Borders Set for Israel
זכור ימות עולם בהנחל כו' יצב גבולות עמים למ' בנ"י.
“Remember the days of old… When He gave the nations their inheritance… He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.”
The Sefat Emet begins by noting that the Torah ties the arrangement of all nations to the destiny and number of Israel, meaning that the structure of the world is organized with Israel at its spiritual center.
פי' רש"י ז"ל לזכור דור המבול והפלגה.
Rashi explains: to remember the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion.
The Sefat Emet highlights Rashi’s teaching that these earlier generations must be recalled to understand how God shaped the nations.
דכתיב הן עם א' ושפה א' כו'.
As it is written: “Behold, one people and one language.”
This refers to the generation of the Tower, who were unified in speech and purpose.
וכנראה שניטל מהם הבחירה.
And it seems that free choice was taken from them.
The Sefat Emet suggests that their unity resulted in the loss of true moral choice, since their uniform will did not allow for individual spiritual striving.
ולמה כן.
And why was this so?
He raises the question: what was the divine purpose in removing their free choice?
אך הכל בעבור ישראל כי השי"ת חס על עמו בנ"י.
But all of this was for the sake of Israel, for God had compassion on His people Israel.
The Sefat Emet teaches that God shaped historical events in a way that protects Israel’s unique mission.
ולאשר בנ"י היו בלולין בהם אז.
And because Israel was mixed among them at that time.
Israel’s spiritual root was intertwined within the earlier generations, so divine action affected them as well.
לכן אמר עם אחד.
Therefore it says “one people.”
The phrase hints that the “oneness” actually alludes to Israel’s unified spiritual essence present among them.
ושמעתי מאא"ז מו"ר ז"ל כי עם א' ושפה א' הם בנ"י כנ"ל.
And I heard from my grandfather and teacher that “one people and one language” refers to Israel.
His ancestor taught that the Torah’s description subtly points to the unity of Israel rather than to the sinners of the generation.
ולכן ניטל מהם הבחירה.
Therefore free choice was taken from them.
Because the quality of Israelic unity was present, their actions no longer flowed from individual choice but from a collective destiny.
וז"ש יצב ג"ע פי' שהסתרות שבעים אומות הוא רק לפי ערך כח בנ"י שיוכלו לתקן ולברר.
And this is the meaning of “He set the boundaries”—that the concealments within the seventy nations correspond to the capacity of Israel to repair and refine them.
The number and nature of the nations reflect Israel’s spiritual ability to elevate sparks within them.
וזה למספר בנ"י.
And this is “according to the number of the children of Israel.”
The structure of nations matches the spiritual structure of Israel.
וזה ההפרש שבחירה לאומות הוא אף להיות נאבד לגמרי.
This is the difference: the nations’ free choice may lead them to complete destruction.
The Sefat Emet notes that non‑Israelite choice includes the possibility of total spiritual dissolution.
ולא כן לבנ"י.
But not so for Israel.
Israel’s spiritual root prevents total loss; there is always a point of return.
והעיקר עם א' ושפה א'.
And the main thing is “one people and one language.”
The core of Israel’s identity is unified heart and unified speech.
ב' הבחי' להיות דבוק בכלל בנ"י ולהיות יגע בתורה ותפלה כח ישראל בפיו.
These are two aspects: being attached to the collective of Israel, and laboring in Torah and prayer—the power of Israel expressed through the mouth.
The Sefat Emet identifies unity with Israel and devotion in speech (Torah and prayer) as the two foundations of spiritual life.
וג"ז ע"י עם אחד כדכתיב מורשה קהלת יעקב.
And this too comes through the “one people,” as it is written: “an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.”
Israel’s unity grants access to the inherited spiritual treasure of Torah.
וכפי מה שאדם מכניס עצמו בכלל ישראל זוכה לדברי תורה כנ"ל.
And according to how much a person enters himself into the collective of Israel, he merits the words of Torah.
The more a person binds himself to Israel’s unity, the more he becomes a vessel for Torah.
Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that the configuration of the nations and even the events of early humanity were shaped for the sake of Israel’s spiritual mission. Israel’s unity—“one people, one language”—is the key to accessing Torah, refining the nations, and preserving spiritual destiny. Personal merit in Torah depends on one’s connection to the collective of Israel.