Clothing Torah In Deeds

אא"ז מו"ר ז"ל הגיד בשם הרה"ק מפרשיסחא ז"ל על הפסוק ולא נתן ה' לכם לב לדעת כו' עד היום הזה

My grandfather, my master and teacher, of blessed memory, related in the name of the holy Rebbe of Peshischa, of blessed memory, on the verse "But Hashem did not give you a heart to know... until this day" (Devarim 29:3).

The Sfas Emes opens by citing his grandfather, who quoted the Rebbe of Peshischa on the verse describing how Bnei Yisrael only attained a "heart to know" after forty years, "until this day."

כי כל הניסים ונפלאות שעשה עמהם הש"י

For all the miracles and wonders that Hashem performed with them,

The point being introduced is that despite all the open miracles Hashem performed for Bnei Yisrael in the wilderness,

מ"מ הואיל והי' שלא ע"פ הטבע הי' רק לשעה

nevertheless, since they were outside the natural order, they were only momentary.

because those miracles broke the natural order, they were temporary and did not leave a lasting impression rooted in the world.

אבל אחר שגמר להם כל התורה ונעשה מכל ההתנהגות תורה נעשה מזה בנין קבוע לדורות עכ"ד ז"ל

But after He completed for them the entire Torah, and from all of their conduct Torah was made, from this there was made a permanent edifice for all generations. These are his holy words, of blessed memory.

Only once the entire Torah was given and all of their daily conduct itself became Torah did a permanent structure emerge that endures for every generation.

והוא ענין היום הזה היינו התלבשות כל ההארות במעשים טובים שמכל מעשיהם נעשה תורה

And this is the meaning of "this day" — namely, the clothing of all the illuminations within good deeds, for from all their actions Torah is made.

"This day" therefore refers to the moment when all the spiritual lights became clothed within concrete good deeds, so that ordinary actions themselves produce Torah.

והוא באמת עיקר הזכות הגדול לבנ"י בקבלת התורה כי התורה אין לה שיעור כמאמר ונעלמה מעיני כל חי

And this is, in truth, the essential great merit of Bnei Yisrael in receiving the Torah, for the Torah has no measure, as the saying goes, "It is hidden from the eyes of all living" (Iyov 28:21).

This, says the Sfas Emes, is the true greatness Bnei Yisrael gained at Matan Torah, because the Torah in its infinite essence is immeasurable and hidden, beyond any creature's grasp.

רק שבנ"י זכו להלביש התורה שמכל מעשיהם נעשה לבוש לאור התורה בתורה ומצות שבתורה זו שלפנינו

Only that Bnei Yisrael merited to clothe the Torah, for from all their actions a garment is made for the light of the Torah, through the Torah and the mitzvos contained within this Torah that is before us.

The merit of Bnei Yisrael is that they were given the ability to clothe that boundless light of Torah within their actions, through the practical Torah and mitzvos we possess.

והבן

And understand this.

He signals that the reader should contemplate this idea further.

וזה י"ל ג"כ ה' האמרת היום פי' שנעשה מעשרה מאמרות תורה שלימה כמ"ש במ"א ענין ע"מ וע' הדברות:

And this too may be said regarding "Hashem has made you proclaim this day" (Devarim 26:18) — its explanation being that from the Ten Utterances a complete Torah is made, as I have written elsewhere regarding the matter of the Ten Utterances and the Ten Commandments.

He adds that the verse "Hashem has made you proclaim this day" can be understood the same way: from the Ten Utterances of Creation a complete Torah is fashioned, paralleling the Ten Utterances and the Ten Commandments as he explained elsewhere.

Summary: The Sfas Emes, quoting the Rebbe of Peshischa, explains the verse that Bnei Yisrael only received "a heart to know until this day." Even the awesome miracles in the wilderness, because they transcended nature, were fleeting and left no permanent imprint. What endured was the giving of the Torah, through which all of their everyday conduct itself became Torah, building a fixed edifice for all generations. This is the true greatness of Bnei Yisrael at Matan Torah: the infinite, hidden light of the Torah was clothed within their deeds, so that the practical mitzvos before us become a garment for that boundless illumination. He likewise reads "Hashem has made you proclaim this day" as the fashioning of a complete Torah out of the Ten Utterances of Creation.