Broadening The Inner Point

במדרש כי ירחיב

In the Midrash on the verse "When Hashem will broaden" (Devarim 12:20).

The Sfas Emes opens by citing the Midrash on the verse describing Hashem broadening Bnei Yisrael's borders.

מתן אדם ירחיב לו כו' הקב"ה מתיר אסורים כו'

"A man's gift broadens the way for him" (Mishlei 18:16); "Hashem releases those who are bound" (Tehillim 146:7).

The Midrash links a man's gift broadening his way with the praise of Hashem as the One who frees those who are bound.

פשוט מי שנותן נדבת לבו להש"י זה עצמו מרחיב לו

The plain meaning is that one who gives the offering of his heart to Hashem thereby broadens the way for himself.

On the simple level, the very act of giving one's heartfelt offering to Hashem is itself what creates expansiveness for the giver.

כי כל המיצר נעשה רק מהסתרת החיצוניות ורק לנסיון

For every constriction comes about only from the concealment of the external surface, and it exists solely for the sake of a test.

Every feeling of being hemmed in stems only from the outer surface of the world concealing the inner truth, and this concealment is placed there as a nisayon.

וכשאדם גובר רצונו ומניחו בעבור רצון הש"י

And when a person overpowers his own desire and sets it aside for the sake of Hashem's will,

When a person conquers his personal desire and surrenders it for the sake of Hashem's will,

זה עצמו פותח הפנימיות ומבטל ההסתר

this itself opens up the inner dimension and nullifies the concealment.

that act of surrender itself opens the hidden inner dimension and dissolves the concealment that caused the constriction.

וזה ירחיב לו

And this is the meaning of "He will broaden the way for him."

This is the deeper meaning of the verse that Hashem will broaden the way for him.

וכתי' בכל אות נפשך וכבר כתיב ואמרת אוכלה בשר כו'

It is written, "with all the craving of your soul," yet it had already been written, "and you will say, 'I will eat meat'" (Devarim 12:20).

The verse permits eating meat "with all the craving of your soul," which seems redundant since the verse already mentioned the desire to eat meat.

אך המפ' דקדקו שלא כ' אות גופך רק נפשך עי' בר"מ אלשיך

However, the commentators were precise in noting that it does not write "the craving of your body," but rather "of your soul" — see the Ramban and the Alshich.

The commentators noted the precise wording: the Torah says "soul" rather than "body," pointing to a spiritual dimension in even physical eating.

ובכל אות נפשך הוא כמ"ש ואהבת כו' בכל לבבך כו' נפשך א"כ מאחר שכ' בכל אות נפשך ע"כ הכוונה לשמים

And "with all the craving of your soul" is like that which is written, "and you shall love (Hashem) with all your heart... and with all your soul" (Devarim 6:5); if so, since it writes "with all the craving of your soul," the intent must perforce be directed toward Heaven.

The phrase "craving of your soul" echoes the command to love Hashem with all your soul, showing that even this craving must be aimed toward Heaven.

וז"ש כי אם לא יתבטל מפנימיות הדביקות להש"י אף ברצון זה אז יוכל לאכול

And this is what it means: that provided one does not become severed from the inner dveikus to Hashem even amidst this desire, then he may eat.

The meaning is that a person may eat physically only on condition that he does not lose his inner dveikus to Hashem even while engaged in this desire.

ולא שיבטל עי"ז אהבה העיקרית

And not that he should thereby nullify the primary love.

The license to eat must not come at the cost of nullifying one's essential love for Hashem.

וז"ש בכל אות נפשך כו'

And this is the meaning of "with all the craving of your soul."

This is the force of the phrase "with all the craving of your soul" — the soul's bond must remain intact.

ואז כשעיקר האהבה נדבקת בו להש"י

And then, when the primary love is cleaving within him to Hashem,

When the person's primary love remains cleaving to Hashem even during physical eating,

זה מתיר האיסור וכח סט"א שיש בכל דבר גשמיות

this is what releases the prohibition and the power of the sitra achra that exists within every physical thing.

that cleaving is what releases the prohibition and the power of the sitra achra hidden within every physical object.

וז"ש ה' מתיר אסורים כי הוית כל דבר ממנו רק שהנקודה סתומה וצריכין להרחיבה

And this is the meaning of "Hashem releases those who are bound" — for the existence of every thing comes from Him, only that the inner point is sealed shut, and one must broaden it.

This explains "Hashem releases those who are bound": since everything's existence flows from Hashem, the inner Divine point is merely sealed and needs to be opened and broadened.

וזה תלוי בנקודה שבאדם כפי הרחבתה בנפשו

And this depends upon the point within the person, in accordance with how much he broadens it within his soul.

The degree of revelation depends on the inner point within the person, according to how much he expands it within his own soul.

כן מתגלה אליו בכל מקום כנ"ל

Correspondingly, it becomes revealed to him in every place, as explained above.

To the extent he broadens that point, Hashem's presence becomes revealed to him everywhere he turns.

וז"ש כי ירחיב כו' גבולך

And this is the meaning of "When Hashem will broaden your boundary" (Devarim 12:20).

This is the meaning of the verse that Hashem will broaden your boundary.

שתתפשט הנקודה ותתרחב בכל נפש האדם כנ"ל:

That the inner point should spread out and broaden throughout the entire soul of the person, as explained above.

The broadening refers to the inner point spreading out and filling the person's entire soul, as explained.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that every sense of constriction in the world stems only from the external concealment that Hashem placed as a nisayon, hiding the inner Divine point sealed within all things. When a person overpowers his own desire and surrenders it for the sake of Hashem's will, he thereby opens that inner dimension and nullifies the concealment, which is the meaning of the verse "Hashem will broaden" his way and his boundary. On this basis he reads the heter to eat meat "with all the craving of your soul" as a condition: one may partake of physical pleasure only when he does not become severed from his inner dveikus to Hashem, keeping his essential love intact. When the primary love remains cleaving to Hashem even amidst eating, that cleaving releases the power of the sitra achra bound up in every physical thing, for everything's very existence flows from Hashem. Thus the whole matter depends on the inner point within a person: the more he broadens it within his soul, the more Hashem's presence is revealed to him in every place.