Opening the gates to know Hashem's secret

במדרש סוד ה' ליראיו ובריתו להודיעם דאיתא הקב"ה מתהא את הצדיקים.

In the Midrash: "The secret of Hashem is to those who fear Him, and His covenant, to make it known to them (sod Hashem li'reyav)" — for it is taught that HaKadosh Baruch Hu first arouses longing in the tzaddikim.

The Sefas Emes opens with the pasuk that Hashem's secret is reserved for those who fear Him, citing that Hashem first whets the tzaddikim's desire by hinting that a hidden secret awaits them.

דמקודם יש התגלות לצדיק לראות שיש כאן דבר סתר וסוד.

For first there is a revelation to the tzaddik, to see that there is here something hidden and a secret.

The first stage is an awareness that a concealed depth exists — the tzaddik senses that there is a sod to be found.

ואח"כ זוכין לידע הסוד וכ"כ וירא ג' אנשים נצבים כו' אח"כ וירא.

And afterward one merits to know the secret; and so it is written, "and he saw three men standing," etc., and afterward [again] "and he saw."

After the initial awareness comes actual knowledge of the secret. The double "vayar" (he saw) by Avraham reflects these two stages — first perceiving, then grasping.

שעמד על הסוד.

For he attained [understanding of] the secret.

The second "and he saw" indicates that Avraham now penetrated to the inner secret itself.

ובאמת סוד ה' ליראיו מראשית בריאתם.

And in truth, "the secret of Hashem is to those who fear Him" from the very beginning of their creation.

The capacity for this secret is implanted in those who fear Hashem from the moment of their creation.

וע"י היגיעה זוכין אח"כ לדעת ולהשיג ולהתדבק בזה הסוד.

And through toil (yegiah) one merits afterward to know, to grasp, and to cling (lehisdabek) to this secret.

The latent secret is actualized only through effort — yegiah brings knowledge, comprehension, and deveikus to the hidden truth.

ובזוה"ק בפסוק ואברהם ושרה זקנים כו' נודע בשערים בעלה כו' ומקשה דלית השגה ותפיסה בהקב"ה.

And in the Zohar HaKadosh, on the pasuk "And Avraham and Sarah were old," etc., [it cites] "her husband is known in the gates (noda bash'arim baalah)," etc., and it raises the difficulty that there is no comprehension or grasp of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

The Zohar links Avraham's old age to the verse "known in the gates," then asks how this can be, since Hashem Himself is beyond all comprehension.

ומתרץ ע"י הנשמה שבאה ממקום גבוה אך בעוה"ז מתלבשת ע"י כמה לבושים.

And it answers: by means of the neshamah, which comes from a lofty place, but in this world becomes clothed in several garments (levushim).

The resolution is that Hashem is "known" through the neshamah, which originates on high but is enclothed in many layers within this world.

אך כשיש זמנים שהשערים נפתחים יכולה הנשמה להרגיש ולדעת את בוראה ע"ש היטב.

But when there are times in which the gates are opened, the neshamah is able to feel and to know its Creator; see there carefully.

At special times when the "gates" open, the soul can pierce its garments to sense and know its Creator.

דאיתא הקב"ה נמלך בנשמת הצדיקים וז"ש בשבתו עם זקני ארץ הם שורש נשמתין קדמאין קודם שמתלבשים בעוה"ז רק הזקן שקנה חכמה היינו שמעלה נשמתו בשורשה.

For it is taught that HaKadosh Baruch Hu took counsel with the souls of the tzaddikim; and this is the meaning of "in His sitting with the elders of the land (ziknei aretz)" — these are the root of the primordial souls (nishmasin kadmain) before they are clothed in this world; only the "elder (zaken)" is one "who has acquired wisdom (shekanah chochmah)," meaning that he raises his neshamah to its root.

Hashem "consulted" the souls of tzaddikim at Creation. The "elder who acquired wisdom" is one who elevates his soul back to its supernal root, where it stood before being garbed in this world.

כמ"ש לעיל סוד ה' כו' ובריתו להודיעם.

As [it was said] above: "the secret of Hashem," etc., "and His covenant, to make it known to them (u'vriso lehodiam)."

Returning to the opening pasuk, the "covenant" through which the secret is made known now comes into focus.

וכ' שער החצר כו' ביום השבת יפתח.

And it is written: "the gate of the courtyard... on the day of Shabbos it shall be opened."

The verse (Yechezkel) about the inner gate opening on Shabbos provides the model of "gates" that open at special times.

א"כ בשבת נפתח השער ולכן יש נשמה יתירה וכתיב בי' לדעת כי אני ה' דרשו חז"ל מתנה טובה יש לי בבית גנזי כו' לך והודיעם.

If so, on Shabbos the gate is opened — and therefore there is a neshamah yeseirah (additional soul); and it is written concerning it, "to know that I am Hashem," which Chazal expounded: "I have a goodly gift in My treasure-house... go and inform them."

Because the gate opens on Shabbos, an extra soul is granted, enabling one "to know that I am Hashem." Chazal's teaching about Hashem's precious hidden gift, which Moshe was to make known, refers to this Shabbos knowledge.

והוא כנ"ל שבשבת זוכין לדעת ע"י פתיחת השער כמ"ש נודע בשערים כו' וכמו שיש שערים בזמן כן בנפש.

And this is as above: on Shabbos one merits to "know" through the opening of the gate, as it is written "known in the gates," etc.; and just as there are gates in time, so too there are gates in the soul (nefesh).

Shabbos's open gate grants knowledge of Hashem; and corresponding to these gates in time there are parallel gates within the soul.

וכמ"ש ששת ימי המעשה יהי' סגור.

As it is written, "for the six days of work it shall be closed."

The same verse states that the gate stays shut during the six weekdays, paralleling the soul's concealment then.

כמו כן בנפש ידים ורגלים וראש וגוף המה נקראים ימי המעשה והמה סתומים.

So too in the soul: the hands, feet, head, and body are called the "days of work," and they are sealed (closed).

The limbs of the body correspond to the working days — they are the "closed" outer faculties through which the soul is normally concealed.

ומילה הוא פתח הגוף ורמז שביום השבת יפתח לכן ע"י ברית המילה זוכין לדעת ולדביקות כמ"ש אחר המילה וירא אליו ה' ואחר עורי נקפו זאת כמ"ש במד' שנפתח השער.

And the milah (circumcision) is the "opening" of the body, and it alludes to "on the day of Shabbos it shall be opened"; therefore through the bris milah one merits knowledge and deveikus, as it is written after the milah, "and Hashem appeared to him," and afterward "[from] my flesh I shall behold" — as the Midrash says, that the gate was opened.

Bris milah is the "open gate" of the body. That is why immediately after Avraham's milah Hashem appeared to him — the opening of this gate brings knowledge of and deveikus to Hashem.

וביום החודש יפתח רמז לברית הלשון כי קידוש החודש ומועדות תלוי בפה:

And "on the day of the new moon it shall be opened" alludes to the bris of the tongue (bris halashon), for the sanctification of the new moon and the festivals depends on the mouth.

The gate opening on Rosh Chodesh hints at the covenant of the tongue, since sanctifying the months and Yamim Tovim is accomplished through speech — another "opening" through which kedushah enters.

Summary: Hashem reserves His secret for those who fear Him: first He awakens awareness that a hidden depth exists, and then, through yegiah, one comes to know and cling to it. Hashem is grasped not directly but through the neshamah, which descends garbed in many levushim; at special times the "gates" open and the soul can know its Creator. These gates exist in time — Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh — and correspondingly in the soul, where the body's faculties are the "closed" weekdays. Bris milah is the body's open gate (so Hashem appeared to Avraham right after it), and the bris of the tongue, through which the months and festivals are sanctified, is another.