Refining the dross through Torah and Shabbos

במדרש וישלחו מן המחנה.

In the Midrash on "and let them send out from the camp" (Bamidbar 5:2).

The Sefas Emes opens with the command to send the impure out of the camp, on which the Midrash comments.

הגו סיגים מכסף כו' במתן תורה נתרפאו דכתיב וכל העם רואים כו' ויתיצבו כו' ע"ש.

"Remove the dross (sigim) from the silver..." (Mishlei 25:4) — at Matan Torah they were healed, as it is written, "And all the people saw... and they stood firm..." — see there.

The Midrash teaches that at Sinai Bnei Yisrael were purged of their "dross" and healed of all blemish, as reflected in the verses describing the nation's elevated state at Matan Torah.

כי כל בירור הפסולת מתערובות טוב ורע הוא בכח התורה כמ"ש בפ' בראשית במד' ויכלו שכל זמן שלא נעקר תהו ובהו לא נראית בריאות שמים וארץ ובששי ויכולו שנעשו כלי ע"ש.

For all separation of the pesoles (waste) from the mixture of good and evil is through the power of the Torah, as is written in Parshas Bereishis in the Midrash on "vayechulu (and they were completed)" — that as long as tohu va'vohu (chaos and void) was not uprooted, the soundness of heaven and earth was not visible, and on the sixth (day) "vayechulu," that they were made into a vessel (keli) — see there.

Sorting good from evil is accomplished through Torah. The Midrash on "vayechulu" teaches that creation remained unstable while chaos persisted; only when the world was completed and made into a fit "vessel" did it stabilize — a process tied to receiving the Torah.

ופרשנו שם שע"ז אמרו בגמ' יום הששי תנאי התנה הקב"ה אם מקבלים התורה ואם לאו אני מחזיר לתהו ובהו כו'.

And we explained there that about this Chazal said in the Gemara: "the sixth day" (with the extra hei) — Hakadosh Baruch Hu made a condition: if they accept the Torah, good; and if not, I will return (the world) to tohu va'vohu.

The Gemara teaches that creation's continued existence was made conditional on Bnei Yisrael accepting the Torah at Sinai — otherwise the world would revert to chaos.

היינו שזהו בירור הפסולת הוא בכח התורה ובנ"י הם כלים בכח התורה לברר טוב מרע ולכן נצטוו וישלחו מן המחנה כי בכח בנ"י לברר ולהסר הסיגים.

That is, the separation of the pesoles is through the power of the Torah, and Bnei Yisrael are the vessels — through the power of the Torah — to separate good from evil; therefore they were commanded "and let them send out from the camp," for it is in the power of Bnei Yisrael to clarify and remove the sigim (dross).

Because Bnei Yisrael, empowered by Torah, are the instruments for sorting good from evil, they are entrusted with the mitzvah of sending impurity out of the camp — an act of removing "dross."

והרמז במד' מנין דכתיב רואים נשמע ויתיצבו פי' שמזה בא הרפואה [* ע"י] ההכנה שמכינים האיברים לתורת ה'.

And the hint in the Midrash — from where? — is that it is written "seeing," "heard," "and they stood firm"; the meaning is that from this comes the healing, through the preparation of readying the limbs for the Torah of Hashem.

The verbs describing the people's faculties at Sinai — seeing, hearing, standing — show that they prepared their very limbs to receive the Torah, and this preparation itself brought their healing.

הם מתרפאין.

They are healed.

Through this readiness to serve Hashem, the bodily faculties are cured.

העינים לראות והאוזן לשמוע כו'.

The eyes to see, and the ear to hear, and so on.

Each organ, dedicated to perceiving Torah, is rectified — eyes to see holiness, ears to hear Hashem's word.

גם פי' הגו סיגים מכסף הוא לברר הרצון והתשוקה להיות רק לשמים וזה הרצון מיוחד רק לבנ"י כדאיתא במד' שוקיו עמודי שש זה העולם שנשתוקק הקב"ה נבראותו שנאמר ועלי תשוקתו.

Also, the meaning of "remove the dross from the silver" is to refine the ratzon (will) and the yearning so that it be solely for Heaven; and this ratzon is unique to Bnei Yisrael, as the Midrash says: "His legs are pillars of marble (shesh)" (Shir HaShirim 5:15) — this is the world, which Hakadosh Baruch Hu desired to create, as it is said, "and upon me is His desire (teshukaso)" (Shir HaShirim 7:11).

"Removing the dross" also means purifying one's desire so it is directed only toward Heaven. This pure yearning belongs uniquely to Bnei Yisrael, who are the very purpose for which Hashem desired to create the world.

וזה העדות שניתן השבת לבנ"י שהוא תכלית שמים וארץ.

And this is the testimony that Shabbos was given to Bnei Yisrael, for it is the purpose (tachlis) of heaven and earth.

Shabbos, the goal toward which all creation was directed, was entrusted specifically to Bnei Yisrael as a sign that they are creation's purpose.

ונכן אומרים ורצה בנו ושבת קדשו כו' הנחילנו שזה הרצון שנגמר בכניסת שבת כמ"ש ויכולו השמים כו' זה מיוחד רק לבנ"י.

And so we say "and He favored us (ratzah vanu), and His holy Shabbos... He gave us as an inheritance" — for this ratzon (favor/will) which is completed at the onset of Shabbos, as it is written "vayechulu hashamayim (and the heavens were completed)," this is unique to Bnei Yisrael.

The Shabbos liturgy "He favored us" expresses that the Divine will fulfilled at the entry of Shabbos — the "completion" of the heavens — belongs uniquely to Bnei Yisrael.

אכן פי' ועלי תשוקתו הוא בב' אופנים אחד שכל רצונו ית' בבריאת עולם בעבור בנ"י ז"ש ורצה בנו.

However, the meaning of "and upon me is His desire" is in two ways. One: that all His will, Yisborach, in creating the world was for the sake of Bnei Yisrael — this is "and He favored us."

First interpretation: Hashem's desire "rests upon" Bnei Yisrael in that the entire creation was brought into being for their sake.

וג"כ הפי' שעלי מוטל לעורר האהבה ורצון אבי שבשמים.

And there is also the interpretation that "upon me" it is incumbent to awaken the love and ratzon of my Father in Heaven.

Second interpretation: it is our responsibility to arouse Hashem's love and favor from below, through our own avodah.

כמ"ש בספרים שבנ"י עושין רצונו של מקום.

As is written in the sefarim, that Bnei Yisrael "make" the will of the Omnipresent.

The holy works teach that Bnei Yisrael actively "make" Hashem's will — not only fulfilling it but generating favor on high.

שבכח מעשיהם נעשה עת רצון למעלה.

For through the power of their deeds, an es ratzon (a time of favor) is created Above.

The good deeds of Bnei Yisrael generate moments of Divine favor in the upper worlds.

וע"ז מבקשים רצה נא במנוחתינו פי' שיתרצה בנו ויהי' לפניו רצון ואהבה ע"י מנוחתינו ביום השבת כנ"ל:

And concerning this we pray "Be pleased, please, with our rest (retzeh na bimnuchaseinu)" — meaning that He should be favorable toward us, and that there should be before Him ratzon and love through our rest on the day of Shabbos, as above.

The Shabbos tefillah "be pleased with our rest" asks that our Shabbos menuchah itself arouse Hashem's favor and love toward us — fulfilling our role of "making" His will from below.

Summary: All separation of good from evil — "removing the dross from the silver" — is accomplished through the power of the Torah, for which Bnei Yisrael are the vessels; this is why they are commanded to "send out from the camp." At Matan Torah they were healed of their dross by preparing their very limbs (eyes, ears) to receive Hashem's Torah. "Removing the dross" also means purifying one's will to be solely for Heaven — a yearning unique to Bnei Yisrael, who are the purpose of creation, testified to by the gift of Shabbos, the goal of heaven and earth. Hashem's "desire is upon me" in two senses: the world was created for Bnei Yisrael's sake ("He favored us"), and it is our task to awaken Hashem's love and favor from below — which is what we ask in "Be pleased with our rest" on Shabbos.