Clarifying daas of good and evil

בפרשת נזיר מיין ושכר יזיר כו'.

In the portion of the nazir: "from wine and strong drink he shall abstain (yazir)" (Bamidbar 6:3).

The Sefas Emes opens with the law of the nazir, who separates himself from wine, and uses it to explore the nature of daas (knowledge).

במדרש הדעת מתחלק לד' מקומות בפה ולב וכליות.

In the Midrash: daas (knowledge) divides into four places — in the mouth, the heart, and the kidneys.

Knowledge, which begins as a unity, spreads through the body into four distinct seats.

לכן בד' כוסות יוצא הדעת כו'.

Therefore, with four cups [of wine] the daas departs.

Because daas is distributed in four places, four cups of wine can dislodge it — wine being intimately tied to knowledge.

כי הנה הדעת הוא שצריך בירור שנא' בו הדעת טוב ורע.

For daas is that which requires clarification (berur), as it is said of it, "the knowledge of good and evil" (Bereishis 2:9).

Daas is the faculty that contains a mixture of good and evil, so it constantly needs to be sifted and clarified.

והוא רמז היין כדאיתא יש כוס יין לטובה וכוס יין לרעה.

And this is hinted by wine, as it is taught: there is a cup of wine for good and a cup of wine for evil.

Wine symbolizes daas precisely because it can go either way — a cup of blessing or a cup of harm — mirroring knowledge's dual potential.

כי הדעת הוא התחברות גוף ונפש התקשרות רוחניות וגשמיות.

For daas is the joining of body and soul, the binding of the spiritual and the physical.

Daas is the meeting-point of body and soul, the faculty where the spiritual and material connect — which is exactly what makes it perilous.

[לכן הזיווג שמוליד גוף ונשמה נקרא דעת וכמו כן בקרוב כתיב מודע לאישה כי התקרבות בני משפחה הוא ג"כ בגוף ונפש]

[Therefore the union that produces body and soul is called "daas," and likewise regarding a relative it is written "moda (kinsman) of her husband" (Rus 2:1), for the closeness of family members is also of body and soul.]

The Torah uses the word "daas" for marital union and kinship, because such bonds, like daas itself, join physical and spiritual dimensions of two people.

ולכן הוא מקום מסוכן שיוכל הנפש למשוך הגוף לטוב.

Therefore it is a dangerous place, for the soul can draw the body toward the good.

Because daas is where soul and body meet, it is a sensitive crossroads: the soul may pull the body upward.

ויוכל ח"ו להתפשט ולמשוך אחר הגוף.

And it can, Heaven forbid, spread out and be drawn after the body.

But the same crossroads can go the other way — the daas can be dragged down after the body's desires.

וקודם שאכל אדה"ר מעץ הדעת הי' דבוק בחיים.

And before Adam HaRishon ate from the Eitz HaDaas, he was cleaving to life.

Before the sin, Adam was attached to the Tree of Life — pure unity with the divine, untouched by the split of good and evil.

ושורש הדעת הוא במוח ושם אחדות אחד.

And the root of daas is in the brain, and there it is a single unity.

At its source in the mind, daas is whole and undivided — a single, unified knowing.

אך כשמתחלק ומתפשט למטה בגוף באלה ד' מקומות שכתב המד' שם צריך בירור.

But when it divides and spreads down into the body in these four places that the Midrash mentioned, there it requires clarification.

Only when knowledge descends and fragments into the four bodily seats does it become mixed and require sorting of good from evil.

[וע"ז כתיב ומשם יפרד כו' לד' ראשים. נראה דמשם קאי אעץ הדעת ודו"ק]

[And concerning this it is written, "and from there it separated… into four headwaters" (Bereishis 2:10). It appears that "from there" refers to the Eitz HaDaas — contemplate this.]

The river that split into four heads alludes to daas dividing into its four bodily seats, with the source ("from there") being the Tree of Knowledge.

ובעבור זה הוצרכו בנ"י להיות בכור הברזל במצרים לברר זאת הדעת.

And because of this, Bnei Yisrael needed to be in the "iron furnace" of Mitzrayim to clarify this daas.

The crucible of Egyptian slavery was the process of refining and clarifying this fragmented, mixed daas.

ולכן יש ד' לשונות של גאולה לברר אלה הד'.

Therefore there are four expressions of geulah (redemption) to clarify these four.

The four terms of redemption in the Exodus correspond to and rectify the four seats of daas.

ולכן כתיב והוצאתי כו' ולקחתי כו' אח"כ וידעתם כי אני ה' שיהי' הדעת מתברר טוב בלא רע.

Therefore it is written, "I will bring you out… I will take you…" and afterward, "and you shall know (vidatem) that I am Hashem" (Shemos 6:6-7) — that the daas should be clarified as good without evil.

The redemption culminates in "you shall know" — the goal being a purified daas, knowledge of Hashem cleansed of the admixture of evil.

[והרמז דכתיב ידוע תדע כו' שגלות מצרים הי' לברר הדעת. ואפשר שזאת היתה כוונת חז"ל שגרם הגלות הי' ע"י שאמר במה אדע כו'. אלא שזה צריך אריכות דברים].

[And the hint is in what is written, "you shall surely know (yado'a teda)" (Bereishis 15:13) — that the exile of Mitzrayim was to clarify the daas. And perhaps this was the intent of Chazal that the exile was caused by [Avraham's] saying, "By what shall I know (bameh eida)?" (Bereishis 15:8) — but this requires lengthy elaboration.]

The decree of exile, foretold with the word "know," was itself the means of refining daas; even Avraham's question "by what shall I know" — phrased in terms of daas — hints at this connection.

לכן תקנו בפסח ד' כוסות כמ"ש במד' משום ד' לשונות הנ"ל.

Therefore they instituted four cups on Pesach, as the Midrash says, because of the aforementioned four expressions [of redemption].

The four cups of the Seder correspond to the four terms of geulah, which in turn correspond to the four seats of daas being rectified.

היינו שהדעת יצא לחירות בליל שמורים.

That is, the daas went free on the night of watching (leil shimurim).

On the night of the Exodus, daas itself was liberated — freed from its bondage to evil.

וכמו כן מצות ד' פרשיות שבתפילין לברר הדעת שבאלה הד' מקומות.

And likewise the mitzvah of the four parshiyos in the tefillin is to clarify the daas that is in these four places.

The four passages inside the tefillin parallel the four seats of daas, and binding them serves to clarify and elevate that knowledge.

לכן אמרו חז"ל הקורא ק"ש בלי תפילין כמעיד עדות שקר בעצמו.

Therefore Chazal said: one who recites Krias Shema without tefillin is as if he bears false testimony against himself (Berachos 14b).

Chazal link Shema and tefillin so tightly that reciting Shema without tefillin is like giving false witness — and the Sefas Emes will now explain why.

פי' דק"ש הוא תורה עץ החיים.

The explanation: Krias Shema is Torah, the Eitz HaChaim (Tree of Life).

The Shema, as Torah, represents the Tree of Life — pure, unified attachment to Hashem above the split of good and evil.

אך דכתיב והיו הדברים כו' על לבבך כו' ודברת כו' והיינו התפשטות הדעת לתוך כל מעשה האדם והגוף.

But it is written, "and these words… shall be upon your heart… and you shall speak [of them]" (Devarim 6:6-7) — and this is the spreading of the daas into all of a person's deeds and body.

Yet the Shema itself commands that this knowledge permeate one's heart, speech, and everyday conduct — i.e., that daas descend into the body and its actions.

ולזה צריכין סיוע התפילין ויציאת מצרים לברר הדעת.

And for this one needs the aid of the tefillin and of Yetzias Mitzrayim to clarify the daas.

Because the Shema demands that knowledge enter the bodily realm, one needs tefillin (and the power of the Exodus) to keep that descended daas clarified and holy.

ובלא זה הוי כשקר.

And without this it is like falsehood.

Reciting Shema — which mandates spreading knowledge into action — without the tefillin that purify that knowledge is internally inconsistent, "like a lie."

וז"ש בעצמו פי' בהתקבלות העדות דק"ש תוך עצמותו אז צריך בירור הנ"ל.

And this is the meaning of "against himself" (b'atzmo) — that is, when the testimony of Krias Shema is received within his own being, then the aforementioned clarification is required.

The phrase "against himself" means: once the Shema's truth enters one's own body and self, that embodied daas must be clarified — hence the need for tefillin.

ולכן בשבת אין צריכין תפילין כי הוא יומא דנשמתין ויורדת בו נשמה יתירה.

Therefore on Shabbos one does not need tefillin, for it is the "day of souls" and a neshamah yeseirah (extra soul) descends on it.

Shabbos itself accomplishes what tefillin do on weekdays, because the extra soul rules over the body, so no tefillin are required.

פי' שכח הנשמה שליט על הגוף בשבת וא"צ בירור כי שבת הוא בחי' עה"ח.

That is, the power of the neshamah rules over the body on Shabbos, and no clarification is needed, for Shabbos is the aspect of the Eitz HaChaim (Tree of Life).

On Shabbos the soul dominates the body, so daas needs no sifting — Shabbos belongs to the Tree of Life, above the realm of mixed good and evil.

דבימי המעשה כתיב ערב בקר ובשבת כולו טוב.

For regarding the weekdays it is written "evening and morning," but on Shabbos it is entirely good.

The weekdays carry the mix of "evening" (darkness) and "morning" (light), but Shabbos is wholly good, with no admixture of evil.

ולא עוד אלא שבשבת שולט עה"ח על עה"ד.

And not only that, but on Shabbos the Eitz HaChaim rules over the Eitz HaDaas.

Shabbos does more than avoid the split; the Tree of Life actively dominates the Tree of Knowledge.

ומתקן גם הדעת דכתיב בשבת לדעת כי אני ה' מקדישכם פרש"י לדעת האומות בה.

And it even rectifies the daas, as it is written regarding Shabbos, "to know (lada'as) that I am Hashem who sanctifies you" (Shemos 31:13) — Rashi explains, "for the nations to know through it."

Shabbos repairs daas itself; Rashi reads "to know" as causative — Shabbos makes even the nations recognize Hashem.

משום דלדעת הוא פועל יוצא.

Because "lada'as" (to know) is a transitive verb (po'el yotzei).

The grammar supports Rashi: "to know" here is causative — Shabbos causes others to know.

משום דבחי' השבת למעלה מעץ הדעת והוא עץ החיים.

Because the aspect of Shabbos is above the Eitz HaDaas, and it is the Eitz HaChaim.

Since Shabbos transcends the Tree of Knowledge, it has the power to act upon and rectify daas from above.

אבל יתכן לפרש לדעת בימי המעשה שהשבת מאיר לתקן הדעת גם בימי המעשה.

But it is possible to explain "to know" as referring to the weekdays — that Shabbos shines to rectify the daas even during the weekdays.

Alternatively, "to know" means Shabbos sends its light forward to repair daas during the ensuing weekdays too.

ושניהם אמת כי בנ"י בכח דביקותם בעץ החיים מאירין לברר הדעת אצל האומות.

And both are true, for Bnei Yisrael, through the power of their cleaving to the Eitz HaChaim, shine to clarify the daas among the nations.

Both readings hold: by clinging to the Tree of Life, Bnei Yisrael radiate clarity that rectifies knowledge even for the nations.

וכמו כן השבת מאיר לימי המעשה.

And likewise the Shabbos shines into the weekdays.

Just as Bnei Yisrael illuminate the nations, Shabbos illuminates the weekdays.

לכן מתפללין הבדלה באתה חונן כי בקשה ראשונה בימי המעשה לתקן הדעת.

Therefore we recite Havdalah in the blessing "Atah Chonen" (You graciously grant knowledge), for the first request of the weekdays is to rectify the daas.

Havdalah is placed in the blessing for daas because the very first thing we ask for as the week begins is the repair of knowledge.

וסמיך לי' בקשת התשובה ע"י שבחטא הראשון נתערב דעת טו"ר ובכח השבת מבדילין בין דעת טוב לרע כנ"ל.

And adjacent to it is the request for teshuvah, because through the first sin the knowledge of good and evil became mixed, and through the power of Shabbos we separate between the daas of good and evil, as above.

The blessing for teshuvah follows the one for daas because repentance is precisely the re-separation of good from evil within knowledge — a power drawn from Shabbos via Havdalah.

ואיתא בגמ' פסחים זכור זכרהו על היין ונדחקו בתוס' מאין דרשו חכמים כן.

And it is brought in the Gemara Pesachim: "Zachor" — remember it (Shabbos) over wine (Pesachim 106a); and Tosafos struggled with how the Sages derived this.

The Gemara learns Kiddush over wine from "Zachor," but Tosafos found the derivation difficult — why specifically wine?

וי"ל כמ"ש בגמ' ביצה זכרהו מאחר שבא להשכיחו ע"ש גבי עירובי תבשילין.

And one can explain as the Gemara says in Beitzah: "remember it" [especially] from something that comes to cause it to be forgotten — as is said regarding eiruv tavshilin.

The principle is that we "remember" Shabbos davka by means of something that might otherwise make us forget it — applying the same logic the Gemara uses for eiruv tavshilin.

וכמו כן בענין זה דהיין מערב הדעת כמ"ש במד' כאן.

And likewise in this matter, that wine confuses the daas, as the Midrash here states.

Wine, which normally muddles knowledge (as four cups remove daas), is exactly the thing through which we must "remember" Shabbos.

אבל השבת מאיר ושליט הנשמה על חשכת הגוף.

But the Shabbos shines, and the neshamah rules over the darkness of the body.

On Shabbos the soul masters the body's darkness, so the very wine that would otherwise dull daas is sanctified.

לכן דוקא זכרהו על היין.

Therefore davka "remember it over wine."

Precisely because Shabbos elevates wine from a confuser of daas into a vessel of remembrance, Kiddush is made over wine.

עה"ח על עה"ד כנ"ל.

The Eitz HaChaim over the Eitz HaDaas, as above.

This expresses the Shabbos dynamic: the Tree of Life ruling over the Tree of Knowledge, so even wine serves holiness.

ומתקיים הדברים האלה על לבבכם בלי תפילין כנ"ל.

And [thus] is fulfilled "these words shall be upon your hearts" even without tefillin, as above.

On Shabbos the Shema's demand that knowledge rest "upon your heart" is fulfilled without tefillin, because Shabbos itself accomplishes the clarification.

והנה הנזיר פירש עצמו מכל התערובות ונזר אלקיו על ראשו ואסור ביין ולכן נקרא חוטא על הנפש כי אחר החטא א"א לתקן הנפש רק בדעת כמ"ש גם בלא דעת נפש לא טוב.

Now the nazir separates himself from all the mixtures, and "the crown of his God is upon his head" (Bamidbar 6:7), and he is forbidden wine; therefore he is called "one who sinned against the soul" (chotei al hanefesh), for after the sin the soul cannot be rectified except through daas, as it is written, "Also without daas the soul is not good" (Mishlei 19:2).

The nazir withdraws entirely from wine and the world of mixtures, yet he is called a sinner against his soul — because since Adam's sin, the soul can only be properly repaired through engaging daas, not by fleeing it.

רמז גם.

This is hinted by the word "also" (gam).

The seemingly extra word "also" in the verse carries a hidden teaching.

שאעפ"י שמתדבק בעץ החיים מ"מ הנפש לא מיתקן רק בבירור הטוב מרע.

That even though he cleaves to the Eitz HaChaim, nevertheless the soul is not rectified except through the clarification of good from evil.

"Also" teaches: even one who attaches himself to the Tree of Life (like the nazir avoiding wine) still cannot fully repair his soul without the work of sorting good from evil within daas.

ומ"מ התורה מלמדת לנו דרך שהגם שהדעת נצרך עתה אבל צריכין לעתות מזומנים לקבל עליו נזירות ופרישות ויועיל לו אח"כ כשיחזור להתנהג בדרך הדעת כמ"ש בספרים שהל' יום של הנזיר מביאין לו הארה על כל הזמנים שאח"כ כנ"ל:

Nevertheless, the Torah teaches us a path: that although daas is needed now, one needs at appointed times to accept upon himself nezirus and abstention (perishus), and it will benefit him afterward when he returns to conduct himself in the way of daas — as is written in the seforim, that the thirty days of the nazir bring him an illumination over all the times that follow.

The balanced path is neither permanent flight nor unbridled engagement: one periodically takes on temporary withdrawal (like the nazir's thirty days), which then casts an illuminating influence over all his future engagement with the world of daas.

Summary: Daas (knowledge), rooted as a unity in the mind, descends and fragments into four bodily seats where it becomes a mixture of good and evil requiring constant clarification. Wine symbolizes this dual-potential daas. The four cups of the Seder, the four parshiyos of tefillin, and the four expressions of redemption all serve to purify the four seats of daas — which is why Shema (the Tree of Life) demands tefillin to keep embodied knowledge holy. Shabbos transcends this entirely: as the Tree of Life ruling over the Tree of Knowledge, it rectifies daas without tefillin and even sanctifies wine. The nazir, who flees the mixture, is nonetheless called a "sinner against the soul," for the soul is ultimately repaired only by engaging and clarifying daas — yet periodic, timed abstention (the nazir's path) illuminates all of one's later engagement with the world.