Toil Brings Torah Close
אא"ז הגיד ע"פ לא בשמים היא לאמר כו'
My grandfather and teacher expounded on the verse, "It is not in the heavens, to say..." (Devarim 30:12).
The Sfas Emes opens by citing his grandfather's teaching on the verse that the Torah is not in the heavens.
כי למי שרוצה בכל לבו להתדבק בתורה שאף אם הי' בשמים הי' מחפש אחרי' כמ"ש רש"י ז"ל על מי יעלה לנו כו'
For one who desires with his whole heart to cleave to the Torah, such that even if it were in the heavens he would search after it, as Rashi explains on the words "Who will ascend for us to the heavens" (Devarim 30:12).
Rashi reads the verse as saying that a person of true desire would chase after the Torah even into heaven itself, showing the depth of his yearning to attach himself to it.
אליו היא קרוב באמת ע"כ
To such a person it is truly close, and for this reason the Torah declares it to be near.
Because such a person is willing to pursue it anywhere, the Torah is in fact accessible and near to him.
והכל אחר היגיעה מתקרב עד שקרוב אליו שנראה שלא הי' רחוק מעולם ממנו
For everything comes close as a result of toil, until it becomes so close to him that it appears as though it was never distant from him at all.
Through genuine effort the Torah draws near, until a person feels it was always within his reach.
ובלי יגיעה נדמה שרחוק:
But without toil, it seems to be far off.
By contrast, when a person makes no effort, the Torah appears remote and out of reach.
Summary: The Sfas Emes, citing his grandfather, explains the verse "It is not in the heavens" through the lens of Rashi's reading. The Torah's nearness is not automatic; it is measured by a person's desire. One who longs with his whole heart to cleave to the Torah, who would chase after it even into the heavens, finds that it is genuinely close to him. The closeness comes entirely through toil, until the Torah feels as though it was never distant at all, while without such effort it appears far away. Thus the same Torah is near or far depending wholly on the yearning and labor a person invests in it.