Devarim As Shabbos Torah

בפסוק אה"ד א' דבר משה א"כ ישראל

On the verse, "These are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Bnei Yisrael" (Devarim 1:1).

The Sfas Emes opens with the first verse of Devarim, where Moshe addresses all of Bnei Yisrael.

איתא במדרשים כי התורה נחלקת לשבעה ספרים

It is brought in the Midrashim that the Torah is divided into seven books.

He cites the Midrashic teaching that the Torah is really seven books, not five.

חצבה עמודי' שבעה

"She has hewn out her seven pillars" (Mishlei 9:1).

He brings the verse from Mishlei about the seven pillars as the source for this count of seven.

כי ויהי בנסוע הוא ספר בפ"ע

For "Vayehi binso'a" — the passage "And it came to pass when the Ark traveled" (Bamidbar 10:35-36) — constitutes a book unto itself.

The passage of "Vayehi binso'a," marked off by inverted nuns, counts as its own separate book, which helps reach the total of seven.

לפי"ז נראה כי ס' דברים היא בחי' שבת ונק' משנה תורה כענין לחם משנה ושבת כל הלכותי' כפול

Accordingly, it appears that the Book of Devarim is an aspect of Shabbos, and it is called Mishneh Torah, the repetition of the Torah, in the manner of the lechem mishneh, the double portion of bread, for on Shabbos all of its halachos are doubled.

Just as Shabbos brings a double portion of bread and a doubling of its laws, Devarim is the doubled "Mishneh" Torah and thus corresponds to Shabbos.

והענין הוא כי יש תורה שבכתב ושבע"פ בחי' לחם מן השמים ולחם מן הארץ לחמו בלחמי

The matter is that there is Torah Shebichsav, the Written Torah, and Torah Shebe'al Peh, the Oral Torah — the aspect of "bread from heaven" and "bread from the earth," as it says, "Come, partake of my bread" (Mishlei 9:5).

He introduces the framework of Written Torah versus Oral Torah, comparing them to heavenly bread and earthly bread.

ולכן יש שיתא סדרי משנה נגד הששה ספרים שבכתב

Therefore there are six orders of the Mishnah, corresponding to the six books of the Written Torah.

The six orders of the Oral Mishnah parallel the six books of the Written Torah (the standard five plus Vayehi binso'a counted separately, leaving six).

וכמו ששת ימי המעשה שהשפע משמים נתלבש בעשי' וע"י מלאכים

And just as there are the six days of work, in which the abundance flowing from heaven becomes clothed within action and through the agency of malachim.

The six weekdays are the time when heavenly flow is dressed into physical action and mediated through malachim.

וכ' בכל יום ויהי ערב ויהי בקר והוא רמז לתורה שבכתב ושבע"פ כדאיתא בתנא דב"א בפסוק יום ליום יביע אומר זה מקרא ולילה ללילה י' דעת משנה

And it is written each day, "And it was evening and it was morning," which is a hint to the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, as is brought in the Tanna d'Vei Eliyahu on the verse, "Day to day expresses speech" — this is Scripture, "and night to night declares knowledge" (Tehillim 19:3) — this is the Mishnah.

Each weekday's "evening and morning" alludes to the two Torahs: day is Scripture, night is Mishnah.

וכן אמרו כשלמד משה בסיני מקרא ידע שהוא יום וכשלמד משנה ידע שהוא לילה

And so they said that when Moshe Rabbeinu learned Scripture on Sinai he knew that it was day, and when he learned Mishnah he knew that it was night.

Moshe could tell day from night on Sinai by which Torah he was learning — Scripture meant day, Mishnah meant night.

כי משנה הוא פירוש והתפשטות התורה בהתלבשות

For the Mishnah is the elucidation and the spreading-out of the Torah by way of its becoming clothed.

Mishnah is called this because it unfolds and expands the Torah through layers of clothing or garbing.

כמו ימי המעשה

Like the days of work.

This corresponds to the weekdays, which are about Torah dressed within explanation.

ושבת מתגלה הארת תורה שבכתב בלי התלבשות לכן לא נאמר בו ערב וזה קריאת התורה בשבת

And on Shabbos the illumination of the Written Torah is revealed without any clothing, and therefore "evening" is not stated regarding it — and this is the reading of the Torah on Shabbos.

On Shabbos the Written Torah shines without any garbing, which is why no "evening" is mentioned, and this is why we publicly read the Torah on Shabbos.

וכמו כן בס' משנה תורה שהיא התאחדות תורה שבכתב ובע"פ דבשבת מתיחדין ברזא דאחד

And likewise in the Book of Mishneh Torah, which is the unification of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, for on Shabbos they are unified in the secret of "One."

Mishneh Torah fuses the Written and Oral Torahs into one, mirroring how Shabbos unifies all in the secret of Oneness.

ולכן כ' אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל כי סדר משנה הי' מתחילה לאהרן

And therefore it is written, "that Moshe spoke to all of Bnei Yisrael," for the order of the Mishnah was first given to Aharon.

The verse stresses Moshe spoke to all of Bnei Yisrael, unlike the Mishnah's transmission, which began with Aharon alone.

אח"כ לבניו

Afterward to his sons.

The Mishnah was next taught to Aharon's sons.

אח"כ לכל ישראל

Afterward to all of Bnei Yisrael.

Only afterward was the Mishnah conveyed to all of Bnei Yisrael, in stages.

ומשנה תורה דיבר אל כל ישראל מפיו ממש בלי התלבשות

But the Mishneh Torah he spoke to all of Bnei Yisrael from his own mouth literally, without any clothing.

By contrast, Mishneh Torah was spoken directly from Moshe's mouth to the entire people without intermediary garbing.

כמו שמתגלה בשבת הנהגת הקב"ה וב"ש בעצמו בלי התלבשות

Just as on Shabbos the conduct of the Holy One, Blessed is He, is revealed by Himself, Blessed is His Name, without any clothing.

This parallels Shabbos, when Hashem's governance is revealed directly, without any clothing or intermediary.

וכתיב אחרי הכותו כו'

And it is written, "after he had smitten Sichon" (Devarim 1:4).

He notes the verse mentioning that this was said after Moshe defeated Sichon.

וכ' במ"א בשם <b>מו"ז ז"ל</b> כי לא הי' יכול להכניס אלה הדברים בלבות בנ"י עד א' הכותו כו'

And it is written elsewhere in the name of <b>my grandfather and teacher, of blessed memory,</b> that Moshe Rabbeinu was unable to bring these words into the hearts of Bnei Yisrael until "after he had smitten" them.

Citing his grandfather, he explains that Moshe could only implant these words in their hearts after first smiting Sichon and Og.

ויתכן לרמוז לפמ"ש כי כמו קדושת שבת נחתין מקודם כל הקליפות לנוקבא דת"ר כמ"ש בזוה"ק דבע"ש קליפת נוגה רוצה לעלות אחרי' הסט"א ונפיק כוכב ומוריד אותן כו'

And it may be hinted, according to what is written, that just as with the kedushah of Shabbos all the kelipos first descend to the lower realm, as is written in the Zohar HaKadosh that on Erev Shabbos the kelipah of nogah wishes to ascend, and the Sitra Achra pursues it, and a star comes forth and brings them down.

He draws a parallel to the Zohar's teaching that before Shabbos's holiness descends, the kelipos must first be cleared away, with the star driving them down.

וכמו כן הי' כאן קליפת סיחון ועוג קודם שנתפרש ס' משנה תורה והכה אותם משה ואח"כ אלה הדברים

So too here there was the kelipah of Sichon and Og before the Book of Mishneh Torah was set forth, and Moshe Rabbeinu smote them, and afterward came "these are the words."

Likewise the spiritual impurity of Sichon and Og had to be removed by Moshe smiting them before the holiness of Mishneh Torah could be revealed.

ויש רמז לזה כי אלה הדברים כ' גם בשבת אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה' לעשות ע"ש בפ' ויקהל לרמוז כי ס' משנה תורה היא בחי' השבת

And there is a hint to this, for "these are the words" (eileh hadevarim) is also written regarding Shabbos: "These are the words that Hashem commanded to do" (Shemos 35:1), see there in Parashas Vayakhel — to hint that the Book of Mishneh Torah is an aspect of Shabbos.

He finds a textual hint, since the same phrase "eileh hadevarim" appears regarding Shabbos in Vayakhel, linking Devarim to Shabbos.

וכן יש לרמוז בדברי המד' בפסוק ראה החלותי תת שאין לאומות חלק בשבת ע"ש

And likewise it may be hinted in the words of the Midrash on the verse, "See, I have begun to give" (Devarim 2:31), that the nations of the world have no portion in Shabbos, see there.

He cites a Midrash teaching that the nations have no share in Shabbos.

ולכן סיחון ועוג שרצו להתערב בזה נאבדו:

And therefore Sichon and Og, who wished to intermingle in this, were destroyed.

Since Sichon and Og tried to intrude upon this Shabbos-aspect to which they had no claim, they were destroyed.

Summary: The Sfas Emes opens the Book of Devarim by establishing, from the Midrash and the verse of the seven pillars, that the Torah comprises seven books — and that Devarim, the doubled "Mishneh Torah," corresponds to Shabbos just as the lechem mishneh and the doubled halachos of Shabbos. He develops a parallel between the six weekdays and the six orders of the Oral Mishnah, which spread out the Torah through layers of garbing, versus Shabbos and the Written Torah, which shine forth directly without any clothing. Accordingly, Moshe spoke Mishneh Torah to all of Bnei Yisrael straight from his own mouth — unlike the Mishnah, which was transmitted in stages from Aharon onward — mirroring how on Shabbos Hashem's conduct is revealed without intermediary. Citing his grandfather and the Zohar, he explains that just as the kelipos must be cleared before Shabbos's kedushah descends, so Moshe first had to smite Sichon and Og before the holiness of Mishneh Torah could be implanted in Bnei Yisrael. Since the nations have no portion in Shabbos, Sichon and Og, who sought to intermingle in this Shabbos-aspect, were ultimately destroyed.