Two Paths To Torah

כי המצוה הזאת ל"נ הוא כו' לא בשמים כו' לא מעבר לים כו'

"For this mitzvah which I command you this day is not hidden from you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven... nor is it across the sea..." (Devarim 30:11-13).

The pasuk states that the mitzvah of Torah is accessible: it is not in heaven nor across the sea, but within reach.

ובמד' הפותח והחותם בתורה מברך לעני' ולאחרי' כו' פי' כי יש ב' דרכים להשגת התורה

And in the Midrash: the one who opens with the Torah and the one who closes with the Torah recite a blessing both before and after. The explanation is that there are two paths to attaining the Torah.

The Midrash notes that one blessing is made before learning Torah and one after. The Sfas Emes uses this to introduce two distinct paths to acquiring Torah.

או ע"י התקדשות וטהרה רבה לעלות מעלות רבות לבחי' מרע"ה איש האלקים

Either through sanctifying oneself and great purity, ascending many levels to the rung of Moshe Rabbeinu, the man of Hashem;

The first path is through intense self-sanctification and purity, rising to the lofty level of Moshe Rabbeinu.

או ע"י התגברות על היצה"ר בעוה"ז ומצד זכות זה יכולין ג"כ להשיג התורה וזה נק' מעבר לים

or through overcoming the yetzer hara in this world, and by virtue of that merit one is also able to attain the Torah, and this is what is called "across the sea."

The second path is through battling and overcoming the yetzer hara in this world, which earns one the merit to attain Torah; this struggle is what the pasuk calls 'across the sea.'

והנה ב' בחי' אלו כבר תיקנו כלל בנ"י בנסיון במצרים ואח"כ נתקרבו ממש לשמים בקבלת התורה

Now, these two aspects were already established by the entire Bnei Yisrael: through the test in Mitzrayim, and afterward they drew truly close to heaven through Kabbalas HaTorah.

Bnei Yisrael as a nation already accomplished both: they withstood the test of Mitzrayim and then came close to heaven at Kabbalas HaTorah.

ולכן אמר מרע"ה עתה לא בשמים היא ולא מעבר לים כו'

Therefore Moshe Rabbeinu said: now "it is not in heaven, nor is it across the sea..." (Devarim 30:12-13).

Because the nation already achieved both paths, Moshe Rabbeinu could say the Torah is no longer 'in heaven' or 'across the sea.'

אולם וודאי עדיין צריכין להקדמת ב' הבחי' הנ"ל

Nevertheless, one certainly still requires the preparation of these two aforementioned aspects.

Even so, every individual still needs the groundwork laid by those two avenues of preparation.

אך קרוב אליך כו' להשיג אלו השגות הואיל וכבר תיקנו זאת בנ"י בכללות

Yet "it is very near to you" (Devarim 30:14) to attain these attainments, since Bnei Yisrael have already established this as a whole.

The Torah is now 'very near' and attainable because Bnei Yisrael as a collective already laid this foundation.

אך בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו

But "it is in your mouth and in your heart to do it" (Devarim 30:14).

The actual avodah now happens 'in your mouth and in your heart to do it.'

וזה ענין הפותח והחותם בתורה כי התורה היא באמת המשך אור עולם העליון לעולם התחתון

And this is the matter of the one who opens with the Torah and the one who closes with the Torah, for the Torah is in truth the drawing down of the light of the upper world into the lower world.

The opening and closing blessings correspond to the Torah's role of drawing the light of the upper world down into the lower world.

והם ב' הברכות ברכה ראשונה להתישב קודם העסק בתורה מקור קדושת התורה לדבק התורה בשורש העליון בשמים

And these are the two blessings: the first blessing is to settle oneself before engaging in Torah, the source of the Torah's kedushah, to bind the Torah to its upper root in heaven.

The first blessing, recited before learning, settles a person and connects the Torah to its upper root in heaven, drawing from the source of the Torah's kedushah.

והוא בפיך ע"י עסק העבודה שכחן של ישראל בפה עי"ז יכולין לפתוח מקור התורה

And this is "in your mouth" through the labor of avodah, for the strength of Bnei Yisrael is in the mouth, and through this they are able to open the source of the Torah.

This corresponds to 'in your mouth,' for Bnei Yisrael's strength lies in speech, and through verbal avodah they open the wellspring of Torah.

ואחר העסק להמשיך הארת התורה להישאר רושם ממנו בלב כדי לתקן ע"י הארת התורה שבלב האדם כל המעשים שזה עיקר מכוון התורה להשאיר קדושה באדם כדי לתקן כל דברי עוה"ז ג"כ

And after the labor, to draw down the illumination of the Torah so that an impression of it remains in the heart, in order to rectify, through the illumination of the Torah within a person's heart, all of his deeds, for this is the essential intent of the Torah: to leave kedushah within a person so as to rectify all the matters of this world as well.

After learning, one draws the Torah's light down so that it leaves a lasting impression on the heart, which then rectifies all of a person's deeds; this is the Torah's main purpose: to plant kedushah in a person and thereby elevate even worldly matters.

וזהו החותם בתורה שהוא גמר המכוון

And this is the one who closes with the Torah, which is the completion of the intended purpose.

The one who closes with the Torah represents the completion of this entire purpose.

והוא ברכה אחרונה והוא בלבבך כנ"ל שנשאר ההארה קבוע בלב:

And this is the final blessing, and it is "in your heart" as above, that the illumination remains fixed in the heart.

This corresponds to the final blessing and to 'in your heart,' meaning the Torah's illumination remains permanently fixed within the heart.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that the pasuk "it is not in heaven nor across the sea" reflects two paths to attaining the Torah: ascending through great sanctity to the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, or overcoming the yetzer hara in this world. Bnei Yisrael as a nation already accomplished both through the test of Mitzrayim and through Kabbalas HaTorah, so the Torah is now "very near" to every individual. He maps these onto the two blessings of Torah learning highlighted by the Midrash: the first blessing, recited before learning, corresponds to "in your mouth" and binds the Torah to its upper root in heaven. The final blessing corresponds to "in your heart," drawing the Torah's illumination down so it remains permanently fixed in a person, rectifying all his deeds and elevating even the matters of this world, which is the Torah's essential purpose.