Heaven's Yoke Frees from Bondage

בפסוק ולאום מלאום יאמץ.

In the verse, “And one nation shall strengthen itself over the other nation.”

The Sefat Emet begins by citing the verse from Genesis concerning Jacob and Esau, which speaks of the struggle between two nations.

לאום הוא מלכות.

“Nation” (le’om) refers to kingship or dominion.

He interprets the term “nation” not merely as a people, but as a symbol of ruling power or spiritual sovereignty.

וכפי מה שמקבלין עול מלכות שמים כך נעשין בן חורין ממלכות בו"ד.

And according to the measure that one accepts upon oneself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, so is one made free from the rule of flesh and blood.

The acceptance of divine authority liberates a person from subjugation to worldly powers. The two forms of servitude are inversely related.

כדאיתא במשנה המקבל עליו עול תורה מעבירין ממנו עול מלכות.

As it is taught in the Mishnah: “Whoever takes upon himself the yoke of Torah, they remove from him the yoke of government.”

The Sefat Emet supports his teaching with the Mishnah’s statement that spiritual commitment brings release from external burdens.

וכמו כן מי שהוא ת"י מלכות בו"ד א"י לקבל מלכות שמים כראוי כדאיתא בזה"ק בהר מאן דכפית באחרא כו'.

And likewise, one who is subjugated under the rule of flesh and blood cannot properly receive the Kingdom of Heaven, as it is written in the Zohar, Behar: “Whoever is bound to another power…” and so forth.

Attachment to worldly domination obstructs the soul’s capacity to accept divine sovereignty. The Zohar is cited to affirm this spiritual principle.

ולשעבודים הללו אין קץ.

And these forms of bondage have no end.

Worldly enslavement perpetuates itself endlessly unless one turns toward divine service.

ולעולם כפי מה שמקבלין עול מ"ש תמיד. כן יוצאין מתחת יד סט"א.

And always, in proportion to how one continually accepts the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, so does one emerge from under the dominion of the Other Side.

The process of liberation is ongoing: each renewed act of submission to God lessens the hold of impurity and ego.

וז"ש במשנה מעבירין ממנו ונותנין עליו כו'.

And this is what the Mishnah means by “they remove from him and place upon him,” and so forth.

The Sefat Emet reads the Mishnah as describing a spiritual exchange—removing one yoke and placing another, the worldly for the divine.

שב' השעבודים הם בכל איש ישראל.

For both forms of servitude exist within every person of Israel.

Each individual contains the potential for both divine submission and worldly enslavement; the inner struggle is constant.

ולאום מלאום יאמץ כשזה קם זה נופל כדפרש"י כנ"ל:

“And one nation shall strengthen itself over the other”—when this one rises, the other falls, as Rashi explained, as stated above.

The verse thus reflects the inner dynamic: as the soul’s devotion to Heaven increases, the power of material domination diminishes.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that “two nations” symbolize two forms of rule within a person—the dominion of Heaven and the dominion of worldly power. Accepting the yoke of Heaven brings true freedom, while attachment to earthly authority binds the soul. The rise of one necessarily brings the fall of the other.