ופיהן של בנ"י כנ"ל

And through the toil in Torah, then the aspect of Torah She'be'al Peh — which is within the heart and mouth of Bnei Yisrael — is reawakened and stirred up, as above.

The toil in Torah reawakens the Oral Torah already planted in the heart and mouth of every Jew.

ובמ"א כתבתי דאלו הג' הם בכל לבבך נפשך מאודך ואח"כ והיו הדברים כו' על לבבך

And elsewhere I have written that these three correspond to "with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" (Devarim 6:5), and afterward, "and these words... shall be upon your heart" (Devarim 6:6).

Elsewhere the Sfas Emes maps these three levels onto the words of Shema — heart, soul, and might — followed by the words being upon one's heart.

דכ' אנכי מצוך היום

For it is written, "which I command you this day" (Devarim 6:6).

The phrase "which I command you this day" stresses the daily, ever-present nature of this command.

וכמו דאיתא נשבעין ועומדין מהר סיני

And as it is brought down, that we already stand sworn from Har Sinai.

Bnei Yisrael already stand bound by an oath taken at Har Sinai.

דאיתא משביעין את הנשמה תהי צדיק ואל תהי רשע

For it is brought down that they administer an oath to the neshamah: "Be a tzaddik and do not be a rasha" (Niddah 30b).

Before birth, the neshamah is made to swear to be a tzaddik and not a rasha.

ולכן בקבלת התורה שנעשו בנ"י כברי' חדשה נתחדש זו השבועה

And therefore, at the receiving of the Torah, when Bnei Yisrael became as a new creation, this oath was renewed.

When Bnei Yisrael received the Torah and became a new creation, that very oath was renewed.

ומעין זה מבקשין מן האדם לקבל בכל יום הארה חדשה

And from something of this kind, it is asked of a person to receive each day a new illumination.

In a similar way, each person is asked to receive a fresh illumination every day.

וממילא חל עליו שבועה זו מחדש

And consequently this oath takes effect upon him anew.

As a result, the oath takes effect upon him anew each day.

[והיינו דכתיב כאן זה הדבר שהוא התחדשות שמתחדש בלב האדם וע"י חל עליו השבועה] וכמו כן בשבת שיש נשמה יתירה מתחדש ג"כ דברי תורה שנטע השי"ת בלבות בנ"י כנ"ל:

[And this is what is written here, "This is the thing" (Bamidbar 30:2), which alludes to the renewal that is renewed in the heart of the person, and through it the oath takes effect upon him.] And likewise on Shabbos, when there is an additional neshamah (neshamah yeseirah), there is also renewed the words of Torah that Hashem Yisbarach implanted in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael, as above.

The phrase "This is the thing" hints at the daily renewal in a person's heart that re-actualizes the oath; and on Shabbos, with the neshamah yeseirah, the Torah that Hashem planted in Jewish hearts is likewise renewed.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that oaths and vows draw on the power of speech that Hashem entrusted to Bnei Yisrael and the tzaddikim — the same power by which Chazal's ordinances become the mitzvos of Hashem. When a person refines his deeds to the point of a true vow, the prohibition he creates is really Hashem's own will flowing from his mouth, which is why the Torah first demands fear, service, and dveikus before granting one the power to "swear in His Name." These ascending levels correspond to the three Avos and Dovid HaMelech, and they teach that a person must first toil in the revealed Torah before meriting original insight, thereby reawakening the Oral Torah that Hashem concealed within the hearts and mouths of Bnei Yisrael. This oath traces back to the neshamah's pre-birth oath to be a tzaddik and was renewed when Bnei Yisrael became a new creation at Har Sinai. Each day, and especially on Shabbos with the neshamah yeseirah, a person is asked to receive a fresh illumination through which this oath takes effect upon him anew.