Returning To The Root

במדרש מרע"ה תיקן תפלה במקום ביכורים כו' אא"ז מו"ר ז"ל פי' נתינת הראשית בכל דבר נק' מצות ביכורים וכן תפלה מועיל על כל היום כו'

In the Midrash: Moshe Rabbeinu instituted tefillah in place of the bringing of bikkurim. My grandfather, my teacher and master of blessed memory, explained that the giving over of the first and choicest portion in every matter is called the mitzvah of bikkurim, and so too tefillah is effective for the entire day.

The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash that tefillah corresponds to bringing bikkurim, and brings his grandfather's teaching that dedicating the first and best of anything to Hashem is the essence of bikkurim, just as tefillah dedicates the start and sets the tone for the whole day.

וכ' היום הזה כו' מצוך לעשות כו' פרשנו להביא התחדשות ע"י שמבטל הכל אל השורש וההתחלה כי שם יש תמיד התחדשות כדכ' מחדש בכל מ"ב

And it is written, "This day Hashem your God commands you to perform these statutes" (Devarim 26:16); we explained this to mean drawing down renewal, by nullifying everything back to its root and beginning, for there a renewal is always to be found, as it is written, "He renews in His goodness each day, continually, the act of creation."

The verse 'this day He commands you' teaches that fresh spiritual renewal is constantly available, and one reaches it by nullifying everything back to its source, the place where Hashem renews creation continually.

וכן הי' המצוה לספר יצ"מ

And so too there was the mitzvah to recount the going out of Mitzrayim.

The same principle of returning to the beginning underlies the mitzvah of retelling yetzias Mitzrayim.

והיינו בכל יום

And this is to be done every single day.

This remembering is not a one-time act but an obligation to be renewed daily.

וכל אדם במקום שהוא צריך לזכור ראשית שלו שהי' ט"ס

And every person, in whatever place he finds himself, must remember his own beginning, which was a hidden, concealed root.

Each person must reconnect to his own origin and root, which lies hidden and concealed at his source.

וכן כשבאנו לא"י הי' צריכין לזכור שהקב"ה הוציאנו ממצרים והביאנו לא"י וכמו כן יש יצ"מ לכל איש ישראל ולכך מזכירין יצ"מ בכל יום

And likewise, when we came into Eretz Yisrael, we needed to remember that the Holy One, Blessed is He, took us out of Mitzrayim and brought us into Eretz Yisrael; and in the very same way there is a personal going out of Mitzrayim for every individual of Bnei Yisrael, and therefore we make mention of the going out of Mitzrayim every single day.

Just as Bnei Yisrael entering Eretz Yisrael had to recall that Hashem took them out of Mitzrayim, so every Jew has his own personal exodus to recall, which is why we mention yetzias Mitzrayim each day.

והכל להיות דבוק בהתחלות השורש של כל דבר כנ"ל:

And the whole point is to be bound and cleaving to the beginnings, to the root of every matter, as explained above.

The unifying goal of all of this is dveikus, clinging to the root and beginning of every matter, where renewal flows.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the Midrash that tefillah was instituted in place of bikkurim, and on his grandfather's teaching that dedicating the first and choicest part of anything to Hashem is the heart of bikkurim, with tefillah likewise consecrating the start of each day. From the verse 'this day He commands you' he draws that spiritual renewal is always available when one nullifies everything back to its root and beginning, the place where Hashem renews creation continually. This same return to one's source underlies the daily mitzvah of recounting yetzias Mitzrayim, for every person must remember his own hidden origin and his personal exodus. Whether it was Bnei Yisrael entering Eretz Yisrael or each individual today, the avodah is the same: to bind oneself to the beginnings and root of every matter and thereby draw down constant renewal through dveikus.