Oneness of Hashem, Torah, and Yisrael

אנכי ה' אלקיך.

"I am Hashem your God (Anochi Hashem Elokecha)" (Shemos 20:2).

The Sefas Emes opens with the first of the Aseres HaDibros, the foundation of Matan Torah, which he will read as a statement of the unique bond of oneness between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

עלינו יחד שמו ביותר ע"ש במד' רות.

"He united His Name upon us especially (yichad Shmo aleinu b'yoser)" — see there in the Midrash Rus.

Citing Midrash Rus, the Sefas Emes notes that Hashem attached His Name to Bnei Yisrael in a singular, exclusive way — a unity expressed at Sinai.

דאורייתא וקב"ה וישראל כולהו חד.

For the Torah (Oraisa), the Holy One blessed is He (Kudsha Brich Hu), and Yisrael — all of them are one (kulhu chad).

The Zohar's foundational teaching: Torah, Hashem, and Bnei Yisrael form a single, indivisible unity. The Torah is the bond that joins Yisrael to Hashem.

וז"ש אתה אחד ושמך אחד כי התורה שמותיו של הקב"ה.

And this is what we say, "You are One and Your Name is One" — for the Torah is (composed of) the Names of the Holy One, blessed is He.

The Shabbos prayer "You are One and Your Name is One" hints at this: since the entire Torah is woven from Hashem's Names, the Torah is the very expression of His oneness in the world.

ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד.

"And who is like Your people Yisrael, one nation (goy echad)" (Shmuel II 7:23).

Bnei Yisrael's distinction is precisely their oneness — they are "goy echad," a nation whose unity reflects the oneness of Hashem and His Torah.

ולזה האחדות זוכין בני ישראל על ידי התורה ולכן כתיב תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב שהתורה נקראת קהלת יעקב שעל ידה באין אל האחדות.

And Bnei Yisrael merit this oneness through the Torah, and therefore it is written, "The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the inheritance (morashah) of the congregation of Yaakov (kehillas Yaakov)" — for the Torah is called "the congregation of Yaakov," since through it they come to the oneness (achdus).

The Torah is the means by which Bnei Yisrael attain unity. It is called "kehillas Yaakov" — the gathering of Yaakov — because through Torah the scattered individuals become one assembled congregation, drawn into the achdus of Hashem.

ולכן כתיב אנכי ה' אלקיך לשון יחיד שנתדבקו במתן תורה לשורש האחדות.

And therefore it is written "Anochi Hashem Elokecha" in the singular form (lashon yachid) — for at Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah) they became attached (nisdabku) to the root of oneness.

The Dibros are phrased in the singular ("your God," not "your gods") because at Sinai all of Bnei Yisrael became so unified that they could be addressed as one. They cleaved to the very root of oneness.

והנה פירוש אחד הוא שייך רק באחד המיוחד ב"ה וב"ש שהוא בלי ראשית ובלי תכלית ובלי מדה ומנין וגבול וקצבה כמו שביאר היטב בס' חובת הלבבות ע"ש.

Now, the (true) meaning of "echad" (one) applies only to the singular Unique One, blessed and exalted is He, who is without beginning and without end, without measure, number, boundary, or limit — as is well explained in the sefer Chovos HaLevavos, see there.

True absolute oneness, the Sefas Emes notes (citing Chovos HaLevavos), belongs only to Hashem, who alone is utterly without beginning, end, measure, or limit. Created beings, being finite and countable, are not "one" in this absolute sense.

אכן בני ישראל הם כלים להתדבק ג"כ בזה האחדות ולכן כתיב אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים לצאת מן המצרים והגבולים ולהיות בני תורה כמ"ש ז"ל אין לך בן חורין אלא העוסק בתורה זה החירות כשאין משתעבדין לשום דבר בלי מדה וגבול.

Nevertheless, Bnei Yisrael are vessels (keilim) able to cleave even to this oneness, and therefore it is written "who took you out of the land of Mitzrayim" — to go out from the constraints and boundaries (the meitzarim and gevulim), and to become "bnei Torah," as Chazal said, "there is no free person (ben chorin) except one who engages in Torah." This is the (true) freedom — when one is not enslaved to anything, (cleaving) without measure or boundary.

Bnei Yisrael are uniquely fashioned to attach themselves to Hashem's oneness. The phrase "who took you out of Mitzrayim" hints at "meitzarim" — boundaries and constraints. The Exodus was a going-out from all limits, enabling Bnei Yisrael to become bnei Torah. True freedom is engaging in Torah, where one transcends every finite enslavement and connects to the boundless.

וזה עלינו ייחד שמו ביותר שאין לשום בריה חלק בזה האחדות רק בנ"י שהוציאנו מארץ מצרים כמ"ש:

And this is "He united His Name upon us especially" — that no creature has a portion in this oneness except Bnei Yisrael, whom He took out of the land of Mitzrayim, as stated.

The Sefas Emes returns to Midrash Rus: Hashem's Name is uniquely united with Bnei Yisrael alone. No other creature shares in this bond of oneness, because only Bnei Yisrael were taken out of the constraints of Mitzrayim and made into vessels fit to cleave to Hashem's boundless unity through the Torah.

Summary: "Anochi Hashem Elokecha" expresses that Hashem united His Name uniquely upon Bnei Yisrael, in keeping with the Zohar's teaching that Torah, Hashem, and Yisrael are all one. Since the Torah is woven from Hashem's Names ("You are One and Your Name is One"), Bnei Yisrael attain oneness through it — which is why the Torah is called "kehillas Yaakov" and why the Dibros are phrased in the singular: at Sinai they cleaved to the root of unity. True absolute oneness belongs only to Hashem (per Chovos HaLevavos), who is without beginning, end, or limit, yet Bnei Yisrael are vessels able to cleave to it — for the Exodus from Mitzrayim (meitzarim, constraints) made them bnei Torah, free from every finite boundary. Thus Hashem's Name is uniquely united with Bnei Yisrael alone.