Daily Covenant Above Time
בפסוק א"נ היום
Regarding the possuk, "Atem nitzavim hayom" — "You are standing today."
The Sfas Emes opens with the word "hayom" (today) from the possuk of Nitzavim, noting it as the key term.
בכ"מ שכ' בתורה היום הוא בכל יום
In every place where the Torah writes "hayom" — "today" — it refers to every single day.
He establishes that whenever the Torah says "today," it is not a one-time moment but applies to every day.
לעברך בברית ה'
"To bring you into the covenant of Hashem."
The standing of Bnei Yisrael is in order to enter into Hashem's covenant.
וא"כ שיש לבנ"י קשר וברית בה' כמו שהוא ית' הי' הוה ויהי' כן יש לבנ"י חלק באחדות והתחדשות
And if so, since Bnei Yisrael have a bond and a covenant with Hashem — just as He, Yisbarach, was, is, and will be — then Bnei Yisrael have a share in this oneness and in this renewal.
Because Bnei Yisrael are bound to Hashem in a covenant, and Hashem is eternal — past, present, and future — they share in His oneness and in constant renewal.
והם למעלה מן הזמן בכח זה הברית
And through the power of this covenant they stand above time.
This covenantal bond lifts Bnei Yisrael above the limits of time.
וצריך כל אדם לעורר זאת ההתחדשות בכל יום בכח הבריתות
And every person must awaken this renewal each and every day through the power of these covenants.
Each person's avodah is to actively reawaken this daily renewal by drawing on the power of these covenants.
וז"ש כי המצוה כו' אנכי מצוך היום לא נפלאת היא ממך כו'
And this is what the possuk says: "For this mitzvah... that I command you today, it is not too wondrous for you..." (Devarim 30:11).
He brings the possuk that the mitzvah is "not too wondrous," connecting it to the daily, renewing command.
פי' זה הציוי המתחדש בכל יום א"כ הוא למעלה מן הזמן
The meaning is: this command, which renews itself every day — if so, it is above time.
Since this command renews itself daily, it partakes of something beyond time.
מ"מ לא נפלאת הוא
Nevertheless, "it is not too wondrous."
Yet despite being above time, the Torah insists this mitzvah is still within reach.
בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו הם ברית הלשון וברית המעור מאחר שנק' בריתות א"כ הם למעלה מן הטבע כנ"ל
"In your mouth and in your heart to do it" — these refer to the bris halashon, the covenant of the tongue, and the bris hama'or, the covenant of milah; since they are called covenants, they are therefore above nature, as stated above.
The phrase "in your mouth and in your heart" hints at the covenant of the tongue and the covenant of milah, which because they are called covenants transcend nature.
ובאמת ע"י כל מצוה יכולין להתדבק בזה השורש
And in truth, through every mitzvah one is able to cleave to this root.
Any mitzvah can connect a person to this transcendent root.
אבל המצות שנק' בריתות הם עיקר כחן של ישראל
But the mitzvos that are called covenants are the very essence of the strength of Bnei Yisrael.
But the mitzvos specifically called covenants are the core source of Bnei Yisrael's spiritual strength.
לכן כ' לא נפלאת הוא ממך דווקא אבל מכל הברואים הוא נפלא ורחוק מאחר שהם תוך הטבע כנ"ל
Therefore it is written, "it is not too wondrous for you" — specifically for you it is not wondrous, but from all the other creations it is wondrous and distant, since they are within nature, as stated above.
The Torah says it is not wondrous "for you" — accessible to Bnei Yisrael, yet remote from the rest of creation, which remains bound within nature.
לכן יש ב' אותות בכל יום ברית מילה ותפילין מילה ושבת
Therefore there are two signs every day: the bris milah and tefillin; and milah and Shabbos.
He identifies two daily signs that pair up: milah with tefillin, and milah with Shabbos.
מלה ברית המעור
Milah is the bris hama'or, the covenant of milah.
Milah is identified as the covenant of milah.
ותפילין כח הדיבור כמ"ש רש"י טוטפת מלשון הטף אל דרום
And tefillin is the power of speech, as Rashi writes that "totafos" is from the expression "hatef el darom" — to speak toward the south.
Tefillin represents the power of speech, supported by Rashi's reading of "totafos" as an expression of speaking.
וכמ"ש למען תהי' תורת ה' בפיך
And as it is written, "so that the Torah of Hashem shall be in your mouth" (Shemos 13:9).
He cites the possuk that the purpose of tefillin is that Hashem's Torah be in one's mouth.
וכן שבת סהדותא איקרי ובו נפתח פיהן של ישראל בתורה וזה קריאת התורה בשבת
And likewise Shabbos is called a testimony, and through it the mouth of Bnei Yisrael is opened in Torah — and this is the public reading of the Torah on Shabbos.
Shabbos too is a testimony, and it opens the mouth of Bnei Yisrael in Torah, expressed through the Torah reading on Shabbos.
וצריכין להתחזק בכח השבת ומכ"ש
And we must strengthen ourselves through the power of Shabbos, and all the more so.
He urges drawing strength from Shabbos, all the more so at this particular time.
בשבת זה שהוא שבת האחרון של השנה
On this Shabbos, which is the final Shabbos of the year.
He points to the present Shabbos as the last Shabbos of the year.
ואיתא אלו משמרין בנ"י שבת א' או ב' שבתות מיד הם נגאלין ועכ"פ בשבת שבסוף השנה צריכין לדבק בו
And it is brought down: if Bnei Yisrael would keep one Shabbos, or two Shabbosos, they would immediately be redeemed; and in any case, on the Shabbos at the end of the year we must cleave to it.
He cites the teaching that keeping one or two Shabbosos brings immediate geulah, so one must especially cling to this year-end Shabbos.
וגם בשבת שבתחילת השנה החדשה
And also on the Shabbos at the beginning of the new year.
He extends the same focus to the Shabbos at the start of the new year.
דכ' ויברך א' את יום השביעי
For it is written, "And Hashem blessed the seventh day" (Bereishis 2:3).
He brings the possuk that Hashem blessed the seventh day as the source of Shabbos's blessing.
ומצינו כי מי שהוא מבורך יש בו ברכה בביאה וביציאה כדכ' ברוך אתה בבואך וב"א בצאתך
And we find that one who is blessed has within him blessing both in coming and in going, as it is written, "Blessed shall you be in your coming, and blessed shall you be in your going" (Devarim 28:6).
He notes that a blessed person carries blessing both in entering and in leaving, citing the possuk of "blessed in your coming and going."
לכן השבת בבואו נותן ברכה וקדושה לבנ"י וכן בצאתו וזה קדוש והבדלה
Therefore Shabbos, in its coming, gives blessing and kedushah to Bnei Yisrael, and likewise in its departure — and this is Kiddush and Havdalah.
So too Shabbos bestows blessing and kedushah on Bnei Yisrael both when it arrives (Kiddush) and when it departs (Havdalah).
וכדאיתא בזוה"ק שיש שמחה למעלה בכניסת שבת ויציאת שבת וכמו כן בשבת שבא בתחילת השנה
And as it is brought down in the Zohar HaKadosh, that there is joy above at the entrance of Shabbos and at the departure of Shabbos; and so too with the Shabbos that comes at the beginning of the year.
The Zohar HaKadosh confirms there is joy Above both at Shabbos's entrance and departure, applying as well to the Shabbos beginning the year.
ושבת היוצא בסוף השנה משאיר ברכה בכניסה ויציאה כנ"ל:
And the Shabbos that departs at the end of the year leaves over blessing both in its entrance and in its departure, as stated above.
And the year-ending Shabbos leaves over blessing in both its arrival and its departure, as explained.
Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that the word "hayom" in the possuk of Nitzavim signals an ongoing, daily renewal: because Bnei Yisrael are bound to the eternal Hashem through a covenant, they share in His oneness and rise above the limits of time, and each person must reawaken this renewal every day. Although the renewing command is above time, the Torah promises it is "not too wondrous" but accessible to Bnei Yisrael through the mitzvos called covenants — the bris of the tongue (tefillin and speech in Torah) and the bris of milah — which are the very source of their strength and set them apart from the rest of creation that remains bound within nature. He adds Shabbos as a covenant and testimony that opens the mouth of Bnei Yisrael in Torah, stressing the special power of clinging to the final Shabbos of the year and the first Shabbos of the new year. Drawing on the possuk that Hashem blessed the seventh day and the Zohar HaKadosh, he explains that Shabbos imparts blessing and kedushah both as it enters (Kiddush) and as it departs (Havdalah), so that the year-ending Shabbos leaves over blessing in both its coming and its going.