Becoming Wholly Torah

במדרש ויקרא משה א"כ ישראל כו'

In the Midrash on the verse "And He called to Moshe" (Vayikra 1:1): If so, Klal Yisrael, etc.

The piece opens by citing the Midrash on the opening verse of Vayikra, which begins to draw a connection to Klal Yisrael.

כשם שקיבל מרע"ה התורה בקריאה ויקרא כו' ביום השביעי מתוך הענן כמו כן מסר לבנ"י התורה בקריאה

Just as Moshe Rabbeinu received the Torah through a calling "And He called, etc." on the seventh day from within the cloud, so too did he transmit the Torah to Bnei Yisrael through a calling.

Moshe received the Torah through Hashem's loving "calling" from within the cloud, and he likewise passed the Torah to Bnei Yisrael through that same medium of a calling.

זש"ה בני א' תקח אמרי אימתי אתה בני אם תקח אמרי משל למלך שא"ל בנו סיימני בתוך המדינה א"ל לבוש פורפירא שלי ועטרה שלי וידעו הכל שאתה בני כו'

This is the meaning of the verse "My son, take My words" (Mishlei 2:1) — when are you My son? When "you take My words." This is compared to a king who said to his son: identify me amid the populace. He said to him: wear my royal purple robe and my crown, and all will know that you are my son, etc.

A mashal: a king tells his son to identify himself before the people by wearing the royal robe and crown, so all recognize he is the king's son — paralleling how taking on the Torah marks one as Hashem's son.

פי' קריאה היא לשון חיבה ודביקות וכמו שמרע"ה נזדכך באלה הששה ימים נתכסה ונתקדש בענן ועלה לדביקות עליון ונעשה כולו תורה

The explanation is that a "calling" denotes affection and dveikus. And just as Moshe Rabbeinu was refined during those six days, was enveloped and sanctified within the cloud, and ascended to the highest dveikus and became entirely Torah,

A "calling" signifies love and attachment. During the six days Moshe was purified and sanctified within the cloud, rising to supreme dveikus until he became wholly Torah.

כן זכו בנ"י אחר המ' שנה במדבר נזדככו להיות כולם תורה ונתחברו אל מרע"ה ז"ש ויקרא משה כו'

so too did Bnei Yisrael merit, after the forty years in the wilderness, to become refined so that they were entirely Torah, and they became joined to Moshe Rabbeinu. This is the meaning of "And Moshe called, etc."

Bnei Yisrael underwent the same process over forty years in the wilderness, becoming entirely Torah and bound to Moshe — captured in the phrase "And Moshe called."

וע"ז הדביקות בעצם התורה כ' תקח אמרי להיות לו קנין בתורה

And regarding this dveikus in the very essence of the Torah it is written, "take My words," that one should have an acquisition in the Torah.

To reach this dveikus in the Torah's essence, the verse instructs us to "take My words," meaning to truly acquire the Torah as one's own possession.

וע"ז אמרו חז"ל במ"ח דברים התורה ניקנית להיות דבקים בעצם התורה כמ"ש ומצותי תצפון אתך בעצם

And concerning this Chazal said that the Torah is acquired through forty-eight things — to be attached to the very essence of the Torah, as it is written, "and you shall store My mitzvos within you" (Mishlei 2:1), within your very essence.

This is why Chazal teach that Torah is acquired through forty-eight qualities — the goal being to cleave to the Torah's very essence, stored deep within oneself.

ואז זוכין לבחי' בנים כדאיתא במשנה חביבין ישראל שנק' בנים למקום חיבה יתירה נודעת להם שנק' בנים כו'

And then one merits the level of "sons," as we find in the Mishnah (Avos 3:14): Beloved are Yisrael, for they are called sons to the Omnipresent; an extra measure of affection was made known to them that they are called sons, etc.

Attaining this acquisition earns one the status of Hashem's beloved "son," as the Mishnah in Avos describes the extra affection Hashem shows Bnei Yisrael.

ואין דעת אלא תורה שע"י היגיעה בתורה זוכין להארת הנשמה כי בחי' בנים אינו הגופים רק הנשמות וע"י התורה זוכין לנשמה

And "daas" refers only to Torah, for through laboring in the Torah one merits the illumination of the neshamah; for the level of "sons" does not refer to the bodies but to the neshamos, and through the Torah one merits the neshamah.

"Daas" means Torah, because toiling in Torah brings the neshamah's illumination; sonship belongs to the neshamah, not the body, and Torah is what brings one to the neshamah.

וכדאיתא שע"י תורה ומצות מכין אדם לעצמו לבושים לנשמה ורוח ונפש

And as it is found, that through Torah and mitzvos a person prepares for himself garments for the neshamah, ruach, and nefesh.

Through Torah and mitzvos a person fashions spiritual garments for all three levels of his soul — nefesh, ruach, and neshamah.

ולא זו בעוה"ב אבל אותן שיש להם קנין בתורה אם תקח אמרי זוכין גם בעוה"ז למלבושים של הנר"נ ולחלוקא דרבנן וז"ש לבוש פורפירא שלי וכל רואיהם יכירו שהם זרע ברוכי ה' כנ"ל

And not only in Olam Haba; rather, those who have an acquisition in the Torah — "if you take My words" — merit even in this world the garments of the nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, and the chaluka d'rabbanan (the rabbinic garment). This is the meaning of "wear my royal purple robe," and all who see them will recognize that they are the offspring blessed by Hashem, as above.

These garments are not reserved for Olam Haba alone; one who genuinely acquires Torah gains them even in this world, including the rabbinic garment, so that observers recognize him as blessed offspring of Hashem.

[ומ"ש לעיל בענין ויקרא יש לרמוז בפסוק ישקני מנשיקות פיהו וכתבנו במ"א כי פי' פיהו פיו ויפי סירסורו כעין שכ' במד' איכה בפסוק פיהו מריתי

[And regarding what was said above concerning "And He called," there is an allusion in the verse "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" (Shir HaShirim 1:2), and we have written elsewhere that the meaning of "his mouth" is His mouth and the beauty of His intermediary, similar to what is written in the Midrash on Eichah concerning the verse "I rebelled against His word."

An additional allusion: the verse in Shir HaShirim about "the kisses of his mouth" hints at Hashem's mouth and His intermediary, linked to a teaching in the Midrash on Eichah.

ויובן לפמ"ש כאן כי בנ"י נתדבקו בדביקות עליון בתורה ע"י משה רבינו ויקרא אל משה

And this can be understood according to what is explained here, that Bnei Yisrael became attached in the highest dveikus to the Torah through Moshe Rabbeinu — "And He called to Moshe."

This fits the theme above: Bnei Yisrael cleaved to the Torah in the loftiest dveikus by means of Moshe Rabbeinu, as expressed in "And He called to Moshe."

ויקרא משה אל כ' ישראל

"And Moshe called to all Klal Yisrael."

The verse "And Moshe called to all Klal Yisrael" reinforces that Moshe was the conduit transmitting this dveikus to the people.

וע"ז מבקשים (חסר במקור)

And concerning this they beseech (missing in the source).

The piece breaks off here, noting the conclusion of the request is missing from the source text.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the Midrash's reading of the word "And He called" (Vayikra) as an expression of love and dveikus. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu was refined within the cloud over six days, ascending to supreme attachment until he became wholly Torah, so too Bnei Yisrael, over forty years in the wilderness, became entirely Torah and bound to Moshe. Through genuinely acquiring the Torah — "take My words" — one attains the status of Hashem's beloved son, an illumination that belongs to the neshamah rather than the body. By Torah and mitzvos a person fashions spiritual garments for his nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, and one who truly acquires Torah dons these garments even in this world, so that all recognize him as Hashem's blessed offspring, like a king's son wearing the royal robe.