Becoming Torah Through Self-Sacrifice

בענין שתי הלחם דכתיב לכו לחמו בלחמי.

Concerning the Two Loaves (Shtei HaLechem), as it is written, "Come, partake of My bread" (Mishlei 9:5).

The Sefas Emes connects the Shtei HaLechem of Shavuos with the verse inviting one to eat of Hashem's "bread" — alluding to the Torah.

דכ' וידבר אלקים כו' לאמר.

As it is written, "And Hashem spoke… saying (leimor)" (Shemos 20:1).

The Aseres HaDibros begin with "spoke… saying" — and the extra word leimor will be the key to the whole teaching.

ואיתא שהיו עונין על הן הן כו'.

And it is taught that they would answer "yes" to the positive [commandments] and "no" to the negative ones.

Chazal describe how Bnei Yisrael responded at Sinai, affirming each commandment — an active receiving of the Torah into themselves.

ויובן עפ"י מ"ש במ"א פי' אמרם ז"ל זאת התורה אדם כי ימות אין התורה מתקיימת אלא במי שממית עצמו עליה.

This may be understood according to what we explained elsewhere regarding the saying of Chazal on "This is the Torah: a man who dies [in a tent]" (Bamidbar 19:14) — that the Torah endures only in one who "kills himself" over it (i.e., devotes himself to it with total self-sacrifice).

Chazal read "a man who dies" as a hint that Torah is acquired only through mesirus nefesh — utter self-negation in its pursuit.

ופרשנו דכ' ע"ז זאת התורה אדם כזה נעשה בעצם תורה.

And we explained that "This is the Torah: a man" [means] such a person himself becomes, in his very essence, Torah.

One who gives himself over to Torah does not merely study it — he becomes Torah in his very being.

וע"ש במד' תנחומא פ' תבוא על ר"ע שדרשו עליו חלקם בחיים שיש לו חלק בעצם התורה שנק' עץ חיים.

And see there in the Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Tavo, regarding Rabbi Akiva, on whom they expounded "their portion in life" (Tehillim 17:14) — that he has a portion in the very essence of the Torah, which is called the "Tree of Life."

Rabbi Akiva exemplifies one who attained a share in the essence of Torah, the Eitz HaChaim — his very life became bound up with it.

וכמו כן בקבלת התורה שהי' במס"נ כמ"ש נפשי יצאה בדברו ונעשו בנ"י בעצמם תורה.

So too at the receiving of the Torah, which took place with mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice), as it is written, "my soul departed when He spoke" (Shir HaShirim 5:6) — Bnei Yisrael themselves became Torah.

At Sinai the people's souls "departed" in total self-surrender, and through that self-sacrifice they themselves were transformed into Torah.

וז"ש וידבר כו' לאמר שנבלע בעצמותן עצם התורה.

This is the meaning of "And He spoke… saying (leimor)" — that the essence of the Torah was absorbed into their very being.

The word leimor hints that the Torah was internalized — "spoken into" them — until its essence was absorbed into their substance.

וזהו שהיו עונין כו'.

And this is [the meaning of] their "answering" [yes and no].

Their responding to each commandment reflects this inner absorption — the Torah became part of them, so they answered from within.

ועל בחי' זו מבקשין ישקני מנשיקות פיהו.

Concerning this level we ask, "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth" (Shir HaShirim 1:2).

The intimate "kiss" of the verse expresses this absorption of Torah directly from Hashem's "mouth" into the soul.

וע' בזו"ח מה שדרש בלשון פיהו.

And see in the Zohar Chadash what it expounds on the expression "His mouth" (pihu).

The Sefas Emes points to the Zohar Chadash's deeper exposition of why the verse says "His mouth."

ואמרו חז"ל כי טובים דודיך חביבין דברי סופרים מדברי תורה.

And Chazal said on "for Your love is better [than wine]" (Shir HaShirim 1:2) that the words of the Sofrim (the Sages) are more beloved than the words of the [written] Torah.

The teachings derived by the Sages are especially "beloved," because they reflect the Torah lived and internalized by human beings.

ואיתא במשנה כל שמעשיו מרובין מחכמתו דומה לאילן ששרשיו מרובין שנא' והי' כעץ כו' יובל ישלח שרשיו ע"ש.

And it is taught in the Mishnah: anyone whose deeds exceed his wisdom is like a tree whose roots are many, as it is said, "and he shall be like a tree… that sends forth its roots by the stream" (Yirmiyah 17:8) — see there.

When a person's deeds outweigh his abstract wisdom, he is firmly rooted like a well-anchored tree — his Torah is grounded in living action.

והנה לעיל מיני' כתיב ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' והי' ה' מבטחו.

Now just before that verse it is written, "Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, and Hashem will be his security" (Yirmiyah 17:7).

The preceding verse praises the one who places his bitachon in Hashem — and this, the Sefas Emes will show, is what makes deeds exceed wisdom.

כי איך יתכן להיות מעשה מרובה מחכמה רק בכח ה' דכתיב בטח בה' ועשה טוב כי בנ"י יש להם חלק ושורש בתורה.

For how is it possible for deeds to exceed wisdom — only through the power of Hashem, as it is written, "Trust in Hashem and do good" (Tehillim 37:3) — since Bnei Yisrael have a portion and a root in the Torah.

Deeds can surpass one's own wisdom only when one draws on Hashem's power through bitachon, for every Jew has an innate root in the Torah deeper than his conscious understanding.

וע"י הבטחון ומס"נ לשמו ית' מתדבק בכח שורש חלקו שיש לו בתורה.

And through bitachon and mesirus nefesh for the sake of His Name, one cleaves to the power of the root of his portion in the Torah.

Trust and self-sacrifice for Hashem connect a person to that hidden root of Torah within him, releasing a power greater than his own intellect.

ועיין במד' דברים שדורש על פסוק והי' ה' מבטחו מה הבוטח בע"ז כתיב כמוהם יהיו עושיהם ק"ו הבוטח בה' כו' שעי"ז נתוסף לו הויה חדשה ומקבל כח אלקותו ית"ש.

And see in the Midrash Devarim, which expounds on the verse "and Hashem will be his security": just as concerning one who trusts in idolatry it is written, "those who make them shall become like them" (Tehillim 115:8), how much more so one who trusts in Hashem — that through this a new existence (havayah chadashah) is added to him, and he receives the power of Hashem's Divinity.

An idolater becomes as lifeless as his idols; by contrast, one who trusts in Hashem takes on, all the more, something of Hashem — a "new existence," receiving the power of His G-dliness.

ובשמיני עצרת הארכנו ע"ש.

And on Shemini Atzeres we elaborated on this — see there.

The Sefas Emes refers the reader to his fuller treatment elsewhere.

וזה ענין מגילת רות בעצרת דכתיב אשרי אדם עוז לו בך פי' עיקר קבלת התורה שנק' עוז כשמקבל האדם דברי תורה להיות מסילות בלבבו שישאר אצלו רשימות וחקיקות בתורה.

This is the matter of Megillas Rus being read on Shavuos (Atzeres), as it is written, "Fortunate is the man whose strength (oz) is in You, [in whose heart are the highways]" (Tehillim 84:6) — the meaning is that the essence of receiving the Torah, which is called oz (strength), is when a person receives the words of Torah such that they become "highways" in his heart, so that impressions and engravings of Torah remain with him.

Receiving the Torah ("oz") means letting its words carve permanent "pathways" in the heart, leaving lasting impressions — the Torah becomes engraved into one's inner self.

וזהו נקרא עוז לו בך כמ"ש לעיל שנעשה בעצם בן תורה וכל מעשיו תורה.

This is what is called "his strength is in You" — as explained above, that he becomes in his very essence a "son of Torah," and all his deeds are Torah.

Such a person's strength is rooted in Hashem; he is essentially a "ben Torah," so that even his ordinary actions are Torah.

וכן הי' בבועז.

And so it was with Boaz.

Boaz exemplified this — a man whose every deed was Torah.

וסיום הפסוק עוברי בעמק הבכא הוא כמ"ש במ"א צדיקים כאלו בכל מקום שעוברין אפילו במקומות המסוכנים ומרוחקים מן הקדושה בכח שתורת ה' בלבם מוציאין שם מעין נובע וז"ש מעין ישיתוהו.

And the conclusion of the verse, "those who pass through the Valley of Weeping (emek habacha)," is as we explained elsewhere: that such tzaddikim, in every place they pass — even in dangerous places far removed from kedushah — by the power of Hashem's Torah in their hearts, draw forth there a flowing spring; and this is the meaning of "they make it a spring (ma'ayan)" (Tehillim 84:7).

Tzaddikim like Boaz carry Torah in their hearts everywhere; even passing through spiritually barren or perilous "valleys," they open up wellsprings of holiness in those very places.

וכן אלימלך שהי' אדם גדול בתורה וכפי הנראה היה במעמד הר סיני לכן אעפ"י שחטא ביציאתו לחוץ לארץ מ"מ הי' סיבה להוליד משיח צדקנו.

And so too Elimelech, who was a great man in Torah and apparently was present at the standing at Har Sinai — therefore, even though he sinned in leaving for outside the Land, he was nonetheless the cause of bringing forth Mashiach Tzidkeinu.

Even Elimelech, despite his sin of leaving Eretz Yisrael, had so deep a root in Torah (from Sinai) that he became the ancestor through whom Mashiach would come.

ומכל מעשיהם נעשה תורה.

And from all of their deeds, Torah was made.

The very actions of these figures became Torah — fixed forever in the holy text and in halachah.

וכ"נ מלשון המד' רות שאמר כ"פ שנתחדשה הלכה עמוני ולא עמונית נראה שבכח מעשיהם נתחדש הלכה זו.

And so it appears from the language of the Midrash Rus, which says several times that a halachah was newly revealed — "an Amoni [is forbidden] but not an Amonis [a female Moabite/Ammonite]" — it appears that through the power of their deeds this halachah was newly revealed.

The deeds of Rus and Boaz literally generated new Torah: the halachah permitting a female convert from Ammon/Moav was brought to light through them, showing how their actions became Torah.

וזהו עוז לו בך כמ"ש במד' מצורע לאילין דשבילין דאורייתא כבישין בליבהון.

And this is "his strength is in You," as stated in the Midrash on Metzora regarding "those in whose hearts the pathways of the Torah are paved (kevishin b'libhon)."

"Strength in Hashem" describes those who have inwardly "paved" the pathways of Torah within their hearts — Torah is engraved into them.

וכ' וידבר אלקים כו' לאמר אנכי ה' אלקיך.

And it is written, "And Hashem spoke… saying: I am Hashem your G-d" (Shemos 20:1-2).

Returning to the opening verse, the Sefas Emes now reads its deeper sense.

שנתן הקב"ה כח אלקותו ית' בתורה ובכח בנ"י המוציאים בפיהם דברי תורה.

That Hashem placed the power of His Divinity into the Torah, and into the power of Bnei Yisrael who bring forth words of Torah with their mouths.

The "I am Hashem" invested Hashem's own G-dliness within the Torah — and within Bnei Yisrael who give voice to it, so that speaking Torah draws down Divinity.

כמ"ש ז"ל קוב"ה ואורייתא וישראל כולהו חד.

As Chazal said: the Holy One, the Torah, and Yisrael are all one.

This unity is the foundation: Hashem, the Torah, and Bnei Yisrael are essentially a single reality.

פי' בכח בנ"י להמשיך אלקות בכח דברי תורה.

The meaning is that it is in the power of Bnei Yisrael to draw down Divinity (Elokus) through the power of the words of Torah.

Because of that unity, when Bnei Yisrael speak words of Torah they actually draw G-dliness into the world.

וכ' עוז התאזר.

And it is written, "[Hashem reigns,] He has girded Himself with strength (oz his'azar)" (Tehillim 93:1).

The Sefas Emes returns to the theme of oz, now in the context of "girding."

ואיתא התאז"ר גי' תרי"ג.

And it is taught that "his'azar" (התאזר) has the gematria of 613 (taryag).

The numerical value of "his'azar" equals 613 — the number of the mitzvos — linking the "girding of strength" to the entire Torah.

שכל מצוה הוא דרך להמשיך התורה בתרי"ג אורחין וכן ה' אלקי ישראל גי' תרי"ג.

For each mitzvah is a pathway to draw down the Torah through the 613 "ways" (orchin); and likewise "Hashem, the G-d of Yisrael" (ה' אלקי ישראל) has the gematria of 613.

Every one of the 613 mitzvos is a distinct channel for drawing down Torah and Divinity — and even the phrase "Hashem, the G-d of Yisrael" numerically equals 613, sealing the connection.

שבכח תרי"ג מצות יכולין למשוך אלקותו ית"ש.

For through the power of the 613 mitzvos one can draw down His Divinity.

The full body of 613 mitzvos is the means by which Bnei Yisrael draw Hashem's G-dliness into the world.

וכן הי' במעמד הר סיני כמ"ש אמרתי אלקים אתם:

And so it was at the standing at Har Sinai, as it is written, "I said, you are godlike (elokim atem)" (Tehillim 82:6).

At Sinai, Bnei Yisrael were so filled with Divinity through receiving the Torah that they themselves were called "elokim" — the ultimate expression of "Hashem, Torah, and Yisrael are one."

Summary: At the giving of the Torah, Bnei Yisrael received it with such mesirus nefesh that the Torah's very essence was absorbed into them — they themselves became Torah, with the words engraved as permanent "pathways" in their hearts. Through bitachon and self-sacrifice for Hashem, a person cleaves to his innate root in the Torah and receives a "new existence" infused with G-dliness — exemplified by Boaz, Rus, and even Elimelech, whose deeds literally became Torah and brought forth Mashiach. Since "Hashem, the Torah, and Yisrael are one," every one of the 613 mitzvos is a channel through which Bnei Yisrael draw down Hashem's Divinity — as at Sinai, where they were called "elokim."