Elevating The Body Upward

סמיכת מצות ביכורים למחיות עמלק דכ' ראשית גוים ע' ואחריתו עדי אובד

The juxtaposition of the mitzvah of bikkurim (the first fruits) to the wiping out of Amalek, as it is written, "Amalek was the first of nations, but his end is to perish forever" (Bamidbar 24:20).

The Sfas Emes opens by noting that the Torah places the mitzvah of bikkurim right next to the command to wipe out Amalek, the nation called "first." He will explore what these two have in common.

ובנ"י כל הראשית שלהם מביאין אל הש"י שהוא ראשון שאין לו סוף ותכלית

And Bnei Yisrael bring all of their first and choicest to Hashem, who is First in a way that has no end and no terminus.

Bnei Yisrael bring their very first and best to Hashem, who alone is truly "First" — a beginning with no corresponding end.

כי כל שיש לו ראשית יש לו תכלית אבל בנ"י הדבקים בהקב"ה נכללין בהראשית שאין לו תכלית

For whatever has a beginning has an end, but Bnei Yisrael, who cleave to the Holy One, Blessed is He, are included within that First which has no end.

Anything with a beginning is finite and must end, but Bnei Yisrael, by attaching themselves to Hashem, become part of that endless First.

והנה כ' הידים ידי עשו כי הידים הם ראשית בנין הגוף

And behold, it is written, "The hands are the hands of Esav" (Bereishis 27:22), for the hands are the beginning of the building of the body.

The verse calls the hands "the hands of Esav" because hands represent the body, which is the starting point of physical existence.

אבל בבנ"י כ' שאו ידיכם קודש שכל מה שברא הקב"ה הוא בחכמה

But regarding Bnei Yisrael it is written, "Lift up your hands in holiness" (Tehillim 134:2), for everything that the Holy One, Blessed is He, created, He created with wisdom.

By contrast, Bnei Yisrael are told to lift their hands in holiness, and since Hashem made everything with purpose, the very design of the hands carries a lesson.

ולכן נבראו הידים בזה האופן להעלות אותם אל הראש

And therefore the hands were created in this manner, to be raised up toward the head.

Hands were specifically made able to reach upward toward the head, teaching that the body is meant to be elevated.

לרמוז כי צריכין לבטל הגוף אל הנשמה כי הגוף יסודו מעפר וסופו לעפר אבל הנשמה היא חלק אלקי ממעל ובנ"י בכח התורה והמצות יכולין להעלות הגוף וכל מעשה הגוף אל הנשמה ובזאת גם הגוף יהי' דבוק בחיים

This is to hint that one must nullify the body to the neshamah, for the body's foundation is from dust and its end is to dust, but the neshamah is a portion of the Divine from above; and Bnei Yisrael, through the power of Torah and mitzvos, are able to raise up the body and all the deeds of the body to the neshamah, and through this even the body becomes bound up with life.

The body comes from dust and returns to dust, but the neshamah is a Divine portion; through Torah and mitzvos Bnei Yisrael lift the body and its actions up to the neshamah, so that even the body shares in eternal life.

ובמד' תנחומא היום הזה כו' מצוך לעשות הה"ד נשתחוה ונכרעה כו' ראה מרע"ה שבהמ"ק עתיד לחרוב וביכורים להתבטל תיקן שלש תפלות

And in the Midrash Tanchuma: "This day Hashem your God commands you to do" (Devarim 26:16) — this is what the verse means, "Let us bow and bend the knee" (Tehillim 95:6) — Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the Beis HaMikdash was destined to be destroyed and that bikkurim would cease, so he instituted the three tefillos.

The Midrash links the command to perform mitzvos with the verse about bowing in tefillah, explaining that Moshe Rabbeinu, foreseeing the Beis HaMikdash's destruction and the end of bikkurim, established the three daily tefillos as a replacement.

דעיקר כחן של ישראל בפה כדאיתא עשו מתגאה בירושתו על חרבך תחי' והידים ידי עשו שהוא כח הגוף

For the essential strength of Yisrael is in the mouth, as it is brought down: Esav prides himself in his inheritance, "By your sword shall you live" (Bereishis 27:40), and "the hands are the hands of Esav," which is the power of the body.

Yisrael's true strength lies in the mouth (tefillah and Torah), whereas Esav glories in the sword and the hands — the strength of the body.

אבל בנ"י מתגאין במ"ש ונצעק אל ה' בזה עצמו שאין להם הכח רק מה שניתן להם מן השמים בזה אנו בוחרים וחפצים ומה יפה ירושתינו

But Bnei Yisrael pride themselves in what is written, "And we cried out to Hashem" (Devarim 26:7) — in this very thing, that they have no power except what is given to them from Heaven, in this we choose and desire, and how beautiful is our inheritance!

Bnei Yisrael take pride specifically in crying out to Hashem, embracing the truth that all their power comes from Heaven; this dependence is itself their beautiful inheritance.

וע"ז רמזו הוי זנב לאריות ולא ראש לשועלים כמו עמלק ראשית גוים אכן בזמן המקדש שגברה ידן של בנ"י על אדום הי' מעלין גם הגוף ומעשה הגוף אל הראש

And to this the Sages alluded: "Be a tail to lions and not a head to foxes" (Avos 4:15), like Amalek, "the first of nations"; yet in the time of the Beis HaMikdash, when the hand of Bnei Yisrael prevailed over Edom, they would raise up even the body and the deeds of the body to the head.

Being "a tail to lions" means it is better to be subordinate within holiness than to be a self-made "head" like Amalek; but when the Beis HaMikdash stood and Yisrael prevailed over Edom, they could elevate even the physical body to the head.

והוא בחי' [*מלה] דקיימא בעובדא כי באמת הכל נברא בכ"ב אותיות התורה כידוע כמ"ש בשביל התורה שנק' ראשית וכשנתקיים כל מצות התורה בשלימות הי' תיקון כל המעשים להיות נמשכים אחר הדעת והתורה

And this is the aspect of "a word that is fulfilled through deed," for in truth everything was created with the twenty-two letters of the Torah, as is known, as it is written, "for the sake of the Torah, which is called the first"; and when all the mitzvos of the Torah were fulfilled in completeness, there was a rectification of all the deeds, that they should be drawn after the mind and the Torah.

All of creation was made with the letters of the Torah, which is called "first"; when the mitzvos are kept completely, all physical deeds become rectified by being drawn after the mind and the Torah.

וז"ש וכתבת על האבנים כו' למען אשר תביא כו'

And this is the meaning of, "And you shall write upon the stones... in order that you may bring..." (Devarim 27:8, 4).

He cites the verse about writing the Torah on the stones "in order that you may bring," which he will now explain.

והמפרשים נתקשו בפי' הפסוק ע"ש ברמב"ן

And the commentators were troubled by the explanation of the verse, see there in the Ramban.

He notes that the commentators, including the Ramban, found this verse difficult to interpret.

ולענ"ד נראה פי' למען על סיום הפסוק כאשר דיבר ה'

And to my humble opinion it appears that the explanation of "in order that" refers to the conclusion of the verse, "as Hashem spoke."

His own reading is that the phrase "in order that" connects to the verse's end, "as Hashem spoke."

פי' וכתבת כו' בעברך למען אשר ביאתכם לא"י יהי' כאשר דיבר ה' שיהי' נמשך אחר דרך התורה ואלקותו ית"ש

The meaning is: "And you shall write... in your passing over" — in order that your coming into Eretz Yisrael should be "as Hashem spoke," that it should be drawn after the way of the Torah and His Godliness, may He be blessed.

Writing the Torah upon entering the land was meant so that the entry into Eretz Yisrael itself would unfold "as Hashem spoke" — drawn after the path of Torah and Hashem's Godliness.

והי' תיקון העשי'

And this would be the rectification of action.

This, then, is the rectification of physical action — sanctifying deeds through the Torah.

כי באמת עוה"ז היא בחי' קטנות כמ"ש במד' בראשית אלה קצות דרכיו כו' ע"ש

For in truth this world is the aspect of smallness, as it is written in the Midrash on Bereishis, "These are the edges of His ways" (Iyov 26:14), see there.

This world represents "smallness," as the Midrash calls the visible world merely "the edges" of Hashem's ways.

כי ולגדולתו אין חקר כתיב ונקודה א' שירדה מאתו ית' להתלבש בטבע היא קיום כל הטבע

For "and of His greatness there is no fathoming" (Tehillim 145:3) is written, and a single point that descended from Him, may He be blessed, to be clothed within nature is the sustenance of all of nature.

Hashem's greatness is unfathomable, yet a single point descended from Him to clothe itself in nature, and that point sustains all of creation.

והכל רמז הקב"ה באדם שהגוף הוא השפל שבו והנשמה שהיא נקודה פנימיות מחי' כל הגוף

And the Holy One, Blessed is He, hinted at all of this within man, for the body is the lowest part of him, and the neshamah, which is the innermost point, gives life to the entire body.

Hashem mirrored this within man: the body is the lowest part, while the neshamah — an inner point — gives life to the whole.

והרי הקטן יש לו גוף וגם משהו דעת המתלבש בטבע הגוף

And behold, the small child has a body and also a bit of mind that is clothed within the nature of the body.

A small child has a body with only a little awareness embedded in his physical nature.

אבל הגדול יש לו דעת לידע את מהות גופו ועצמותו

But the adult has the mind to know the essence of his body and his very self.

An adult, however, possesses the mind to grasp the essence of his own body and self.

וכמו כן כל העולם הי' בחי' קטנות זולת המתנה שנתן לנו הקב"ה בכח התורה ומצות להתדבק באלקותו ית"ש והוא בחי' גדלות

And likewise the entire world was the aspect of smallness, except for the gift that the Holy One, Blessed is He, gave us through the power of Torah and mitzvos to cleave to His Godliness, may He be blessed, and that is the aspect of greatness.

Likewise the whole world is in a state of "smallness," except for the gift of Torah and mitzvos, through which we cleave to Hashem and attain "greatness."

וכשימחה שמו של עמלק יתפרסם שמו הגדול ית"ש בעולם

And when the name of Amalek is wiped out, His great Name, may He be blessed, will be made known in the world.

When Amalek's name is erased, Hashem's great Name will be revealed and recognized throughout the world.

ולכן איתא לכוון בברכת אהבה במאמר וקרבתנו לשמך הגדול במחיות עמלק

And therefore it is brought down to have in mind, in the berachah of "Ahavah," in the phrase "and You drew us close to Your great Name," the wiping out of Amalek.

For this reason one is meant to have in mind, when reciting "and You drew us close to Your great Name" in the berachah of Ahavah, the wiping out of Amalek.

ועתה שגבר ידו של אותו הרשע וחרב בהמ"ק אין לנו כח לתקן העובדא כראוי ולבטל הגוף אל הראש

And now that the hand of that wicked one has prevailed and the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed, we do not have the strength to rectify the deed as is fitting and to nullify the body to the head.

Now, with Amalek ascendant and the Beis HaMikdash destroyed, we lack the strength to fully rectify physical action and nullify the body to the head.

לכן העצה ע"י תפלה שהוא בחי' עובדא ומלולא באחת כדאיתא בזוה"ק תרומה כי עקימת שפתים מעשה הוי

Therefore the counsel is by means of tefillah, which is the aspect of deed and speech together, as is brought down in the Zohar HaKadosh, Terumah, for "the movement of the lips is considered an action."

The remedy is tefillah, which combines both deed and speech, since the Zohar teaches that moving the lips is itself counted as an action.

ובביכורים הי' התיקון במעשה ממש כמ"ש מצוך לעשות ורמזו חז"ל ותרומת ידך אלו הביכורים:

And with bikkurim the rectification was through actual deed, as it is written, "He commands you to do," and Chazal alluded, "and the terumah of your hand" (Devarim 12:17) — these are the bikkurim.

With bikkurim the rectification came through an actual physical deed; thus Chazal connected "the terumah of your hand" to bikkurim, the hands' offering elevated to holiness.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains the connection between bikkurim and the wiping out of Amalek through the theme of "first" and the elevation of the body. Hashem alone is the true First, having no end, and Bnei Yisrael attach themselves to that endlessness by bringing their first fruits and by recognizing that all their strength comes from Heaven rather than from the body and the sword in which Esav and Amalek glory. The hands, designed to reach toward the head, teach that the body and its deeds must be raised up to the neshamah; in the time of the Beis HaMikdash this elevation was accomplished through the physical mitzvah of bikkurim, when Yisrael's hand prevailed over Edom. This world is one of "smallness," the mere edges of Hashem's unfathomable greatness, yet through the gift of Torah and mitzvos we cleave to Him and draw down "greatness." Now, in galus, when we lack the power to rectify physical action through bikkurim, tefillah — which the Zohar teaches unites speech and deed — serves as the means to elevate the body, and the wiping out of Amalek will ultimately reveal Hashem's great Name in the world.