The inner point as source of life

במדרש תנחומא בחול י"ח ברכות ובשבת שבע כו'.

In the Midrash Tanchuma: on a weekday, eighteen berachos, and on Shabbos, seven.

The Sefas Emes begins from the Midrash contrasting the weekday Shemoneh Esrei of eighteen blessings with the seven-blessing Shabbos Amidah.

ובמד"ר ואחר עורי נקפו זאת.

And in the Midrash Rabbah: "and after my skin is destroyed, this (zos)…"

He cites the verse from Iyov, focusing on the word "zos," which the Midrash links to a deeper concept.

כי שמעתי ממוזז"ל שמלכות שמים נקרא זאת בעבור כי אין לשום דבר חיות רק מנקודה זאת הפנימיות כו'.

For I heard from my grandfather, of blessed memory, that malchus Shomayim (the Kingdom of Heaven) is called "zos," because nothing has any life-force except from this inner point.

In his grandfather's teaching, "zos" denotes the indwelling sovereignty of Hashem — the inner point from which every created thing draws its entire vitality.

והכלל כי השי"ת נותן חיות לכל דבר כדכתיב ואתה מחי' כו'.

And the principle is that Hashem gives life-force to everything, as it is written, "and You give life to all…"

The governing rule is that Hashem continually vivifies all of existence; nothing lives by itself.

אך שיש דבר שמתגלה בו יותר ויש דבר שנסתר בחיצוניות יותר.

Only that there is something in which it is revealed more, and something in which it is more concealed within externality.

The same Divine life-force is more openly revealed in some things and more hidden beneath the outer shell in others.

ובהסיר הקליפה אשר סובבת הפנימיות מתגלה סוד הפנימי וז"ש במד' סוד ה' ליראיו.

And when one removes the kelipah (husk) that surrounds the inner point, the inner secret is revealed — and this is what the Midrash means by "the secret of Hashem is for those who fear Him."

Stripping away the concealing outer husk exposes the hidden Divine core; this revelation of the inner "secret" is granted to the yarei Hashem.

לכן אחר המילה כתיב וירא אליו שנתגלה לו ה' בכל מקום כדכתיב מלא כל הארץ כבודו.

Therefore, after the milah (circumcision) it is written "and He appeared to him" — that Hashem was revealed to him in every place, as it is written, "the whole earth is full of His glory."

Removing the orlah, the bodily "husk," opened Avraham's eyes to perceive Hashem everywhere, for His glory truly fills all of creation.

ורק מי שאינו נימול אינו יכול לראות הפנימיות.

And only one who is not circumcised cannot see the inner point.

The uncircumcised state — the unremoved husk — is precisely what blocks a person from perceiving the inner Divine reality.

ואחר עורי נקפו זאת כנ"ל.

"And after my skin is destroyed, this (zos)" — as above.

Once the outer "skin," the concealing husk, is stripped away, one beholds "zos" — the inner point of malchus Shomayim.

והפסוק משבח לאברהם אע"ה וירא כו' יושב פתח האהל כי אף שנתגלה לו כ"כ ישב אצל הפתח והאמין כי איננו כדאי להסתכל בשכינה ולא הי' מצד חסרון התהלהבות כדכ' כחום היום.

And the verse praises Avraham, peace be upon him: "and he appeared… sitting at the entrance of the tent" — for even though so much was revealed to him, he sat at the entrance, believing that he was not worthy to gaze upon the Shechinah; and this was not from a lack of fervor, as it is written, "in the heat of the day."

Avraham's sitting humbly at the tent's opening, despite his lofty revelation, reflects his deep humility — feeling unworthy to gaze at the Shechinah — and not any coolness, for the verse stresses he burned with the "heat of the day."

והאמת כי אדרבא מי שאינו כראוי צריך להתחזק להתקרב להשי"ת שהוא מקרב גם רחוקים.

And the truth is that, on the contrary, one who is not as he ought to be must strengthen himself to draw near to Hashem, who draws near even those who are far.

As a general rule, a person who feels lacking should push himself toward closeness with Hashem, who welcomes even the distant.

רק אברהם אע"ה לפי גודל כחו הי' שפל בעיניו.

Only that Avraham, peace be upon him, in accordance with the greatness of his power, was lowly in his own eyes.

Avraham was an exception: precisely because of his greatness, his humility ran so deep that he held himself back at the entrance.

ואיתא וירא לבקר את החולה. דכ' חולת אהבה כו' כי בודאי צריך האדם לבקש לקרב גם גופו וכל איבריו להקדושה.

And it is taught: "and He appeared" — to visit the sick one, as it is written, "lovesick…" — for certainly a person must seek to draw even his body and all his limbs close to holiness.

The revelation is also read as Hashem "visiting the sick" — Avraham, "lovesick" for Hashem; ordinarily a person must work to draw his physical body and limbs into kedushah.

והוא ענין התפלה בחול.

And this is the matter of prayer on a weekday.

The weekday Shemoneh Esrei, with its many requests, corresponds to this avodah of drawing the body and its needs toward holiness.

אבל יש דרך אחר לאדם גדול וקדוש שבוש לבקש התקרבות גופו כמ"ש ואנכי עפר ואפר.

But there is another way, for a great and holy person who is ashamed to ask for the drawing near of his body, as it is written, "and I am but dust and ashes."

A person of Avraham's stature follows a different path: out of profound humility ("dust and ashes"), he is too abashed even to ask for his own bodily closeness.

וע"י שיושב בפתח ומשליך גופו ונפשו ומשתוקק רק לעשות רצון בוראו.

And by sitting at the entrance, casting aside his body and soul, and yearning only to do the will of his Creator —

Avraham's posture is one of total bittul: setting aside body and soul and desiring nothing but to fulfill the ratzon of his Creator.

וכמו בש"ק דכתיב ממצוא חפצך כו' ע"י שמתגלה בש"ק הארה יתירה צריך האדם לשכוח עניני גופו וניתקן רק בקשה למנוחה וטהר לבנו כו'.

And this is like Shabbos Kodesh, of which it is written, "from pursuing your own affairs…" — for since on Shabbos Kodesh an extra illumination is revealed, a person must forget the matters of his body, and we establish only a request for rest and "purify our hearts…"

Just as on Shabbos, when a heightened light shines, a person sets aside his personal weekday needs and asks only for menuchah and a pure heart, so too Avraham, in his elevated state, asks nothing for his body.

רק ממילא בודאי האדם שנזכר לפני השי"ת ממילא כ' אין מחסור ליראיו.

Only that automatically — certainly, a person who is remembered before Hashem — automatically, as it is written, "there is no lack for those who fear Him."

When one rises to this level and is "remembered" before Hashem, his needs are met of themselves; "there is no lack for those who fear Him."

וממילא מי שיש לו חולה מתרפא ע"י תפלת שבת ג"כ אף שאיננו מתפלל עליו וזהו ענין לבקר את החולה.

And automatically, one who has a sick person is healed through the Shabbos prayer as well, even though he does not pray for him — and this is the matter of "visiting the sick."

So too on Shabbos, even without a specific petition for the ill, healing flows of itself; this is the deeper "bikkur cholim" — healing that comes from connecting to the inner point.

כי מנקודה הפנימיות נמשך חיים ורפואה לכל הדברים הנשרשים שם:

For from the inner point flows life and healing to all the things that are rooted there.

The innermost point of Divine vitality is the source of all life and healing; whatever is connected to that root automatically draws renewal from it.

Summary: Malchus Shomayim is called "zos" — the inner point from which everything draws its life; the same Divine vitality is revealed in some things and hidden beneath a husk in others. Removing the husk (the milah, the orlah) lets a person perceive the inner secret and see that "the whole earth is full of His glory." Avraham, though granted this revelation, sat humbly at the tent's entrance, too abased to ask even for his body's closeness — like the avodah of Shabbos, where one forgets personal needs in the extra light. Yet at that level a person is "remembered" before Hashem and lacks nothing: from the inner point of vitality, life and healing flow of themselves to all that is rooted there.