Awakening Hidden Chein Through Mitzvos

במדרש לוית חן הם כו' המצות מלוין אותך כו' כי מה שמצות שבנ"י עושין מקובלין לפניו ית'

In the Midrash on the verse "they shall be a garland of grace [for your head]" (Mishlei 1:9) — that the mitzvos accompany you. For the fact that the mitzvos which Bnei Yisrael perform are accepted before Hashem, may He be blessed,

The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash that the mitzvos serve as a garland of grace accompanying a person, and asks what gives the mitzvos of Bnei Yisrael their standing before Hashem.

הוא מצד כי חן מקח על מקחו וכתי' וירא אלקים כו' כל אשר עשה כו' טוב מאוד כו'

is on account of "chein" — that the purchase finds favor in the eyes of its purchaser, as it is written, "And Hashem saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good" (Bereishis 1:31).

Their acceptance flows from "chein" — the favor a maker has for his own handiwork — rooted in Hashem seeing His creation as "very good."

וזה החן שהוטב בעיני השי"ת הבריאה זה מקיים כל הנבראים ותכלית עבודתינו לעורר זה הרצון

And this is the chein, the grace, which found favor in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, regarding the creation — it is this that sustains all created beings. And the purpose of our avodah is to awaken this ratzon, this Divine desire.

That very grace which Hashem found in the creation is what keeps all of existence alive, and our whole avodah is to reawaken that Divine ratzon.

ובכל דבר נמצא חן הזה רק ע"י המצוה שמיוחד למעשה מיוחדת מתעורר החן של המעשה ע"י המצוה

And in every single thing this chein is to be found; only that through the mitzvah, which is designated for a particular deed, the chein of that deed is awakened by means of the mitzvah.

This hidden chein lies within every thing, but a mitzvah, tied to a specific act, is what draws out and activates the grace latent in that particular deed.

וכן אברי האדם נגד רמ"ח מצות עשה וכל אבר שעושה בו מצוה עי"ז נעשה מקחו של הקב"ה שמעיד שנברא רק לעשות רצון בוראו כמ"ש כל מה שברא הקב"ה לכבודו ברא עי"ז מתעורר החן מקח על בעליו כיון שמקבל עליו עול מ"ש ונקרא בעליו כנ"ל

And so too the limbs of a person correspond to the two hundred and forty-eight positive mitzvos, and every limb with which one performs a mitzvah — through this it becomes the acquisition of the Holy One, Blessed is He, for it testifies that it was created solely to carry out the will of its Creator, as Chazal said, "Everything that the Holy One, Blessed is He, created, He created for His honor." Through this the chein is awakened — the purchase belongs to its master — since he accepts upon himself the yoke of the Kingship of Heaven and is therefore called its owner, as explained above.

Since a person's limbs parallel the 248 positive mitzvos, using a limb for a mitzvah turns it into Hashem's own "property" — it declares it was made to do His will, and by accepting the yoke of Heaven a person makes the deed truly belong to its Master.

וכשמתעורר חן הזה נושע בכל הענינים וכדמצינו שמרע"ה ביקש על החן אם מצאתי חן כו'

And when this chein is awakened, one is saved in all matters, as we find that Moshe Rabbeinu prayed regarding chein, "If I have found favor [in Your eyes]" (Shemos 33:13).

When this chein is aroused, a person is delivered in every situation, just as Moshe Rabbeinu's request was framed in the language of finding favor.

[וזה לשון מציאה שהחן יש בכל דבר רק שצריך להתעורר ע"י המעשה כנ"ל]:

[And this is precisely the language of "finding," for the chein is present in every single thing; only that it needs to be awakened by means of the deed, as explained above.]

The Torah deliberately uses the word "finding" because the chein already exists within everything and only awaits being awakened through one's deeds.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that the mitzvos of Bnei Yisrael are accepted before Hashem because of "chein" — the favor a Maker holds for His own handiwork, the very grace Hashem saw when He declared His creation "very good," which continues to sustain all of existence. The purpose of our avodah is to reawaken this Divine ratzon, for that hidden chein lies dormant within every created thing. A mitzvah, designated for a particular deed, is the means by which the grace latent in that act is drawn out and activated. Thus a person's limbs, which parallel the 248 positive mitzvos, become Hashem's own acquisition when used to do His will and accept the yoke of Heaven. When this chein is awakened, one is saved in all matters — and the Torah's language of "finding" favor teaches that the grace is always present, awaiting only our deeds to reveal it.