Broadening Borders Through Restraint

כי ירחיב כו' גבולך ואמרת א' בשר כו'

"When Hashem will broaden your border... and you will say, 'I will eat meat...'" (Devarim 12:20).

The piece opens with the verse about Hashem broadening Bnei Yisrael's border, leading them to want to eat meat — the springboard for the whole discussion.

במד' אגילה ואשמחה בחסדך כו' מדבר ביוסף מבית הסורים כו' למלוך כו'

The Midrash expounds the verse "I will exult and rejoice in Your kindness..." (Tehillim 31:8) — it speaks of Yosef, who was brought up from the prison house to reign.

The Midrash applies a verse about exulting in Hashem's kindness to Yosef, who rose from prison to royalty, a model of being lifted from constraint to expansiveness.

ובישראל מיצי"מ עד כי ירחיב העמדת במרחב רגלי כו'

And it speaks of Bnei Yisrael from the time of yetzias Mitzrayim until "When Hashem will broaden" — corresponding to "You set my feet in a broad place" (Tehillim 31:9).

The same pattern of rising from a tight place to a broad one applies to Bnei Yisrael from the Exodus until they are given a broadened border in the land.

כי בנ"י נבראו להאיר לכל הנבראים ונקראים עדים [ולכן איתא שבנ"י מעידין על הקב"ה כי הכל שלו

For Bnei Yisrael were created to illuminate all created beings, and they are called "witnesses" — and therefore the teaching is that Bnei Yisrael testify concerning the Holy One, Blessed is He, for everything is His.

Bnei Yisrael exist to bring Hashem's light to all of creation, and as "witnesses" they testify that everything belongs to the Holy One, Blessed is He.

ובנ"י קנין א' ומעידין זע"ז]. אך כי בנ"י מרוחקין בעצם בריאתם מגשמיות

And Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's acquisition, and they testify one for another. However, Bnei Yisrael are by the very nature of their creation distanced from physicality.

Because they are Hashem's own acquisition they testify for one another, yet by their very creation they are inherently set apart from physicality.

והי' יצ"מ עצה מנורא עלילה איך שבנ"י יוכלו לקרב הכל אליו

And yetzias Mitzrayim was a counsel from the One who is awesome in His designs — a means by which Bnei Yisrael could draw everything close to Him.

Yetzias Mitzrayim was Hashem's deliberate plan to equip Bnei Yisrael, despite that distance, to draw all of creation close to Him.

וע"י שהיינו במצרים בצער תוך החומר והשי"ת הוציאנו ביד חזקה

Through the fact that we were in Mitzrayim in distress, sunk within the coarse physical matter, and Hashem brought us out with a mighty hand,

Our suffering while immersed in the coarse materiality of Mitzrayim, followed by Hashem's powerful redemption, was itself part of that plan.

הי' זה עצה שנוכל אח"כ לקרב גם החומר והגשמיות אליו ית'

this became the means by which we could afterward draw even the coarse matter and the physicality close to Him, Yisbarach.

Having been pulled out of the physical depths, we gained the ability to later elevate even physical matter itself toward Hashem.

וזה כי ירחיב שנקודה הפנימיות תתרחב לקרב הכל אל הפנימיות

And this is the meaning of "When Hashem will broaden" — that the inner point should expand to draw everything close to that inner point.

"When Hashem will broaden" hints that the inner spiritual point within a Jew expands outward to draw everything external into that inner holiness.

את גבולך

"Your border" —

The word "your border" is singled out for its own explanation about boundaries.

כי חוקי התורה הם גבולים וגדר שלא יעשה האדם דבר האסור

for the laws of the Torah are borders and a fence, so that a person should not do a forbidden thing.

The Torah's laws function as borders and a fence that keep a person from doing what is forbidden.

אך בנ"י צריכין להוסיף גבול בדברים המותרין

Yet Bnei Yisrael need to add a border even within things that are permitted.

Beyond the formal prohibitions, Bnei Yisrael are meant to set additional self-imposed limits even within the permitted realm.

וזה סייג לתורה והיא תורה שבע"פ

And this is the "fence around the Torah," and this is Torah she'be'al peh, the Oral Torah.

This added self-restriction is the "fence around the Torah," embodied in the Oral Torah.

וכפי מה שיש לאדם גבול וגדר משלו בכח היראה אשר בו יוכל לעשות עניני עוה"ז ג"כ כי הגבול ישמרנו

And according to the measure of border and fence that a person has of his own through the power of the yiras Shamayim within him, he is able to engage in the matters of this world as well, for the border will guard him.

To the degree that a person builds his own fence through yiras Shamayim, he can safely engage in worldly matters, because that inner boundary protects him.

וז"ש כי ירחיב כו' אוכלה בשר

And this is what is said, "When Hashem will broaden... I will eat meat" (Devarim 12:20).

This is why the verse links the broadening of the border to the permission to eat meat — the expansion enables proper engagement with the physical.

ובאלשיך מדייק דלא פי' תאוה הגוף רק נפשך

And the Alshich is precise in noting that the verse does not say "the desire of the body," but rather "your nefesh, your soul."

The Alshich notes the verse speaks of the desire of the "nefesh," the soul, rather than merely the body's craving.

כי בוודאי עיקר הרצון בהיתר בשר תאוה כדי לקרב התאוות אל הש"י ולעבודתו

For surely the essential intent in permitting the meat of desire is in order to draw the desires close to Hashem and to His service.

The true purpose of permitting meat of desire is to channel and draw one's desires upward toward Hashem and His service.

וכ"ז הי' ע"י יצ"מ

And all of this came about through yetzias Mitzrayim.

All of this capacity to sanctify desire was made possible through yetzias Mitzrayim.

שעי"ז זכו אח"כ להתרחב כמ"ש בכל עצב יהי' מותר

For through it they merited afterward to be broadened, as it is written, "In all toil there will be gain" (Mishlei 14:23).

The Exodus earned Bnei Yisrael the later broadening, as the verse teaches that toil yields gain.

ועוד עתה כל המ"ז שבאין אל האדם דיקא בעת עבודתו להש"י

And furthermore, even now all the obstacles that come upon a person specifically at the time of his service of Hashem —

Even now, the obstacles that arise specifically during one's avodah are not accidental.

הוא לטובה שבהתגבר עליהם מתחברין אליו

they are for the good, for through overcoming them they become bound and joined to Him,

These obstacles are ultimately for the good, since overcoming them binds a person closer to Hashem.

כדי שיוכל להיות טוב גם בעוסקו בדברים זרים בעניני עוה"ז:

so that a person may be able to remain good even while occupied with foreign matters in the affairs of this world.

The purpose is that a person be able to stay good and connected to Hashem even while immersed in worldly, seemingly foreign affairs.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the verse "When Hashem will broaden your border... and you will say, 'I will eat meat,'" reading it as the pattern of rising from constraint to expansiveness, like Yosef going from prison to kingship and Bnei Yisrael going from Mitzrayim to a broad land. Bnei Yisrael were created to illuminate all of creation and testify that everything belongs to the Holy One, Blessed is He, yet they are inherently distanced from physicality; yetzias Mitzrayim was Hashem's deliberate counsel to equip them, through their immersion in and redemption from coarse matter, to draw even the physical close to Him. The "broadening" is the inner point expanding to elevate everything around it, and the key is the self-imposed border — the fence of the Oral Torah built through yiras Shamayim — which lets a person engage the permitted world safely, as the Alshich notes that even the meat of desire is about drawing the soul's desires toward Hashem's service. Finally, the obstacles that arise specifically during one's avodah are themselves for the good, since overcoming them binds a person to Hashem and lets him remain good even amid worldly affairs.