Drawing Down Heavenly Flow

בפרשת התמידין ובדרשת חז"ל עד שאתה מצוני על בני צוה בני עלי

Regarding the portion of the daily tamid offerings, and the teaching of Chazal: "Before you command Me concerning My children, command My children concerning Me."

The Sfas Emes opens with the daily tamid offerings and a teaching of Chazal in which Hashem tells Bnei Yisrael to command Him concerning their needs before He commands them concerning His offerings.

דכבר כתבתי פי' אמו"ז ז"ל בפסוק לחמי לאשי ריח כו' תשמרו כו' כי הקב"ה נותן שפע פרנסה וחיים בכל יום אבל הרצון הוא שבנ"י יעלו נ"ר לפניו ושבכח זה ירד השפע לעולם ואז היא בתוספות מרובה על העיקר וז"ש לחמי לאשי

For I have already written the explanation of my grandfather and teacher, of blessed memory, on the verse "My food offering, for My fire-offerings, a pleasing aroma... you shall safeguard" (Bamidbar 28:2): that the Holy One, Blessed is He, bestows a flow of sustenance and life every single day, but His desire is that Bnei Yisrael raise up a pleasing satisfaction before Him, and that through this power the flow should descend into the world, and then it comes with an abundance far greater than the original measure. This is the meaning of "My food, for My fire-offerings."

He cites his grandfather: Hashem gives sustenance daily, but His true desire is that Bnei Yisrael generate spiritual pleasure before Him, which then draws an even greater flow into the world.

תשמרו שיהי' ע"י ריח ניחוח עכ"ד ושפתים ישק

"You shall safeguard" — that it should come about by means of a pleasing aroma; thus far the words of my grandfather, and may lips be kissed for them.

The phrase "you shall safeguard" teaches that this flow should come specifically through producing a pleasing aroma before Hashem.

והם הם דברי חז"ל שאמרו בכ"ו כל"ח שכ"ו דורות קודם שניתנה התורה זן הקב"ה אותם בחסדו

And these very words are the words of Chazal who said in tractate Pesachim, in the chapter "Ki HaLachma": that for the twenty-six generations before the Torah was given, the Holy One, Blessed is He, sustained them with His kindness.

This matches the teaching that for twenty-six generations before Sinai, Hashem sustained the world purely through His kindness, without it being earned through deeds.

ובקבלת התורה ניתן שבנ"י במעשיהם ימשכו השפע משמים

And with the receiving of the Torah, it was granted that Bnei Yisrael, through their deeds, would draw down the flow from Heaven.

Once the Torah was given, Bnei Yisrael gained the ability to actively draw the heavenly flow down through their own actions.

וז"ש העשוי' בהר סיני

This is the meaning of "the one prepared at Har Sinai" (Bamidbar 28:6).

This is hinted in the verse describing the tamid as "prepared at Har Sinai."

שאז נתקן זה הסדר שיוכלו בנ"י במעשיהם לזכות שיעשו פרי למעלה

For it was then that this arrangement was instituted, that Bnei Yisrael could merit through their deeds to produce fruit Above.

At Sinai the system was established whereby the deeds of Bnei Yisrael could bear fruit in the upper worlds.

וזה עצמו ענין הקדמת נעשה לנשמע כמ"ש עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו שבנ"י בחרו להם זה הדרך שבהקדמת מעשיהם הטובים יזכו לשמוע בקול דברו

And this itself is the matter of placing "naaseh" before "nishma" ("we will do" before "we will hear"), as it is written "those who fulfill His word, to hearken to the voice of His word" (Tehillim 103:20): that Bnei Yisrael chose for themselves this path, that through placing their good deeds first they would merit to hearken to the voice of His word.

Their declaring "naaseh" before "nishma" expresses this very choice: by putting good deeds first, they merit to truly hear Hashem's word.

וכל ענין הקרבנות הוא לקרב התחתונים להעליונים

And the entire matter of the korbanos is to draw the lower realms near to the upper realms.

The whole purpose of korbanos is to bring the lower worlds close to the upper worlds.

ותחילת התקרבות זאת הי' במעמד הר סיני כמ"ש וקרבתנו מלכנו לשמך הגדול

And the beginning of this drawing near was at the standing at Har Sinai, as we say "and You brought us near, our King, to Your great Name."

This drawing-near began at Har Sinai, echoed in the tefillah "You brought us near to Your great Name."

ודרשו שהוא רמז לזכירת מעמד הר סיני ושם יצאתה נשמתן של בנ"י רק השי"ת נתן שע"י הקרבת בעל חי יהי' כאלו הקריב נפשו ומתקרב עי"ז הקרבן מבהמה

And Chazal expounded that this is an allusion to remembering the standing at Har Sinai; for there the neshamah of Bnei Yisrael departed from them, only that Hashem granted that through bringing a living creature as a korban it would be as though a person offered up his own soul, and through this he draws near by means of the korban from an animal.

At Sinai the souls of Bnei Yisrael left them; Hashem then arranged that offering an animal would be reckoned as if one offered his own soul, achieving closeness through the korban.

ובכל יום יש הארה ממעמד הר סיני מכלל שצונו לזכור בכל יום מוכח שבשמים יש זכירה זו בכל יום רק שבנ"י צריכין לעורר זאת בעבודה שבלב זו תפלה שבמקום תמידין כמ"ש עושי דברו וגם בתפלה עקימת שפתים הוי מעשה ועי"ז לשמוע בקול דברו וזה צוה בני עלי כנ"ל

And every day there is an illumination from the standing at Har Sinai. From the very fact that He commanded us to remember it every day, it is proven that in Heaven there is this remembrance every day; only that Bnei Yisrael must awaken this through the service of the heart, which is tefillah that stands in place of the daily tamid offerings, as it is written "those who fulfill His word" — and also in tefillah the movement of the lips is considered an act, and through this one comes "to hearken to the voice of His word," and this is "command My children concerning Me," as above.

Since we are commanded to remember Sinai daily, there must be a corresponding daily remembrance in Heaven; tefillah, which replaces the tamid, awakens it, with the very movement of the lips counting as a deed.

וחז"ל דרשו להקיש לעולת הר סיני שצריך כלי כמ"ש וישם באגנות הובא ברש"י

And Chazal expounded to compare it to the olah offering of Har Sinai, which requires a vessel, as it is written "and he placed it in basins" (Shemos 24:6), as brought by Rashi.

Chazal compare the tamid to the Sinai olah, which needed a vessel, learned from the blood placed in basins.

והרמז הוא כי אז בהר סיני נעשו בנ"י עצמם בחי' כלי שרת כמ"ש ז"ל 'כ'ל'י הוא 'כהנים 'לוים 'ישראלים ובמעמד הר סיני נתקדשו בנ"י ונתקנו להיות כלי לעבודתו ית"ש כמ"ש אשר קדשנו במצותיו

And the allusion is that there at Har Sinai Bnei Yisrael themselves became like a sacred service-vessel, as Chazal said: the letters of "keli" (vessel) stand for Kohanim, Leviim, Yisraelim; and at the standing at Har Sinai Bnei Yisrael were sanctified and made fit to be a vessel for the service of Hashem, may His Name be blessed, as we say "Who sanctified us with His mitzvos."

The deeper hint is that at Sinai Bnei Yisrael themselves became a sacred vessel — the letters of "keli" standing for Kohanim, Leviim, and Yisraelim — sanctified for Hashem's service.

בשעת קבלת התורה הי' קידושין אלו

At the time of receiving the Torah, this betrothal took place.

This sanctification at the giving of the Torah was like a betrothal between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

לכן צריכין לזכור זאת תמיד

Therefore we must remember this always.

Because it was a betrothal, we are obligated to keep its memory always before us.

כענין שאמרו אין אשה כורתת ברית אלא למי שעושה אותה כלי

It is like the matter they said: a woman enters a covenant only with one who makes her into a vessel.

This parallels the principle that a woman bonds in covenant only with the one who makes her into a vessel.

כמו כן ממש נתחדשו נפשות בנ"י בקבלת התורה וזהו העשוי' בהר סיני

In exactly the same way, the souls of Bnei Yisrael were renewed at the receiving of the Torah, and this is "the one prepared at Har Sinai."

In the same way, the souls of Bnei Yisrael were genuinely renewed at the Torah's giving — the meaning of "prepared at Har Sinai."

אמת שכל העולם נתקן בהר סיני באמצעיות בנ"י שנק' כלי שרת כנ"ל

It is true that the entire world was made fit at Har Sinai by means of Bnei Yisrael, who are called a sacred service-vessel, as above.

Indeed the whole world was made fit at Sinai through Bnei Yisrael, who are the sacred service-vessel.

וכמו שהי' שם חצי הדם זרק על המזבח וחצי באגנות

And just as there half the blood was thrown upon the mizbeach and half placed in the basins,

He draws on the detail that at Sinai half the blood went on the mizbeach and half into the basins.

וע"ז רמזו חז"ל בפסוק שררך אגן הסהר שנתעלו בנ"י להיות מכוונים פנים בפנים כו'

upon this Chazal alluded in the verse "Your navel is like a round basin" (Shir HaShirim 7:3): that Bnei Yisrael were elevated to be aligned face to face, and so forth.

Chazal alluded to this in "Your navel is like a round basin," describing how Bnei Yisrael were elevated to stand face to face with Hashem.

והנה כתיב תשמרו להקריב לי

And behold, it is written "you shall safeguard to offer to Me."

He returns to the verse "you shall safeguard to offer to Me."

לי לשמי פי' שהגם שיודעין שבכח הקרבנות נמשך שפע וברכה לכל העולם

"To Me" — meaning for My Name; the explanation being that although they know that through the power of the korbanos a flow and blessing is drawn to the entire world,

"To Me" means for Hashem's Name alone; even though they know the korbanos draw blessing to the whole world,

אך הרצון צריך להיות לשם ריח ניחוח בלבד ולקרב התחתונים לעליונים

nevertheless the intent must be solely for the sake of a pleasing aroma and to draw the lower realms near to the upper realms.

the intent must remain purely for a pleasing aroma and to draw the lower realms near to the upper.

וממילא נמשך ברכה מלמעלה למטה

And as a matter of course, blessing is drawn from Above to below.

When that is the intent, blessing automatically flows down from Above.

ופי' תשמרו שכל היום הי' הכנה מרוב התשוקה לבוא זמן התמיד [וכן צריך להיות בתפלה שכל היום יהי' טפל אצל האדם ועיקר הויתו יהי' בשעת התפלה כמ"ש החבר מעלת החסיד]. וזהו תשמרו להקריב כו' במועדו

And the explanation of "you shall safeguard" is that the whole day was a preparation, out of great yearning for the time of the tamid to arrive. [And so it must be with tefillah, that the whole day should be secondary in a person's eyes, and the essence of his existence should be at the time of tefillah, as the Chaver said regarding the level of the chassid.] And this is "you shall safeguard to offer... in its appointed time."

"You shall safeguard" means yearning the entire day for the moment of the tamid, just as one's whole day should be secondary to the time of tefillah, as the Kuzari teaches about the chassid.

וזהו ההכנה שייך גם בגלות להיות מצפין לבנין המקדש והקרבנות והוא בכלל תשמרו להקריב

And this preparation applies even in galus, to look forward longingly to the building of the Beis HaMikdash and the korbanos, and it is included in "you shall safeguard to offer."

This preparation and longing apply even in galus, by yearning for the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash and its korbanos.

ובזו התשוקה יש לנו חלק בקרבנות המקדש שהי' אז ושיבנה במהרה בימינו אמן:

And through this yearning we have a portion in the korbanos of the Beis HaMikdash that existed then, and that should be rebuilt speedily in our days, amen.

Through this very yearning we share in the korbanos of the Beis HaMikdash, both as it was and as it will be rebuilt speedily in our days.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that Hashem provides sustenance to the world every day, but His true desire is that Bnei Yisrael draw this flow down actively through their own deeds, producing a pleasing aroma before Him — a power that was granted specifically at Har Sinai. The standing at Sinai was the beginning of the drawing-near accomplished by korbanos, where the offering of an animal is reckoned as if one offered his own soul, and where Bnei Yisrael themselves were sanctified and transformed into a sacred service-vessel ("keli" = Kohanim, Leviim, Yisraelim). This sanctification was a kind of betrothal between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael, which is why we are commanded to remember Sinai every day, awakening it through the service of the heart that is tefillah, which stands in place of the daily tamid. The proper intent in the korbanos and in tefillah must be solely for the sake of Hashem's Name, to bring the lower realms close to the upper — and then blessing flows down of its own accord. This yearning and preparation apply even in galus, so that by longing for the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash we already have a portion in its korbanos, may it be rebuilt speedily in our days.