Torah Binds The Worlds
באבות פ"ו בכל יום ב"ק יוצאת מהר חורב אוי לבריות מעלבונה של תורה שמי שאינו עוסק בתורה נק' נזוף שנא' נזם זהב כו' חרות חירות כו' פי' כי מה עלבון לתורה ע"י שאין ב"א עוסקים בה
In Avos (chapter 6) we learn that every day a bas kol, a heavenly voice, goes forth from Har Chorev and proclaims: "Woe to the creatures from the disgrace of the Torah!" For whoever does not occupy himself with Torah is called "reproached," as it says, "A golden ring [in a swine's snout]" (Mishlei 11:22), and as it says, "engraved (charus)" — read it as "freedom (cheirus)" (Avos 6:2). The question is: what disgrace is there to the Torah merely because people do not occupy themselves with it?
The Mishnah in Avos teaches that a daily heavenly voice laments the disgrace suffered by the Torah when people fail to learn it. The Sfas Emes asks: how can a person's neglect cause the Torah itself to be disgraced?
רק מצד שהתורה ניתנה לישראל ואף שאין עוסקין בה אינה מתפרשת מהם כמ"ש חיי עולם נטע בתוכנו וז"ש נזם זהב כו' שיש לנו התורה ואנו מניחין אותה ומתדבקין בגשמיות ועי"ז מגיע עלבון גם להתורה שהוא הנזם כתר תורה וז"ש מהר חורב כיון ששם ניתנה התורה לישראל
Rather, it is precisely because the Torah was given to Bnei Yisrael that, even though they may not be occupied with it, it never becomes separated from them, as it says, "He planted eternal life within us." This is the meaning of "A golden ring": that we possess the Torah, yet we set it aside and cling to physicality, and through this a disgrace reaches even the Torah itself, which is the "ring" — the crown of Torah. And this is why it says "from Har Chorev," since it was there that the Torah was given to Bnei Yisrael.
The answer is that because the Torah was given specifically to Bnei Yisrael and is permanently bound to them, our neglect of it directly shames it. We hold the crown of Torah yet drop it to chase physical pursuits, and the disgrace touches the Torah itself.
וזהו ג"כ הפי' מ"ש העשוי' בהר סיני
This is also the explanation of what the Torah says, "that was made at Har Sinai" (Bamidbar 28:6).
The Sfas Emes connects this idea to the phrase describing the korban tamid as "made at Har Sinai."
ואין מובן
On the surface this is not understood.
He notes that, taken plainly, this phrase is difficult to understand.
רק שבא הפסוק לישב איך בכח בנ"י להעלות כל העולמות ע"י התמידין כנודע שענין הקרבנות לקרב כל הבריאה להשי"ת וזה אינו בכח אנושי רק שהקב"ה בחר בנו ובנתינת התורה נשתנה סדרי בראשית שהדביק הקב"ה כל העולמות בכח התורה ומצות שבנ"י עושין
Rather, the verse comes to settle how it lies within the power of Bnei Yisrael to elevate all the worlds by means of the daily korban tamid. For it is known that the matter of the korbanos is to draw all of creation close to Hashem Yisbarach, and this is not within human power; it is only that the Holy One, Blessed is He, chose us, and through the giving of the Torah the order of Creation was changed, for the Holy One, Blessed is He, bound all the worlds together through the power of the Torah and mitzvos that Bnei Yisrael perform.
The verse teaches that Bnei Yisrael can elevate all the worlds through the daily korban, since korbanos draw creation close to Hashem. This power is not natural to man; it came only because Hashem chose us and, through Matan Torah, rewove Creation so that our Torah and mitzvos bind all the worlds together.
וז"ש כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לשון המשכה
This is the meaning of "The power of His deeds He told to His people" (Tehillim 111:6) — "told" being a term that denotes drawing forth and bringing close.
The phrase "the power of His deeds He told to His people" expresses this, with "told" understood as a term of drawing close and binding.
וז"ש עולת תמיד העשוי' בהר סיני כנ"ל: גם פי' שהביא התנא פסוק נזם זהב כו'
And this is the meaning of "a continual olah that was made at Har Sinai," as explained above. There is also a further explanation of why the Tanna brought the verse "A golden ring":
Thus the tamid is called "made at Har Sinai" because its elevating power stems from Matan Torah. The Sfas Emes now offers an additional reason the Mishnah cited the "golden ring" verse.
כי הקב"ה נתן באדם כלים יקרים מפז והם החושים החכמה והשכל שיש באדם וצריך להשתמש בהם לעבודתו ית' ולעסוק בתורה
For the Holy One, Blessed is He, placed within man precious vessels, more precious than fine gold — namely the senses, the chochmah and the intellect that a person possesses — and he must use them for the avodah of Hashem Yisbarach and to occupy himself with Torah.
Hashem placed in man vessels more precious than gold — his senses, wisdom and intellect — meant to be used for serving Hashem and learning Torah.
וכשמניח הכלים הללו לדברים אחרים נאמר נזם זהב כו'
And when a person sets these vessels aside for other things, it is said of him, "A golden ring [in a swine's snout]."
When a person diverts these precious faculties to other matters, he is like the golden ring in a swine's snout, beauty squandered in an unworthy place.
ואומר חרות כו' הוא להסיר התירוץ מטרדות עוה"ז מאחר שהעוסק בתורה בדילין ממנו כל הטרדות ונעשה בן חורין כו':
And it says "engraved (charus)" — read it as "freedom (cheirus)" — to remove the excuse of the distractions of this world, since for one who occupies himself with Torah all the distractions fall away from him and he becomes a free man.
The drashah of "charus/cheirus" removes the excuse of worldly distraction: one immersed in Torah is freed from those distractions and becomes truly a free man.
Summary: The Sfas Emes opens with the Mishnah in Avos that a daily heavenly voice mourns the disgrace of the Torah, and asks how mere neglect can shame the Torah. He answers that since the Torah was given to Bnei Yisrael and remains forever bound to them as "eternal life planted within us," our setting it aside to cling to physicality brings disgrace upon the crown of Torah itself. He ties this to the korban tamid being "made at Har Sinai": through Matan Torah the Holy One, Blessed is He, rewove Creation so that the Torah and mitzvos of Bnei Yisrael draw all the worlds close to Hashem, a power beyond mere human ability. Finally he explains that Hashem gave man vessels more precious than gold — his senses, wisdom and intellect — and squandering them on other matters is the "golden ring in a swine's snout," while one who immerses himself in Torah is freed from worldly distractions and becomes a free man.