Mitzvos Revealing Israel's Grace

במדרש כי לוית חן הם כו' מצות מלוין האדם כו'

The Midrash teaches on the verse "for they shall be a garland of grace (livyas chein) [for your head]" (Mishlei 1:9) — that the mitzvos accompany (melavin) a person.

The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash that compares mitzvos to a garland of grace that accompanies a person, hinting that mitzvos reveal something already present.

כי הנה הש"י בחר לו בנ"י נמצא יש לבנ"י החן בעיני המקום ב"ה

For behold, Hashem chose Bnei Yisrael for Himself; it emerges, then, that Bnei Yisrael possess that grace (chein) in the eyes of the Omnipresent, Blessed is He.

Hashem chose Bnei Yisrael, so they inherently possess a special favor and grace before Him.

אך ע"י התורה ומצות הם מעוררין אותו החן והמעשים מחברין את האדם אל שורש נשמתו ושם מציאת החן לבנ"י

But it is through the Torah and the mitzvos that they arouse that grace, and the deeds connect a person to the root of his neshamah, and there lies the finding of grace for Bnei Yisrael.

Yet that grace stays dormant until Torah and mitzvos awaken it, because the deeds link a person back to the root of his neshamah, which is where this grace truly resides.

ובמד' הנולד כשהוא מהול כו' המול ימול כו' פי' שהמצות לבד שהם פעולת המוכרחין בעצמם

And in the Midrash regarding one who is born already circumcised — "he shall surely be circumcised (hamol yimol)" (Bereishis 17:13) — the explanation is that the mitzvos are not merely the actions of things that are compelled in themselves.

Citing the case of a baby born already circumcised, he stresses that a mitzvah is not just a mechanical, predetermined act with no deeper purpose.

לבד זה הם ניתנו לבנ"י לתקן אותם שבכח המעשה יתדבקו בשורש נשמתם

Beyond this, they were given to Bnei Yisrael to perfect them, so that through the power of the deed they should become attached to the root of their neshamah.

Rather, mitzvos were given so that Bnei Yisrael can perfect themselves and, through the act, bind themselves to the root of their neshamah.

ולכן אף שנולד מהול צריכין להטיף דם ברית מפני בריתו של אאע"ה

Therefore, even though one was born already circumcised, we must still draw a drop of bris blood, on account of the bris of Avraham Avinu.

This is why even a child born circumcised needs a drop of bris blood drawn — to actively connect to the bris of Avraham Avinu.

כלומר שע"י המצות שבנ"י עושין מעוררין שורש אחדות בנ"י שהוא מציאת חן אומה הישראלית

That is to say, through the mitzvos that Bnei Yisrael perform, they arouse the root of the oneness of Bnei Yisrael, which is the finding of grace of the nation of Yisrael.

The point is that the mitzvos Bnei Yisrael perform awaken the underlying oneness of the nation, which is the source of their grace as a people.

וזה נק' בריתו של אאע"ה

And this is what is called the bris of Avraham Avinu.

That awakened root of unity is precisely what "the bris of Avraham Avinu" signifies.

ומצד זה אין הפרש בין מצוה קלה לחמורה דסוף סוף ע"י המצוה מעורר כח נשמתו

From this perspective, there is no difference between a light mitzvah and a stringent one, for in the end, through the mitzvah a person arouses the power of his neshamah.

Since every mitzvah arouses the power of the neshamah, there is no real distinction between a seemingly minor mitzvah and a major one.

וז"ש (למען יאריכון ימיך) [*והארכת ימים] בקלה שבקלות כו'

And this is the meaning of "(so that your days may be lengthened) [and you shall lengthen your days]" (Devarim 22:7) stated regarding the lightest of the light mitzvos.

This is why the Torah promises long life specifically for the lightest mitzvos — every mitzvah reaches the same root.

ובגמ' מקשים הרי שמת כו' אלא בעולם שכולו ארוך כו'

And in the Gemara they raise a difficulty: there was one who [fulfilled this mitzvah and yet] died — rather, it refers to the world that is entirely long (Olam Haba) (Chullin 142a).

The Gemara objects that some who kept this mitzvah still died young, and answers that the reward is in Olam Haba, the world that is entirely long.

פי' אריכת ימי האדם הוא כנ"ל שמתדבקין הימים והשנים של האדם בשורשן זה נק' אריכת ימים שמגיעים עד השורש ושם נק' שכולו ארוך והבן:

The explanation is that the lengthening of a person's days is as stated above — that the days and years of a person become attached to their root; this is what is called "length of days," for they reach all the way to the root, and there it is called "the world that is entirely long." Understand this.

The Sfas Emes explains that "length of days" means a person's days and years become attached to their root; reaching that root is itself the everlasting "world that is entirely long."

Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that because Hashem chose Bnei Yisrael, they inherently possess a special grace before Him, but this grace remains dormant until it is aroused through Torah and mitzvos, which connect a person to the root of his neshamah. He brings the case of a child born already circumcised, who still requires a drop of bris blood, to show that a mitzvah is not a mere predetermined act but a means by which Bnei Yisrael perfect themselves and bind themselves to that root — awakening the underlying oneness of the nation, which is the bris of Avraham Avinu. From this vantage point there is no difference between a light mitzvah and a stringent one, since every mitzvah arouses the power of the neshamah, which is why the Torah promises long life even for the lightest of mitzvos. He concludes that "length of days" means a person's days and years become attached to their root, and reaching that root is itself Olam Haba, "the world that is entirely long."