Mitzvos Elevating The Body

במדרש לוית חן הם כו'

In the Midrash: "They are a graceful adornment" (Mishlei 1:9), etc.

The Sfas Emes opens by citing the Midrash's verse from Mishlei that compares Torah and mitzvos to a graceful ornament adorning a person.

כבר כתבתי במ"א כי כח המצות להעלות נפש הבהמיות לבחי' אדם כיון שהגוף יש לו חלק בעשיות המצות מתעלה באותו שעה כמו לא תחסום שור בדישו אע"פ שעוסק במאכל אדם המצוה שלא למנוע ממנו בשעת דישה והרמז כי בעשית המצוה מתעלה גם הגוף

I have already written elsewhere that the power of the mitzvos is to elevate the animal soul to the level of "adam" (man), for since the body has a share in the performance of the mitzvos, it becomes elevated at that very moment. So too with "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing" (Devarim 25:4) — even though the ox is occupied with food meant for man, the mitzvah is not to withhold from it during the time of threshing; and the hint in this is that through the performance of the mitzvah even the body is elevated.

Mitzvos lift the animal soul up to the level of "adam" because the physical body participates in doing them; the muzzling case shows that even bodily, physical involvement in a mitzvah is itself raised up.

וע"ז אחז"ל רצה הקב"ה לזכות א"י הרבה להם תו"מ כי הנשמה טהורה הוא א"כ הזיכוך הוא רק לנפש הבהמיות

Upon this our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "The Holy One, Blessed is He, wished to grant merit to Bnei Yisrael, therefore He gave them abundant Torah and mitzvos" (Makkos 23b), for the neshamah is itself pure — if so, the purification is needed only for the animal soul.

Since the neshamah is already pure, the whole purpose of the abundant Torah and mitzvos Hashem gave is to refine and purify the animal soul, which is the part that actually needs cleansing.

ולכן בנ"י נק' אדם שע"י המצות מהפכין גם חלק הבהמיות להיות בכלל אדם וע"ז נא' אדם ובהמה תושיע ה':

Therefore Bnei Yisrael are called "adam" (man), for through the mitzvos they transform even the animal portion so that it too is included within "adam"; and upon this it is said, "Man and beast You save, Hashem" (Tehillim 36:7).

Bnei Yisrael earn the title "adam" precisely because through mitzvos they convert even their animal, bodily side into something included in the level of man, as the verse "Man and beast You save" alludes.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that the true power of the mitzvos is to elevate the animal soul to the level of "adam," since the physical body shares in the performance of the mitzvah and is thereby lifted up at that very moment. He proves this from the mitzvah of not muzzling an ox while it threshes — even physical, bodily involvement in a mitzvah is itself raised. Because the neshamah is already pure, the entire purpose of the abundant Torah and mitzvos that the Holy One, Blessed is He, granted Bnei Yisrael is to purify the animal soul alone. This is why Bnei Yisrael are called "adam": through the mitzvos they transform even their animal, bodily portion until it too is included in the level of man, as alluded to in "Man and beast You save, Hashem."