Face to face: mutual turning to Hashem

כתיב פנים בפנים דיבר ה' עמכם.

It is written, "Face to face Hashem spoke with you" (Devarim 5:4).

The Sefas Emes opens with the pasuk describing the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai as a "face to face" encounter between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael — a moment of utterly direct closeness.

ואיתא בפסיקתא יש שמלמד רוצה ואין התלמיד רוצה ויש תלמיד רוצה ואין הרב רוצה ברם הכא פנים בפנים דיבר.

And it is brought in the Pesikta: sometimes the teacher wishes [to teach] but the student does not wish, and sometimes the student wishes but the rav does not wish; but here, "face to face He spoke."

The Pesikta contrasts ordinary teaching, where teacher and student are rarely fully aligned in desire, with Matan Torah, where both Hashem and Bnei Yisrael turned toward one another with complete mutual willingness — true "face to face."

פי' פנים כמ"ש ופניתי אליכם דרשו חז"ל פונה אני מכל עסקי ועוסק בכם.

The meaning of "panim (face)" is as it is written, "and I will turn (ufanisi) toward you" (Vayikra 26:9), which Chazal expounded: "I turn away from all My affairs and occupy Myself with you."

The word "panim" is linked to the verb "to turn." Chazal read Hashem's promise as a turning of full attention: He sets aside, as it were, all else to be wholly engaged with Bnei Yisrael.

וכמו כן פנו בני ישראל מכל עסקיהם ועוסקים בתורה.

And likewise Bnei Yisrael turned away from all their affairs and occupied themselves with the Torah.

The "face to face" is mutual: just as Hashem turns entirely toward us, Bnei Yisrael in turn cleared away every other concern to immerse themselves completely in Torah.

ולהבין פי' פונה אני מכל עסקי אצל הקב"ה.

But to understand the meaning of "I turn away from all My affairs" with respect to Hashem.

The Sefas Emes raises a difficulty: how can we speak of Hashem "turning away from His affairs," as if He had matters that could distract Him? He proceeds to explain what this truly means.

רק הרמז שכל תהלוכות העולמות למעלה למעלה הכל הוא לפי הנהגות בני ישראל שכל פינות שהוא פונה כולם הם בכם.

Rather, the allusion is that all the workings of the worlds, higher and higher, are entirely according to the conduct of Bnei Yisrael — that all the "corners" (pinos) toward which He turns are all within you.

"Hashem's affairs" are the running of all the upper worlds, and these all pivot on the avodah of Bnei Yisrael. Every "turning" of Hashem throughout creation is ultimately directed toward and dependent upon them — so His attention is never really elsewhere; it is always "in you."

וכמו כן בנ"י למטה כך צריך להיות שכל המכוון מכל הפינות שהם פונים יהי' רק לשמו ית'.

And likewise Bnei Yisrael below — so it must be, that the aim of every "corner" toward which they turn should be solely for His Name, may He be blessed.

The mirror image is demanded of us: in every direction we turn and in all our affairs, the single intention should be for the sake of Hashem alone. Our whole life should "face" Him, just as His whole governance "faces" us.

וכן הי' במעמד הר סיני כמ"ש נפשי יצאה בדברו.

And so it was at the standing at Har Sinai, as it is written, "my soul departed as He spoke" (Shir HaShirim 5:6).

At Matan Torah this total turning toward Hashem reached its peak: Bnei Yisrael were so wholly given over to His word that their very souls left them, as the pasuk describes — the ultimate bittul of self toward Hashem.

ובזמן המקדש שהיו עולין ג"פ בשנה הי' מתחדש זה הדביקות בכל רגל כמ"ש יראה כל זכורך כו' פני ה' אלקיך היא בחי' פנים בפנים כמ"ש ז"ל כשם שהוא בא לראות כך בא להראות.

And in the time of the Beis HaMikdash, when they would ascend three times a year, this dveikus was renewed on each Regel, as it is written, "all your males shall appear… the face of Hashem your God" (Shemos 23:17) — this is the aspect of "face to face," as Chazal said: "just as one comes to see, so one comes to be seen."

The "face to face" closeness of Sinai was not a one-time event; aliyah laregel renewed it each festival. The mitzvah of re'iyah is itself a "face to face": one comes to "see" the face of Hashem and is simultaneously "seen" by Him — a reciprocal beholding, just as Chazal teach on the dual reading of the word.

שהרי פנו בנ"י כל איש ואיש מכל עסקיו והלך להיראות פני ה' וכ"כ בזוה"ק בקשו פני אילין מועדיא:

For Bnei Yisrael — each and every individual — turned away from all his affairs and went to appear before the face of Hashem; and so it is written in the Zohar HaKadosh: "seek My face" — these are the festivals (mo'adim).

The act of aliyah laregel embodied the very "turning": each Jew set aside all his concerns to go and present himself before Hashem. The Zohar seals the idea by reading "seek My face" as a reference to the festivals — the appointed times when we turn our full face toward Hashem and He toward us.

Summary: "Face to face Hashem spoke with you" expresses the mutual, total turning of Matan Torah — Hashem "turning away from all His affairs" to engage with Bnei Yisrael, and Bnei Yisrael clearing away every concern to immerse in Torah. Since the running of all the upper worlds pivots entirely on Bnei Yisrael, Hashem's "face" is in truth always turned toward them, and we are correspondingly called to direct every facet of our lives toward His Name alone. This face-to-face dveikus, sealed at Sinai with "my soul departed as He spoke," was renewed at each Regel through aliyah laregel, when every Jew turned from his affairs to be seen by, and to behold, the face of Hashem.