Yirah Unlocks Inner Dveikus
בפסוק ועתה ישראל מה ה"א שואל כו' כ"א ליראה
On the pasuk, "And now, Bnei Yisrael, what does Hashem your God ask of you... but to fear" (Devarim 10:12).
The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in which Moshe Rabbeinu tells Bnei Yisrael that the one thing Hashem asks of them is to have yiras Shamayim.
אחז"ל הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים
Chazal said: Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for yiras Shamayim (fear of Heaven).
He cites the well-known statement of Chazal that everything is decreed by Heaven except a person's choice to fear Heaven, which is left in his own hands.
כבר כתבנו מזה במ"א כי מאחר שכ' הן לה"א השמים כו' רק באבותיך חשק כו' ויבחר כו' בכם כו'
We have already written about this elsewhere, that since it is written, "Behold, the heavens... belong to Hashem your God" (Devarim 10:14), yet "only in your forefathers did Hashem desire... and He chose... you" (Devarim 10:15).
He recalls a point made elsewhere: although all of creation belongs to Hashem, He nonetheless attached His desire specifically to the Avos and chose Bnei Yisrael.
א"כ בוודאי נמצא בנפשות בנ"י התקשרות ודביקות אל הבורא ית"ש
If so, there is certainly to be found within the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael a bond and a dveikus to the Creator, may His Name be blessed.
Since Hashem chose them, there must be an inner bond and dveikus to the Creator implanted within every Jewish neshamah.
רק הגשמיות מכסה ומעכב התגלות הפנימיות
It is only the physicality that covers over and obstructs the revelation of this innermost point.
What hides this inner connection is only the physical, material side of a person, which conceals the pnimiyus.
וע"י היראה נפתח פנימיות הנ"ל
And through yiras Shamayim, that aforementioned innermost point is opened up.
Yiras Shamayim is the means by which that hidden inner point becomes uncovered and revealed.
ולכן נאמר ומלתם כו' ערלת לבבכם וערפכם לא תקשו
Therefore it is said, "And you shall circumcise... the foreskin of your heart, and your neck you shall no longer stiffen" (Devarim 10:16).
This is why the Torah commands removing the 'foreskin' of the heart and not stiffening the neck — clearing away what blocks the inner connection.
כי עיקר דעת הבורא במוח ולב
For the essence of the knowledge of the Creator lies in the mind and the heart.
The Sfas Emes explains that true knowledge of the Creator resides in two places: the mind and the heart.
וע"ז הוא מצות תש"י נגד הלב
And corresponding to this is the mitzvah of tefillin shel yad, which is set opposite the heart,
The tefillin shel yad, placed opposite the heart, corresponds to revealing the heart's recognition of Hashem.
ושל ראש נגד המוח
and the tefillin shel rosh, which is set opposite the mind.
The tefillin shel rosh, placed opposite the mind, corresponds to revealing the mind's recognition of Hashem.
שבכח אלה המצות מתגלה מוח ולב ויכולין להעיד על הש"י
For through the power of these mitzvos, the mind and the heart are revealed, and one is able to testify regarding Hashem Yisbarach.
Through these mitzvos the mind and heart are awakened, enabling a person to bear testimony to Hashem.
כי מוח ולב הם העדים על הבורא כמ"ש בספרי קודש
For the mind and the heart are the witnesses to the Creator, as it is written in the holy seforim.
He brings from the holy seforim that the mind and heart serve as the witnesses that testify to the Creator's existence.
והיראה היא פתח לפתוח שערי מוח ולב
And yiras Shamayim is the doorway to open the gates of the mind and the heart.
Yiras Shamayim functions as the doorway that opens these gates of mind and heart.
יראה אותיות ראי'
The word yirah (fear) consists of the same letters as re'iyah (seeing).
He notes a wordplay: the Hebrew letters of yirah (fear) are the same as those of re'iyah (seeing), hinting that fear leads to clear sight.
כמ"ש הן יראת ה' היא חכמה
As it is written, "Behold, the fear of Hashem, that is wisdom" (Iyov 28:28).
He supports this with the pasuk in Iyov equating the fear of Hashem with wisdom.
שע"י יראה יכולין לראות האמת ומתגלה כח אלקות בנפשות בנ"י
For through yirah one is able to see the truth, and the power of Elokus is revealed within the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael.
Through yirah a person is able to perceive the truth, and the Divine power latent in Jewish neshamos comes to light.
וז"ש הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים שהיא מפתח החיצון להסיר ערלת הלב ואז מתגלה מה שהטמין הש"י בנפשות בנ"י
And this is the meaning of "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for yiras Shamayim" — for it is the outer key to remove the foreskin of the heart, and then there is revealed that which Hashem Yisbarach has concealed within the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael.
He now ties it all together: yiras Shamayim is the 'outer key' that removes the heart's covering, revealing the connection Hashem hid within every Jew.
וכל עבדות הבורא הכל מאתו ית' מושרש בנפשות בנ"י
And all avodah of the Creator is entirely from Him, may He be blessed, rooted within the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael.
All true service of Hashem flows from Him and is already rooted within the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael.
ומה שואל מעמך רק ליראה:
And what does He ask of you — only to have yirah.
Therefore Hashem asks only one thing — yirah — because that alone unlocks everything already present within.
Summary: The Sfas Emes addresses why the Torah states that the only thing Hashem asks of Bnei Yisrael is yiras Shamayim, and why Chazal teach that everything is in the hands of Heaven except yiras Shamayim. He explains that because Hashem chose Bnei Yisrael, an inner bond and dveikus to the Creator is implanted in every Jewish neshamah, and only physicality conceals it. Yiras Shamayim is the doorway that opens the gates of the mind and the heart — the two witnesses to the Creator, corresponding to the tefillin shel rosh and tefillin shel yad — and removes the 'foreskin of the heart' that blocks this revelation. Playing on the letters of yirah and re'iyah, he shows that fear of Heaven is precisely what enables a person to see the truth and uncover the hidden power of Elokus within. Thus all avodah is already rooted within Bnei Yisrael, and Hashem asks only for yirah, the outer key that reveals what He has concealed inside.