Mitzvos Unlocking Hidden Treasures

במדרש כי יקרא ק"צ הנולד מהול צריך להטיף ממנו דם ברית מפני בריתו של א"א כו' המול ימול ע"ש

In the Midrash on the verse "When you encounter" (Devarim 22:6), Reish Lakish said that one who is born already circumcised must still have a drop of bris-blood drawn from him, on account of the covenant of Avraham Avinu, etc., as it says, "He shall surely be circumcised" (Bereishis 17:13).

The Sfas Emes opens with a Midrash teaching that even someone born already circumcised still needs a symbolic drop of bris-blood, because the bris of Avraham Avinu must be enacted upon him.

הענין הוא כי א"א נולד ערל והקב"ה נתן בידו הכח להסיר הערלה זה עיקר כריתות הברית שנמסר לו פנימיות האדם והנה מצות מילה רומז על כל המצות שהן להסיר מכסה הגשמיות מכל אבר ולגלות פנימיות החיות שהוא באמת רמ"ח מצות וכל מצוה הוא מפתח מיוחד לאבר מיוחד

The matter is as follows: Avraham Avinu was born with an orlah (uncircumcised), and the Holy One, Blessed is He, placed in his hand the power to remove the orlah; this is the essence of the forging of the bris, that the inner core of man was entrusted to him. Now, the mitzvah of milah alludes to all the mitzvos, for they all serve to remove the covering of physicality from every limb and to reveal the inner life-force, which is truly the two hundred forty-eight mitzvos, and each mitzvah is a unique key to a unique limb.

He explains that Avraham was given the power to remove the orlah, which represents stripping the physical covering off every limb to reveal its inner life-force; milah thus stands for all two hundred forty-eight positive mitzvos, each one a key unlocking a specific limb.

והקב"ה בחכמה ברא את האדם

And the Holy One, Blessed is He, created man with wisdom.

Hashem fashioned the human being with deliberate wisdom, building this hidden potential into the very design of man.

וכ' מה רב טובך א' צפנת ליראיך ולכן כ' שש אנכי ע"א כמוצא שלל רב וחז"ל דרשו על המילה שהוא כלל כל המצות אבל כמו כן נמצא אוצרות מטמוניות בכל אבר ובכח המצות נפתחים אלה האוצרות והוא ממש כמוצא שלל רב והקב"ה רצה לזכות את ישראל והרבה להם המצות שיוכלו בכחם למצוא אלה המטמוניות שהטמין הקב"ה באדם כמ"ש נר לרגלי דבריך

And it is written, "How abundant is Your goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You" (Tehillim 31:20), and therefore it is written, "I rejoice over Your word like one who finds great spoil" (Tehillim 119:162). Now Chazal expounded this upon milah, that it is the all-encompassing principle of all the mitzvos; but in like manner there are hidden treasures concealed within every limb, and through the power of the mitzvos these treasures are opened, and it is literally like one who finds great spoil. And the Holy One, Blessed is He, wished to grant Bnei Yisrael merit, and so He gave them many mitzvos, so that through their power they could find these hidden treasures that the Holy One, Blessed is He, concealed within man, as it is written, "A lamp for my feet is Your word" (Tehillim 119:105).

Just as Chazal applied the verse about "finding great spoil" to milah as the root of all mitzvos, every limb contains concealed treasures that the mitzvos unlock; Hashem gave Bnei Yisrael many mitzvos precisely so they could uncover these hidden riches He planted within them.

וז"ש במד' לוית חן הם

This is what the Midrash means by "they are a graceful garland" (Mishlei 1:9).

The Midrash's phrase "a graceful garland" refers to this very idea of the mitzvos adorning and revealing the hidden treasures within man.

ובאמת כל ציור האדם רומז לעולמות עליונים ובכל מצוה נפתח שער מיוחד וכמו כן בכל שמירת מל"ת נעשה תיקון למעלה לסתום פי המקטרגים וכח סט"א שבכל העולמות

In truth, the entire form of man alludes to the upper worlds, and through every mitzvah a unique gate is opened; and likewise, through every observance of a negative commandment a tikkun is effected Above, to seal the mouth of the accusers and the power of the sitra achra (the other side) that is in all the worlds.

The whole structure of man mirrors the upper worlds: each positive mitzvah opens a corresponding gate Above, and each negative mitzvah seals the mouths of the accusers and weakens the sitra achra throughout the worlds.

ורצה הקב"ה שיהי' התיקון על ידינו ז"ש המל ימול שע"י מילה שלמטה יתעורר ברית מילה שלמעלה

And the Holy One, Blessed is He, desired that the tikkun should come about through us; this is the meaning of "He shall surely be circumcised," that through the milah below the bris milah Above is aroused.

Hashem wanted the spiritual repair to happen through our actions, so that performing the milah here below awakens the bris milah in the upper worlds.

וכמו כן בהעברת סט"א כמ"ש תמחה זכר עמלק למטה ואני אמחה מלמעלה נמצא מתחבר מעשה האדם לתיקון העליון זה נק' לוית חן

And so too with the removal of the sitra achra, as it is written, "You shall erase the memory of Amalek" (Devarim 25:19) below, and "I will erase" from Above; it emerges that the deed of man is joined to the upper tikkun, and this is what is called a "graceful garland."

The same dynamic governs erasing evil: when we erase Amalek's memory below, Hashem erases it Above, so that human deeds become joined to the heavenly tikkun, which is the "graceful garland."

ועיקר תכלית המצות כמ"ש בזוה"ק י"ה עם שמי שס"ה זכרי עם ו"ה רמ"ח נמצא בשמירת כל התרי"ג חל שם ה' על האדם ולכן כ' במד' שצריכין ליזהר במצוה קלה כבחמורה שתכלית התיקון בא בשמירת כל המצות דווקא

And the essential purpose of the mitzvos is, as it is written in the Zohar HaKadosh: the letters Yud-Hei correspond to the word "My name" (shemi), the three hundred sixty-five negative commandments, and the letters Vav-Hei correspond to "My remembrance" (zichri), the two hundred forty-eight positive commandments. It emerges that through the observance of all six hundred thirteen, the Name of Hashem rests upon man, and therefore it is written in the Midrash that one must be as careful with a "light" mitzvah as with a "weighty" one, for the ultimate tikkun comes specifically through the observance of all the mitzvos.

Citing the Zohar, he shows that Yud-Hei plus the negative mitzvos and Vav-Hei plus the positive mitzvos together form Hashem's full Name resting on man; hence one must guard a minor mitzvah as carefully as a major one, since the complete tikkun needs all six hundred thirteen.

ואפי' בזה"ז שא"י לקיים כל המצות במעשה יכולין לקיים בדיבור ומחשבה כמ"ש חישב אדם לעשות מצוה

And even in these times, when one is unable to fulfill all the mitzvos in deed, one can fulfill them through speech and thought, as it is written, "A person intended to perform a mitzvah" (and was prevented, yet it is reckoned as though he performed it).

Even nowadays, when many mitzvos cannot be physically performed, they can be fulfilled through speech and thought, as one who intended a mitzvah but was prevented is credited as if he did it.

וכמו כן העוסק בפ' חטאת ועולה כאילו הקריב

And likewise, one who occupies himself with the portion of the chatas and the olah offerings, it is as though he brought them.

Likewise, studying the laws of the chatas and olah offerings is reckoned as though one actually brought them.

וזה שסמך המד' על מצות קן ציפור שע"י שליחות האם יתעורר רחמים למעלה ומזמנים מן השמים קן צפור לאיש ישראל כדי שעל ידו יתעורר הרחמים למעלה בעבור שרצונו ית' שע"י בנ"י יהי' כל התקונים:

And this is why the Midrash juxtaposed all this to the mitzvah of shiluach haken (sending away the mother bird), for through the sending away of the mother, mercy is aroused Above, and from Heaven they arrange a bird's nest for a man of Bnei Yisrael, so that through him mercy may be aroused Above, because it is the will of Hashem, may He be blessed, that through Bnei Yisrael all the tikkunim should come about.

This is why the Midrash connected the theme to shiluach haken: sending away the mother bird arouses mercy Above, and Heaven even arranges such opportunities for a Yid, since Hashem wills that all the tikkunim of the worlds be accomplished specifically through Bnei Yisrael.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on a Midrash about milah to teach that every mitzvah works like the bris: it removes the physical covering from a particular limb of man and reveals the inner life-force hidden within. Hashem with wisdom concealed treasures throughout the human being and gave Bnei Yisrael the many mitzvos as keys to uncover them, so that each positive mitzvah opens a gate Above and each negative mitzvah silences the accusers and the sitra achra. Because the deeds we perform below arouse the parallel tikkun above, our actions become a "graceful garland" linking man to the upper worlds, and the full set of six hundred thirteen mitzvos together cause Hashem's complete Name to rest upon a person. Even when mitzvos cannot be performed in deed, they can be fulfilled through speech, thought, and Torah study, and Hashem deliberately arranges opportunities like shiluach haken so that, through Bnei Yisrael, all the repairs of creation are brought about.