Earning blessing through avodah without shame

בענין ברכת כהנים.

Concerning the matter of Birkas Kohanim (the priestly blessing).

The Sefas Emes introduces his discussion of the blessing the Kohanim bestow upon Bnei Yisrael.

כי טוב בעיני ה' לברך את ישראל.

"For it is good in the eyes of Hashem to bless Yisrael."

He cites the principle that Hashem genuinely desires to bestow blessing upon Bnei Yisrael.

ובאמת התחתונים רחוקים מקדושה עליונה ואינם יכולין לקבל הברכה רק ע"י עבודה במקדש.

But in truth, those below are far from the supernal holiness and cannot receive the blessing except through the avodah in the Mikdash.

Although Hashem wishes to bless, the lower world is too distant from the upper holiness to absorb that blessing directly. The avodah in the Bais Hamikdash builds the bridge that makes reception possible.

וכמו כן תפלה במקום תמידין.

And likewise, tefillah stands in place of the daily korbanos (temidin).

In the absence of the Temple service, tefillah takes the role of the daily offerings, serving the same function of drawing the lower world close enough to receive blessing.

וע"י שמעלין ריח ניחוח לה' אז יש מקום לקבל הברכות כדכתיב ביצחק ראה ריח בני כו' ויתן לך כו'.

And through raising up a pleasing aroma (rei'ach nicho'ach) to Hashem, there is then room to receive the blessings, as it is written by Yitzchak, "See, the fragrance of my son… and may He give you…"

When the avodah raises a "pleasing aroma" upward, it creates the vessel that allows blessing to flow down. This is hinted in Yitzchak's blessing of Yaakov: first he sensed the fragrance, and only then came "and may He give you."

והכהן המקריב קרבן מלמטה להעלות ריח מתחתונים לעליונים בזה נעשה הכנה לקבל הברכות.

And the Kohen who offers the korban from below, to raise up the aroma from those below to those above — through this a preparation is made to receive the blessings.

The Kohen's role is twofold: he elevates the offering from the lower realm upward, and that very act of raising prepares the channel through which blessing can descend.

ובמד' כתיב ישא ה' פניו וכתיב לא ישא פנים כאן כשעושין רצונו של מקום פי' כשנעשה עת רצון למעלה ע"י עבודת בנ"י וכמ"ש אימתי עת רצון בשעה שהציבור מתפללין ומכש"כ בזמן הקרבן אז הקב"ה מתקרב אל התחתונים.

And in the Midrash: it is written, "May Hashem lift His countenance toward you," yet it is also written, "Who does not lift a countenance" — the resolution: "here" (the blessing) is when they do the will of the Omnipresent, meaning when an eis ratzon (a time of favor) is created above through the avodah of Bnei Yisrael; as it is said, when is an eis ratzon? When the community prays — and all the more so at the time of the korban — then HaKadosh Baruch Hu draws near to those below.

The Midrash reconciles the apparent contradiction: Hashem "lifts His countenance" (shows favor) precisely when Bnei Yisrael do His will and generate an eis ratzon through their avodah. Communal tefillah creates such a moment, and the korban does so even more powerfully, drawing Hashem close to the lower world.

וע"ז אמרו עשה רצונו כרצונך כדי שיעשה רצונך כרצונו.

Concerning this they said: "Make His will like your will, so that He will make your will like His will" (Avos 2:4).

The mishnah expresses this reciprocity: when a person aligns his own ratzon with Hashem's, Hashem in turn fulfills that person's desires as His own.

פי' כרצונו שרצונו ית' באמת להשפיע לכל חי רצון וזהו א"י להתקיים רק ע"י עשיית רצונו ית"ש.

The explanation of "like His will": for His will, may He be blessed, is truly to bestow upon every living thing favor and abundance — and this cannot be sustained except through the doing of His will, may His Name be blessed.

Hashem's deepest ratzon is to give goodness to all creation ("You satisfy the desire of every living thing"). But that flow of blessing can only be sustained when people first do His will, opening the channel for His giving to endure.

ואז עשיית רצונך הוא רצונו כמ"ש טוב בעיני ה' לברך את ישראל.

And then the fulfilling of your will is His will, as it is written, "It is good in the eyes of Hashem to bless Yisrael."

Once a person does Hashem's will, his own desires become aligned with Hashem's, and fulfilling them becomes Hashem's own pleasure — for Hashem indeed delights in blessing Bnei Yisrael.

וגם מ"ש במד' ע"י שישראל נושאין לי פנים ומברכין על כזית כביצה.

And also what the Midrash says: because Yisrael "lift a countenance" toward Me and recite a blessing over a k'zayis or a k'beitzah (an olive's or egg's volume).

The Midrash explains that Hashem "lifts His countenance" to Bnei Yisrael in return because they "lift a countenance" to Him — going beyond the strict requirement and blessing Him even over the smallest amount of food.

הענין הוא מאחר שבנ"י רוצין להתדבק תמיד אל השורש ולכן כל שיש להם קצת שביעה מברכין כדי שלא יהיו נפרדין מן השורש ולכן הקב"ה מתקרב להם.

The matter is this: since Bnei Yisrael always wish to cleave to the Source, therefore whenever they have even a little satisfaction they recite a blessing, so as not to become separated from the Source — and therefore HaKadosh Baruch Hu draws near to them.

Bnei Yisrael's constant yearning is to stay attached to their Source. So even a small measure of satisfaction prompts them to bless, keeping the connection unbroken — and in response Hashem draws close to them.

ואיתא מאן דאכיל דלאו דילי' בהית לאסתכולי בי'.

And it is taught: one who eats that which is not his is ashamed to look upon the face of the giver (Yerushalmi / Zohar).

One who receives a gift he did not earn feels embarrassed to meet the giver's gaze — the "bread of shame." The Sefas Emes invokes this to explain why Hashem wants Bnei Yisrael to merit their blessings.

ולכן רצה הקב"ה שיקבלו בנ"י הברכות מתוך מעשיהם הטובים ואז ישא ה' פניו שיקבלו הברכות פנים בפנים בלי בושת.

Therefore HaKadosh Baruch Hu desired that Bnei Yisrael should receive the blessings out of their own good deeds — and then "May Hashem lift His countenance," that they should receive the blessings face-to-face, without shame.

So that Bnei Yisrael not feel the shame of unearned gifts, Hashem arranged that their blessings come through their own maasim tovim. Then they can receive "panim el panim," face-to-face, with the dignity of having earned them.

ואיתא לה' הארץ.

And it is taught: "To Hashem belongs the earth" (Tehillim 24:1).

The Sefas Emes cites the verse declaring that the earth and all it contains belong to Hashem.

והארץ נתן לבני אדם כו' כאן לאחר ברכה.

"And the earth He gave to mankind" — "here" (this latter verse) is after a blessing.

Chazal reconcile the two verses: before a person blesses, the world belongs to Hashem; once he recites a blessing, "the earth He gave to mankind" — it becomes permitted and granted to him as his own.

ולכן על ידי ברכת המזון מקבלין הברכה בדין ובעין יפה בלי בושת כנ"ל:

Therefore, through Birkas HaMazon, Bnei Yisrael receive the blessing by right (b'din) and with a generous measure (ayin yafah), without shame, as explained above.

By blessing Hashem after eating, Bnei Yisrael transform an unearned gift into something received rightfully and generously. Thus they take their blessings face-to-face, with no shame of the "bread of charity."

Summary: Hashem desires to bless Bnei Yisrael, but the lower world can only receive that blessing through avodah — korbanos and tefillah — which raise a pleasing aroma upward and create an eis ratzon. By aligning their will with Hashem's and blessing Him even over small amounts of food, Bnei Yisrael remain attached to their Source. And so Hashem arranges that they earn their blessings through their own good deeds, receiving them "face-to-face," by right and without the shame of an unearned gift.