Daily Elevation Toward Sinai

בפרשת התמידין ומוספין עולת תמיד העשוי' בהר סיני

In the parsha of the daily and additional offerings it says, "the continual olah that was made at Har Sinai" (Bamidbar 28:6).

The Torah ties the daily korban to Har Sinai, hinting that the avodah of the korbanos draws its strength from the giving of the Torah.

כי בני ישראל צריכין להעלות העולמות בכל יום

For Bnei Yisrael are obligated to elevate the worlds each and every day.

Bnei Yisrael have a daily task to raise up all the worlds to their source.

וזה הכח קיבלו בהר סיני בקבלת התורם שהי' תיקון על חטא הראשון שבשבילו ירדו העולמות ועלי' זו הי' הכנה על כל הדורות

And this power they received at Har Sinai, with the acceptance of the Torah, which was a rectification for the original sin of Adam, on whose account the worlds descended; and this elevation was a preparation for all the generations.

This ability to elevate the worlds was granted at Sinai, when receiving the Torah fixed Adam's sin that had caused the worlds to fall, and this served as a preparation for every later generation.

ולולי שחטאנו היו נשארין לעולם במדריגה זו כמ"ש אמרתי אלקים אתם ובני עליון כולכם

Had we not sinned, we would have remained forever on this lofty level, as it is written, "I said: You are angels, and sons of the Most High are all of you" (Tehillim 82:6).

Were it not for our sins, we would have stayed permanently on that exalted madreigah, as the pasuk attests that Bnei Yisrael were called angels and sons of the Most High.

כי אדם נק' מהלך שבכל שנותיו הולך ממדריגה למדריגה עד שבא אל השורש

For man is called "one who walks" (mehalech), in that throughout all his years he goes from level to level until he arrives at the root.

A person in this world is a "walker" who is constantly progressing from one level to the next until he reaches his root.

ואז נקרא עומד כמו מלאך שעומד במדריגה המיוחד לו

And then he is called "one who stands" (omeid), like a malach who stands upon the level designated to him.

Once he reaches that root, he is called a "stander," resembling a malach who is fixed on his appointed level.

ובסיני כ' ויעמדו

And at Sinai it is written, "and they stood" (Shemos 19:17, "vayisyatzvu").

The Torah uses the language of "standing" at Sinai, indicating that Bnei Yisrael there reached their root level.

וכ"כ יום אשר עמדת לפני ה' כו' בחורב

And so too it is written, "the day that you stood before Hashem... at Chorev" (Devarim 4:10).

The pasuk in Devarim likewise describes Matan Torah with the word "stood," reinforcing that Sinai brought them to a standing, rooted state.

וכן עבודת המקדש בעמידה כמ"ש לעמוד לשרת

And likewise the avodah of the Beis HaMikdash is performed while standing, as it is written, "to stand to serve" (Devarim 18:5).

Because the service in the Beis HaMikdash is also done standing, it too reflects this idea of reaching the root.

וכן תפלה במקום קרבנות נק' עמידה שהיא להתעלות בכל יום עד השורש בכח קבלת התורה שמצוה לזכור לעולם יום אשר עמדת בחורב

And so too tefillah, which stands in place of the korbanos, is called the Amidah (standing), for its purpose is to ascend each day up to the root through the power of the acceptance of the Torah, regarding which there is a mitzvah to remember forever "the day that you stood at Chorev."

Tefillah replaces the korbanos and is called the Amidah precisely because, through the power of Matan Torah, it lifts a person daily to his root, which is why we are commanded to always remember the day we stood at Chorev.

ומ"ש חז"ל שאמר הקב"ה למשה עד שאתה מצוני על בני צוה בני עלי הם ב' הבחי' ה' האמרת וה' האמירך

And that which Chazal said, that the Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Moshe Rabbeinu, "Before you command Me concerning My children, command My children concerning Me" (Sifri, Bamidbar 28:2) — these are the two aspects: "Hashem has caused you to declare" and "Hashem has caused you to be declared" (Devarim 26:17-18).

The Midrash that has Hashem telling Moshe Rabbeinu to first command Bnei Yisrael about Him corresponds to the two-sided bond of the pesukim: that Hashem singled out Bnei Yisrael and that Bnei Yisrael singled out Hashem.

וב' אלו מתחדשין בכל יום בחירת הקב"ה בישראל והתעלות בנ"י להתקרב אל השורש כנ"ל:

And these two are renewed each and every day: the choosing of the Holy One, Blessed is He, in Bnei Yisrael, and the elevation of Bnei Yisrael to draw close to the root, as explained above.

Both of these — Hashem's choosing of Bnei Yisrael and Bnei Yisrael's rising to come close to their root — are renewed every single day.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains why the Torah links the daily korban tamid to Har Sinai: the very power of Bnei Yisrael to elevate the worlds each day flows from the acceptance of the Torah, which rectified Adam's sin and became a preparation for all generations. In this world a person is a "walker," forever climbing from level to level toward his root, and only when he reaches that root is he called a "stander," like a malach fixed on his place — which is the language the Torah uses for Sinai. This same standing is found in the avodah of the Beis HaMikdash and in tefillah, called the Amidah, which daily lifts a person back to his root through the strength of Matan Torah. Finally, the Midrash in which Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu to command Bnei Yisrael about Him reflects the mutual bond of "Hashem caused you to declare" and "Hashem caused you to be declared" — Hashem's choosing of Bnei Yisrael and their drawing close to the root, both of which are renewed afresh every single day.