Eretz Yisrael raises the physical to its root

ובמדרש לך אכול בשמחה לחמך חלה יינך נסכים כבר רצה מעשיך כניסת בנ"י לא"י.

And in the Midrash: "Go, eat your bread with joy" (Koheles 9:7) — challah; "your wine" — the nesachim (wine-libations); "for God has already favored your deeds" (Koheles 9:7) — the entry of Bnei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael.

The Sefas Emes cites the Midrash that reads Koheles allegorically: the "bread" eaten in joy alludes to the mitzvah of challah, the "wine" to the libations brought in the Land, and Hashem's having "already favored" alludes to Bnei Yisrael's entry into Eretz Yisrael — the parsha's theme of the Land's gifts.

והוא כמ"ש כי בנ"י כמו שהמשיכו התורה מן השמים לארץ בדור המדבר.

This accords with what was said, that just as Bnei Yisrael drew the Torah down from Heaven to earth in the generation of the wilderness —

In the midbar, Bnei Yisrael's avodah was to bring the Torah down from above into the world, a movement of descent from Heaven to earth.

כן בא"י הי' העלאת ארץ לשמים.

— so in Eretz Yisrael there was the raising up of the earth to Heaven.

In the Land the avodah reverses: now the task is to elevate the physical earth itself upward toward Heaven, sanctifying the material world through the mitzvos tied to the Land.

והוא ב' הבחינות עפר מן האדמה ונשמת חיים.

This corresponds to the two aspects: "dust from the ground" and "the breath of life" (Bereishis 2:7).

These two movements mirror the two components of man: the "dust of the earth" (the physical) and the "breath of life" (the soul breathed in from above). The wilderness-avodah parallels the soul drawn down; the Land-avodah parallels the dust raised up.

ובחטא הראשון נאמר ארורה האדמה כו' בעצבון תאכלנה.

And concerning the first sin it was said, "Cursed is the ground… in sorrow shall you eat of it" (Bereishis 3:17).

After the sin of Adam HaRishon, the earth was cursed and man's eating became bound up with toil and sorrow — the physical world fell into a state of "curse."

ואח"כ נתקן העולם ע"י בנ"י שנבררו וא"י שנברר מכל הארצות ויצא מכלל ארור לברוך ונאמר אכול בשמחה לחמך היפוך בעצבון תאכלנה.

And afterward the world was repaired by means of Bnei Yisrael, who were selected out, and Eretz Yisrael, which was selected from among all the lands, and it passed from the category of "cursed" to "blessed"; and so it is said, "Eat your bread with joy" — the opposite of "in sorrow shall you eat."

The tikkun of that curse came through Bnei Yisrael, chosen from the nations, and Eretz Yisrael, chosen from all lands. Through them the world moved from "cursed" back to "blessed," so that eating itself is transformed from sorrowful toil into joyful avodah — "eat your bread with joy."

לכן כתיב והי' באכלכם מלחם לשון שמחה כנ"ל.

Therefore it is written, "And it shall be, when you eat of the bread of the land" (Bamidbar 15:19) — an expression of joy, as above.

The Torah's phrase "v'hayah" (and it shall be), which Chazal associate with joy, attaches to eating the bread of the Land — for in Eretz Yisrael eating is no longer cursed toil but a joyful elevation of the physical.

כי הנה עיקר השמחה הוא כשמעלין הכל אל השורש כמו שהי' השמחה לאדם הראשון בג"ע שהוא השורש של כל העולם.

For the essence of joy is when one elevates everything to its root, as was the joy of Adam HaRishon in Gan Eden, which is the root of the entire world.

True simchah comes from returning everything to its source. Adam's joy in Gan Eden flowed from his standing at the root of all creation; joy is the experience of the physical reunited with its spiritual origin.

ועתה נתקן ע"י הפרשת החלה הראשית.

And now [this] is repaired by means of separating the challah, the "first portion."

The mitzvah of challah — taking the "reishis" (first portion) of the dough — re-enacts this elevation: by giving the first to Hashem, one returns the bread to its root and restores the joy that was lost in the curse.

וכמו כן בנסכים ומנחות נשאר ברכה לדגנך תירושך ויצהרך ע"י שנתעלה עד השורש לכן אמרו שירה על הנסכים וזה אכול בשמחה כו' כבר רצה כו'.

And likewise with the nesachim (libations) and menachos (meal-offerings), a blessing remains "to your grain, your wine, and your oil" (Devarim 7:13) — because they were elevated up to the root; therefore they recited shirah (song) over the libations, and this is "eat with joy… for He has already favored…"

The wine-libations and meal-offerings likewise raise the produce of the Land to its root, leaving an enduring blessing in the grain, wine, and oil. Because this elevation brings joy, the Leviim sang song over the libations — fulfilling "eat with joy, for Hashem has already favored your deeds."

מה לשון כבר.

What is meant by "already"?

The Sefas Emes asks why the verse says Hashem has "already" favored — implying the favor preceded the deeds.

אך השי"ת כשברא העולם הי' רצונו ית' בשביל ישראל שנקראו ראשית וידע שהם יתקנו ויעלו כל העשי'.

But [the answer is that] when Hashem created the world, His will was for the sake of Yisrael, who are called "reishis" (first), and He knew that they would repair and elevate all of creation.

Hashem created the world for the sake of Bnei Yisrael, called "reishis" — the first and purpose of creation. From the very start He foresaw that they would rectify and raise up all that was made.

לכן כתיב כבר רצה כו' מעשיך:

Therefore it is written, "He has already favored… your deeds."

This is why the favor is "already" present: Hashem's pleasure in the deeds of Bnei Yisrael who elevate the world was embedded in creation from its inception, even before those deeds were performed.

Summary: Expounding the Midrash that reads "eat your bread with joy" as challah, libations, and the entry into Eretz Yisrael, the Sefas Emes contrasts the wilderness-avodah of drawing Torah down from Heaven with the Land-avodah of raising the earth up to Heaven. The curse of "in sorrow shall you eat" is reversed through Bnei Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael — chosen "firsts" — and through the mitzvos of challah, nesachim, and menachos that return produce to its root, restoring the joy of Gan Eden; and Hashem "already" favored these deeds because the whole world was created for the sake of Yisrael, who were destined from the start to elevate all of creation.