Mutual Favor Through Testimony

בענין לוחות האחרונות שהיו מעשה משה ומכתב אלקים

Regarding the second set of Luchos, which were the handiwork of Moshe Rabbeinu, yet bore the writing of Hashem.

The second Luchos differed from the first: Moshe Rabbeinu carved the stone himself, but the writing on them was still from Hashem.

והראשונות היו הכל מעשה שמים כדכתי' והלוחות מעשה אלקים המה

The first set, by contrast, were entirely the work of Heaven, as it is written, "And the Luchos were the handiwork of Hashem" (Shemos 32:16).

The first Luchos were wholly Divine in their making, as the verse states explicitly that they were Hashem's own handiwork.

כי בנ"י במתן תורה נתעלו גם הגופות להיות כמלאכים

For at the giving of the Torah, Bnei Yisrael were so elevated that even their physical bodies became like the angels.

At Matan Torah, Bnei Yisrael reached such a level that even their bodies, not only their souls, became angelic.

כמ"ש אמרתי אלקים אתם וב"ע כולכם

As it is written, "I had said: You are angelic beings, and sons of the Most High are all of you" (Tehillim 82:6).

The Sfas Emes brings the verse calling Bnei Yisrael angelic beings and sons of the Most High as proof of this elevation.

פי' אפי' הגוף

Meaning, even the body itself.

He clarifies that the elevation reached even the physical body itself.

ואיתא ואנכי עמדתי בהר כימים הראשונים מה הראשונים ברצון אף האחרונים ברצון

And it is taught: "And I stood upon the mountain like the first days" (Devarim 10:10) — just as the first days were with favor (ratzon), so too the latter days were with favor.

The Gemara compares Moshe Rabbeinu's second forty days on the mountain to the first, teaching that both periods were times of mutual favor between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

ורמז אלו הרצונות כמ"ש לעיל בפ' דברים ע"פ המד' יפה את רעיתי כתרצה כשאני מתרצה לכם כשאתם מתרצין לי

And these two states of "favor" allude to what was said earlier in Parashas Devarim regarding the Midrash on the verse "You are beautiful, My beloved, when you are pleasing (k'sirtzah)" (Shir HaShirim 6:4) — "when I find favor in you, when you find favor in Me."

These two states of favor correspond to the Midrash he cited earlier: Hashem's finding favor in us and our finding favor in Him.

וברצון הראשון הי' כמ"ש משכני אחריך נרוצה ויצאו לגמרי מן הטבע להיות נמשך אחר רצונו ית"ש

And with the first favor it was as is written, "Draw me, after You we shall run" (Shir HaShirim 1:4) — they departed entirely from nature so as to be drawn after the will of Hashem Yisbarach.

In the first favor, Bnei Yisrael ran after Hashem, breaking free of nature entirely to be drawn after His will.

ולפי שנתקשרו ובאו בברית עם הקב"ה לכן גם אח"כ כביכול צימצם הקב"ה עצמו להיות שוכן בתוכם גם בהיותם בגוף הגשמיי

And because they bound themselves and entered into a bris with the Holy One, Blessed is He, therefore afterward as well, so to speak, the Holy One, Blessed is He, contracted Himself to dwell within them even while they were still clothed in the physical body.

Because they entered into a covenant with the Holy One, Blessed is He, He then constricted His presence to dwell within them even while they remained in physical bodies.

וזה הרמז שנכתב באצבע אלקים על הלוחות שלמטה

And this is the allusion in that which was written "with the finger of Hashem" upon the lower Luchos.

The fact that the lower (second) Luchos still bore writing inscribed by Hashem's finger hints at this indwelling within the physical.

וזה אני מתרצה לכם

And this expresses, "I find favor in you."

This Divine inscription on the second Luchos embodies the idea of Hashem finding favor in Bnei Yisrael.

ואיתא אין כ' שטרי אירוסין אלא מדעת שניהם ע"ש במד' שהתורה היא העדות שיש לבנ"י התקשרות בהקב"ה

And it is taught: a betrothal document (shtar erusin) is written only with the consent of both parties — see there in the Midrash, that the Torah is the testimony that Bnei Yisrael have a binding connection to the Holy One, Blessed is He.

Just as a betrothal contract requires both parties' consent, the Torah serves as the document testifying to the mutual bond between Bnei Yisrael and Hashem.

ונק' לוחות העדות

And for this reason they are called the Luchos HaEidus, the Tablets of Testimony.

This is why the Luchos are named the Tablets of Testimony.

וכמו כן בש"ק שנק' עדות וכתיב בו לדעת כי אני ה' מקדישכם

And likewise on the holy Shabbos, which is itself called "testimony," and concerning which it is written, "to know that I am Hashem who sanctifies you" (Shemos 31:13).

Shabbos too is called "testimony" and is linked to knowing that Hashem sanctifies us, paralleling the Luchos.

מתעורר ומתחדש אותיות התורה

The letters of the Torah are aroused and renewed.

On Shabbos, the letters of the Torah are reawakened and renewed.

וזה קריאת התורה בשבת

And this is the krias haTorah, the reading of the Torah, on Shabbos.

This renewal is expressed concretely in the public reading of the Torah on Shabbos.

שלפי הדעת ודביקות שבנפשות בנ"י להקב"ה כך מתחדש השטר אירוסין שביניהם

For according to the awareness (da'as) and dveikus that exists in the souls of Bnei Yisrael toward the Holy One, Blessed is He, so too is the betrothal document between them renewed.

The measure of awareness and dveikus in the souls of Bnei Yisrael determines how the betrothal document between them and Hashem is renewed.

ובשבת מתעורר ב' הרצונות שכ' לעיל

And on Shabbos both of those states of favor that were mentioned earlier are aroused.

Shabbos arouses both states of favor described earlier: Hashem's toward us and ours toward Him.

וזה הענין שיש עליות הנשמות בש"ק

And this is the matter of the ascents of the neshamos that occur on the holy Shabbos.

This mutual arousal is why the neshamos experience ascents on the holy Shabbos.

ויורדות נשמות מלמעלה למטה כדאיתא בזוה"ק פ' תרומה

And neshamos descend from above to below, as is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh, Parashas Terumah.

At the same time, fresh neshamah-light descends from above, as the Zohar HaKadosh teaches in Parashas Terumah.

נשמתין סלקין ונשמתין נחתין

Neshamos ascend and neshamos descend.

The Zohar's phrase captures the two-way movement: souls rising upward and souls coming down.

וז"ש אות היא ביני וביניכם:

And this is the meaning of "It is a sign between Me and between you" (Shemos 31:13).

This is the meaning of Shabbos being a "sign between Me and between you" — the mutual, two-directional bond between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

Summary: The Sfas Emes contrasts the two sets of Luchos: the first were wholly the handiwork of Hashem, while the second were carved by Moshe Rabbeinu yet still bore Hashem's writing. He explains that at Matan Torah Bnei Yisrael were so elevated that even their bodies became angelic, and through the bris they forged with the Holy One, Blessed is He, He contracted His presence to dwell within them even while clothed in physical bodies — which is why the second Luchos, the Tablets of Testimony, still carried His inscription. Drawing on the Midrash, he frames the Torah as a betrothal document expressing the mutual favor between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael: His finding favor in us and ours in Him. He then applies this to Shabbos, which is likewise called "testimony": on Shabbos the letters of the Torah are renewed, the reading of the Torah expresses this renewal, and both states of mutual favor are aroused. This two-way bond manifests in the simultaneous ascent and descent of neshamos on Shabbos, which is the deeper meaning of Shabbos as a "sign between Me and between you."