Sweetening Judgment Into Joy

בפסוק עשיתי ככל מצותך השקיפה ממ"ק כו'

On the verse, "I have done according to all that You commanded me; look down from Your holy dwelling" (Devarim 26:14-15).

The Sfas Emes opens with the vidui maaser passage, where one declares he has fulfilled all the mitzvos and then asks Hashem to look down and bless. He links the doing of the mitzvah with the request for blessing.

פירשו חז"ל שמחתי ושימחתי בו משמע שזה תכלית המצות

Chazal expounded on "I have rejoiced and I have caused joy in it," which implies that this is the ultimate purpose of the mitzvos.

Chazal read the words "rejoiced and caused joy" as teaching that joy is the very goal of performing mitzvos, not a mere byproduct.

ופי' שימחתי הוא לגרום שמחה לפניו במרום

And the meaning of "I have caused joy" is to bring about joy before Him on high.

"I have caused joy" specifically means generating joy above, before Hashem Himself.

זה גמר המצוה לעשות נ"ר לפניו ית"ש שאמר ונעשה מצותו ואז זוכין לברכה

This is the completion of the mitzvah: to make a pleasing satisfaction before Him, Yisborach, for one has said and fulfilled His mitzvah, and then one merits blessing.

A mitzvah is only truly complete when it produces nachas ruach before Hashem; once a person both declares and carries out the mitzvah, he becomes worthy of receiving blessing.

ואמרו חז"ל גדולה מתנת עניים שמהפכת מדה"ד לרחמים דכל השקפה לרעה חוץ מהשקיפה כו'

And Chazal said that the gift to the poor is great, for it transforms the attribute of strict justice into mercy, for every "looking down" in Scripture is for ill, except "look down," etc.

Tzedakah to the poor is uniquely powerful: it flips strict din into rachamim. Every other "hashkafah" (looking down) in the Torah signals punishment, but this "hashkifah" of blessing is the exception.

וזאת מדת אברהם אע"ה דכ' בי' וישקף וכן דרשו חז"ל על המשקוף זה אברהם ע"ש

And this is the attribute of Avraham Avinu, of whom it is written "and he looked down" (Bereishis 18:16), and so too Chazal expounded regarding the lintel (mashkof) that this alludes to Avraham; see there.

This power belongs to Avraham, described with the word "vayashkef" (he looked down), and Chazal connect the lintel of the Pesach to Avraham, tying him to this attribute of looking with favor.

והיא מדת עין טוב הוא יבורך

And it is the attribute of the good eye: "he shall be blessed" (Mishlei 22:9).

This is the trait of the "ayin tovah," the generous good eye, of which the verse promises that such a person will be blessed.

ועליו נא' שומר הברית והחסד לאוהביו כי אברהם אע"ה זכה שניתן לו ברית מילה

And regarding him it is said, "Who keeps the covenant and the kindness with those who love Him" (Devarim 7:9), for Avraham Avinu merited that the covenant of milah was given to him.

The verse about Hashem keeping covenant and kindness applies to Avraham, who merited the bris milah.

והוא היוד שניתן באיש למתק מדת הדין

And it is the letter yud that was placed in a man (ish) to sweeten the attribute of strict justice.

The letter yud added to form the word "ish" (man) carries the power to sweeten the harsh attribute of din.

להפך האש לחסד ואור זרוע לצדיק

To transform the fire into kindness, and "light is sown for the tzaddik" (Tehillim 97:11).

This sweetening turns the fire of judgment into kindness, fulfilling that light is planted for the tzaddik.

ובזכות זה ניתן לו הארץ כמ"ש וכרות עמו הברית לתת כו'

And in this merit the Land was given to him, as it is written, "And He made a covenant with him to give," etc. (Bereishis 15:18).

Because of this covenant, Hashem promised Avraham the Land, as stated in the bris bein habesarim.

לתת לזרעו פי' בזכות זרע קודש שנולדו בכח חתימת אות ברית קודש שזה מיתוק הדין והיא בחי' התגברות החסד על הדין כמ"ש גבר עלינו חסדו

"To give to his offspring" means: in the merit of the holy seed who are born through the power of the sealing of the letter of the holy covenant, which is the sweetening of justice, and it is the aspect of the overpowering of kindness over justice, as it is written, "His kindness has prevailed over us" (Tehillim 117:2).

The promise "to your offspring" works through the holy children born by the power of the bris milah, which sweetens din and reflects chesed overpowering judgment, as in "His kindness has prevailed over us."

וכן הוא בא"י כי היא על דינא קיימא ולכן אין כל אומה מוכן לא"י זולת בנ"י ע"י ברית מילה כמ"ש מזה בפ' שלח ע"ש

And so it is with Eretz Yisrael, for it stands upon justice, and therefore no nation is fit for Eretz Yisrael except Bnei Yisrael, through the covenant of milah, as is written about this in Parashas Shelach; see there.

Eretz Yisrael itself stands on the attribute of din, so only Bnei Yisrael, through bris milah, are fit to inherit it, a point the Sfas Emes develops in Parashas Shelach.

ולכן ניתן הביכורים והמעשרות לבנ"י לתקן תבואת הארץ בכח המעשר והראשית שהוא בחי' ברית הנ"ל

And therefore the bikkurim and the maaseros were given to Bnei Yisrael, to rectify the produce of the Land through the power of the tithe and the first-fruits, which is the aspect of the aforementioned covenant.

For this reason bikkurim and maaseros were given to Bnei Yisrael, to rectify the Land's produce through the tithe and first-fruits, which carry the same quality as the bris.

ואז יש שמחה כשנמתק הדין והחסד גובר

And then there is joy, when the attribute of justice is sweetened and kindness prevails.

Joy arises precisely when din is sweetened and chesed becomes dominant.

וזה הרמז אין אומרים שירה אלא על היין פי' כשגוברין על מדה"ד

And this is the allusion in "one recites song only over wine" (Berachos 35a), meaning: when one prevails over the attribute of strict justice.

This is why Chazal say song is recited only over wine: song accompanies the moment of prevailing over the attribute of din.

וכן הוא שמחת חתן וכלה ע"י מיתוק הדין ומשוש חתן על כלה כו'

And so too is the joy of chasan and kallah, through the sweetening of justice and "the rejoicing of a chasan over his kallah" (Yeshayahu 62:5), etc.

Likewise the joy of a chasan and kallah stems from this sweetening of din and Hashem's rejoicing over Bnei Yisrael like a groom over a bride.

וברבינו בחיי כ' דלכך כ' ממעון קדשך כי השמחה במעונו לכן הרקיע שנק' מעון מיוחד לשמחה ע"ש

And in Rabbeinu Bachya it is written that this is why it says "from Your holy dwelling (maon)," for the joy is in His dwelling; therefore the heaven that is called "maon" is designated for joy; see there.

Rabbeinu Bachya explains that the verse says "from Your dwelling (maon)" because joy resides in Hashem's dwelling; the heaven called "maon" is set aside for joy.

ולכן השמחה בסוכות אחר גמר המשפט וגבר עלינו חסדו אז השמחה בשלימות

And therefore the joy of Sukkos comes after the conclusion of the judgment, and "His kindness has prevailed over us" (Tehillim 117:2); then the joy is in completeness.

This is why the joy of Sukkos follows the conclusion of the Yamim Noraim judgment; once chesed has prevailed over us, the joy can be complete and whole.

וזה ג"כ נרמז במ"ש חז"ל משבטלו סנהדרין בטל השיר ע"ש:

And this too is alluded to in what Chazal said: "From the time the Sanhedrin was abolished, song ceased" (Sotah 48a); see there.

It is also hinted in Chazal's statement that once the Sanhedrin was abolished, song ceased, since song depends on the prevailing of chesed over din.

Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that the true purpose of a mitzvah is to generate joy before Hashem on high, and that such joy becomes possible only when the attribute of strict justice is sweetened and transformed into mercy. He traces this power of sweetening din to Avraham Avinu, the man of the good eye and the bris milah, whose yud-letter covenant turns the fire of judgment into kindness and merits both holy offspring and the inheritance of the Land. Because Eretz Yisrael stands upon din, only Bnei Yisrael, through the bris, can rectify its produce by means of bikkurim and maaseros. Joy in all its forms, whether of wine, of chasan and kallah, or of Sukkos after the judgment, flows from chesed prevailing over din. When that sweetening is absent, as after the Sanhedrin's abolition, song ceases.