Daily Renewal Through Bnei Yisrael

במדרש תנחומא היום הזה ה"א מצוך לעשות

In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught on the verse "This day Hashem your God commands you to perform" (Devarim 26:16).

The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash on the verse describing the day Hashem commands the mitzvos, anchoring his theme in the word "this day."

הה"ד נשתחוה ונכרעה נברכה ראה מרע"ה כי הקרבנות וביכורים עתידין לפסוק תיקן ג' תפלות כו'

This is the meaning of the verse "Let us bow down and kneel, let us bless" (Tehillim 95:6) — Moshe Rabbeinu saw that the korbanos and the bikkurim were destined one day to cease, and so he established the three daily tefillos.

Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the offerings and bikkurim would eventually stop, so he instituted the three daily tefillos as their enduring replacement.

כי אחז"ל היום הזה בכל יום יהי' בעיניך כחדשים ובקרא כ' היום הזה ממש

For Chazal said: "This day" — on every single day the Torah should be in your eyes as something new, and the verse "this day" means literally each day.

Chazal read "this day" to mean the Torah must feel brand-new every day, and the verse intends each literal day.

רק כפי מה שנתברר בעוני בנ"י כך מתקיים התחדשות והראשית כי בנ"י נק' ראשית

Yet only according to the measure of clarification achieved through the toil and travail of Bnei Yisrael does this renewal and this "beginning" take hold, for Bnei Yisrael are called "the beginning" (reishis).

This daily renewal only takes root to the degree that Bnei Yisrael refine themselves through their effort, since they are called "the beginning."

וכ' ונתנך לראש ולא לזנב היינו שיש להם דביקות בראש ושורש ושם יש התחדשות תמיד

And it is written "And Hashem will set you as the head and not as the tail" (Devarim 28:13) — meaning that they possess dveikus to the head and the root, and there renewal is found at all times.

Being set as "the head" means Bnei Yisrael cleave to the root, where constant renewal flows.

והתגלות הראשית והתחדשות בעולם תלוי בבנ"י וזה כריתות הברית שכרת הש"י עם בנ"י וכמ"ש אתם עדי ואני אל כשאתם עדי אני אל מתגלה האלקות

The revelation of the "beginning" and the renewal within the world depends upon Bnei Yisrael, and this is the cutting of the bris that Hashem forged with Bnei Yisrael, as Chazal said: "You are My witnesses and I am God" (based on Yeshayahu 43:12) — when you are My witnesses, I am God, for then the Divinity becomes revealed.

The world's renewal depends on Bnei Yisrael, and this is the bris: when they testify to Hashem, His Divinity becomes revealed.

והיא בכח התורה ומצות כמ"ש מצוך לעשות את החקים כו' פי' באמצעיות החוקים תעשו היום הזה

And this comes about through the power of Torah and mitzvos, as it is written "commands you to perform these chukim" — the explanation being that by means of the chukim you bring about this "day."

This revelation is achieved specifically through the power of Torah and mitzvos, by which Bnei Yisrael bring about the renewed "day."

ובהבאת ביכורים למקדש נתגלה הראשית והתחדשות לכל העולם כמ"ש משוש כל הארץ

And through the bringing of bikkurim to the Beis HaMikdash, the "beginning" and the renewal became revealed to the entire world, as it is written "the joy of all the earth" (Tehillim 48:3).

When bikkurim were brought to the Beis HaMikdash, this renewal radiated to the whole world, called "the joy of all the earth."

ועתה צריך להיות ע"י תפלה

And now, in our times, this must be accomplished by means of tefillah.

Now that the Beis HaMikdash is gone, this same revelation must be drawn down through tefillah.

וזה סמיכת מצות ביכורים למחיות עמלק כי כל מלחמת עמלק ימ"ש לבטל זה הראשית כמ"ש קרך בדרך ויזנב בך

And this is why the mitzvah of bikkurim is placed adjacent to the wiping out of Amalek, for the entire war of Amalek, may his name be blotted out, is to nullify this "beginning," as it is written "that he happened upon you on the way and cut off your stragglers behind you" (Devarim 25:18).

This explains why bikkurim sits next to the command to wipe out Amalek, whose whole war is to nullify this "beginning."

שרוצה להפיל קרירות באיש ישראל להיות מוטבע בטבע ובמקרה שהיא בחי' זנב

For Amalek wishes to cast coldness upon the Jew, so that he becomes sunk into nature and into mere happenstance, which is the aspect of the "tail."

Amalek's tactic is to inject coldness into a Jew, sinking him into mere nature and chance — the aspect of the "tail."

אבל בנ"י צריכין להיות תמיד דבקים בראש ולא לזנב כנ"ל

But Bnei Yisrael must always remain cleaving to the "head" and not to the "tail," as explained above.

Bnei Yisrael must resist this by always cleaving to the "head" rather than the "tail."

וכשימחה שמו של עמלק יתגלה אלקותו ית"ש בעולם: כ' אני לדודי ודודי לי כי באמת הקב"ה רם ונשא ואיך יוכל ב"ו בעוה"ז לעשות לפניו נחת רוח

And when the name of Amalek is wiped out, the Divinity of Hashem will be revealed in the world: It is written "I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me" (Shir HaShirim 6:3) — for in truth the Holy One, Blessed is He, is exalted and uplifted, and how can flesh and blood in this world give Him nachas ruach?

When Amalek is erased, Hashem's Divinity will shine forth; yet given how exalted He is, how can mortal man give Him nachas ruach?

רק בעבור שהצדיקים משתוקקין שיהי' נמצא דרך שנוכל לעשות לפניו נ"ר בעבור זה המציא כביכול שיהי' מציאות לזה כמ"ש את ה' האמרת וה' האמירך

Rather, because the tzaddikim yearn that there should be found some way by which we are able to give Him nachas ruach, on account of this He brought about, as it were, that there should exist a means for this, as it is written "You have distinguished Hashem this day, and Hashem has distinguished you" (Devarim 26:17-18).

Because the tzaddikim yearn to serve Him, Hashem Himself created a way for it to be possible, a mutual distinction between Him and Bnei Yisrael.

וזה אני לדודי שבנ"י נבראו בעולם רק לשמו ית'

And this is "I am for my Beloved" — that Bnei Yisrael were created in the world solely for the sake of His Name.

"I am for my Beloved" teaches that Bnei Yisrael exist in this world only for the sake of Hashem's Name.

ודודי לי שכל המציאות והדרכים שעשה הקב"ה שיוכל ב"ו לעבדו הכל הי' רק בעבור בנ"י

"And my Beloved is for me" — that all the existence and all the pathways which the Holy One, Blessed is He, made so that flesh and blood could serve Him, all of it was solely for the sake of Bnei Yisrael.

"And my Beloved is for me" teaches that every avenue Hashem made for man to serve Him was established for the sake of Bnei Yisrael.

ובימים אלו בר"ה שמתחדש בריאת העולם צריכין בנ"י להכין עצמם לזה ההשתוקקות וכמ"ש דרשו ה' בהמצאו שזה הזמן שנתחדש זה המציאות בעולם:

And in these days of Rosh Hashanah, when the creation of the world is renewed, Bnei Yisrael must prepare themselves for this yearning, as it is written "Seek Hashem when He is to be found" (Yeshayahu 55:6) — for this is the time when this very means is renewed in the world.

On Rosh Hashanah, when creation is renewed, Bnei Yisrael must ready themselves with this yearning, for now is the time Hashem is to be found.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds his piece around the words "this day," which Chazal understand to mean that the Torah and avodah must feel newly given each day. This renewal of the world, the revelation of the "beginning" (reishis), depends upon Bnei Yisrael cleaving to the "head" and root rather than to the "tail" of nature and happenstance — originally drawn down through bikkurim in the Beis HaMikdash, and in our times through tefillah. Amalek's entire war is to inject coldness and sink the Jew into mere nature, nullifying this "beginning," which is why his destruction is juxtaposed to bikkurim. Finally, through the verse "I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me," he explains that Bnei Yisrael exist only for Hashem's Name, while every pathway Hashem fashioned for man's avodah was made for the sake of Bnei Yisrael. On Rosh Hashanah, when creation itself is renewed, Bnei Yisrael must prepare with this very yearning to serve Him, for then Hashem is to be found.