Becoming Children Through Shabbos

בפסוק בנים אתם לה"א לא תתגודדו

Regarding the verse, "You are children to Hashem your God; you shall not cut yourselves" (Devarim 14:1).

The piece opens on the verse calling Bnei Yisrael children of Hashem, immediately followed by the prohibition of "lo tisgodedu."

דרשו חז"ל לא תעשו אגודות אגודות כו'

Chazal expounded: do not form yourselves into separate factions and splinter-groups.

Chazal read "lo tisgodedu" not only as a prohibition against bodily cutting but as a warning not to splinter into competing factions.

דאיתא במשנה חביבין ישראל שנק' בנים למקום חיבה יתירה נודעת להם שנקראו בנים למקום כו'

For it is taught in the Mishnah: Beloved are Bnei Yisrael, for they are called children of the Omnipresent; an extra measure of love is made known to them, that they are called children of the Omnipresent (Avos 3:14).

The Mishnah teaches that being called Hashem's children is a singular expression of His extra love for Bnei Yisrael.

פי' שצריכין בנ"י לעורר זו המדרגה להיות נק' בנים

The explanation is that Bnei Yisrael must arouse within themselves this very level, so as to be called "children."

The Sfas Emes explains that this title is not automatic; Bnei Yisrael must actively awaken this level within themselves to merit being called children.

כי בוודאי לא על הגופים חל שם בנים

For certainly the title "children" does not rest upon the physical bodies.

He stresses that the name "children" cannot attach to mere physical bodies.

רק בהיותם אגודה אחת וגם במה שנבדלין מחוקות העמים כפי' הפשוט לא תתגודדו

Rather, it rests upon them when they are one unified band, and also through that which they hold themselves apart from the statutes of the nations, in accordance with the plain meaning of "lo tisgodedu" ("you shall not cut yourselves").

It attaches when they are unified as one band and when they separate themselves from the practices of the nations, which is the plain sense of "lo tisgodedu."

וזה תלוי בזה

And the one is dependent upon the other.

Unity and separation from the nations are bound together, each enabling the other.

ועי"ז יכולין לבא לבחי' בנים

Through this they are able to arrive at the level of "children."

By achieving both, Bnei Yisrael reach the lofty madreigah of being Hashem's children.

והקב"ה נתן להם דעת להשיג זאת המדרגה

And the Holy One, Blessed is He, granted them the understanding to attain this level.

Hashem Himself gave them the capacity of mind to reach this level.

והיא בחי' השבת דכ' ביני ובין בנ"י אות הוא

This is the aspect of Shabbos, of which it is written, "between Me and Bnei Yisrael it is a sign" (Shemos 31:17).

Shabbos is the prime expression of this, for the Torah calls it a sign between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

ולכן מתיחדין בשבת ברזא דא'

And therefore on Shabbos they become unified through the secret of the One.

On Shabbos they become unified through the inner secret of Hashem's oneness.

ונפרשין מן האומות

And they become set apart from the nations.

Part of that Shabbos elevation is their being set apart from the nations.

ואז חל עליהם שם שמים

And then the Name of Heaven rests upon them.

Once unified and separated, the Name of Heaven comes to rest upon them.

והיא בחי' הנשמה יתירה היורדת בשבת

This is the aspect of the neshamah yeseirah, the extra soul, that descends on Shabbos.

This resting of the Name is bound up with the neshamah yeseirah, the additional soul that comes down on Shabbos.

ונק' בנים כידוע שבימי המעשה היא בחי' עבדים ובשבת בחי' בנים

And they are called "children," as is known, for during the weekdays they are in the aspect of servants, while on Shabbos they are in the aspect of children.

On weekdays Bnei Yisrael stand as servants of Hashem, but on Shabbos they rise to the status of children.

ונק' כנסי' שהוא לשם שמים פי' שיחול על הכנסי' שם השם ב"ה כנ"ל

And the gathering is called a "holy convocation" (mikra kodesh), which is for the sake of Heaven; meaning that the Name of Hashem, Blessed is He, rests upon the gathering, as above.

The Shabbos gathering is a "mikra kodesh," a holy convocation whose entire purpose is that Hashem's Name should rest upon the assembled.

[וכ' ל"ת ככל אשר אנחנו עושים כו' איש כל הישר כו' כי לא באתם ע"ע אל המנוחה כו' הנחלה כו'

[And it is written, "You shall not do as all that we are doing here this day, every man whatever is right in his own eyes... for you have not yet come to the rest... and to the inheritance" (Devarim 12:8-9).

The bracketed section brings a second verse, contrasting present conduct, "each man what is right in his own eyes," with the future "rest" and "inheritance."

הוא רמז להנ"ל שנק' שבת יום מנוחה במה שנבדלין מהתערובות ומקבלין הנשמה יתירה והיא בחי' נחלה שאין לה הפסק בחי' בנים כנ"ל

This is an allusion to what was said above, for Shabbos is called a day of rest in that they are set apart from the admixture and receive the neshamah yeseirah, which is the aspect of an inheritance that has no interruption, the aspect of "children," as above.

Shabbos is that "rest": through separation from the worldly admixture and receiving the neshamah yeseirah, it becomes an unbroken "inheritance," the enduring aspect of being children.

ובימי עבודה הוא כ"א כפי כח עצמותו

And during the days of labor each one acts according to the strength of his own self.

During the weekdays of labor, every person serves according to his own individual strength and effort.

וזה איש כו' הישר בעיניו

And this is, "every man... whatever is right in his own eyes."

This is the meaning of "every man whatever is right in his own eyes" — service measured by one's own capacity.

אבל בש"ק הוא הביטול והכל רק בהנהגה עליונה

But on the holy Shabbos there is bittul, self-nullification, and everything is governed solely by the higher direction from Above.

On Shabbos, by contrast, there is bittul, and all is conducted purely under Hashem's higher direction rather than one's own power.

וזה המנוחה וכן הי' בבהמ"ק תמיד שנק' מנוחה ונחלה ששם היו נבדלין מן האומות ונעשין אגודה א' בבית מקדשו ית' כנ"ל]:

And this is the "rest"; and so too it was in the Beis HaMikdash always, which is called "rest" and "inheritance," for there they were set apart from the nations and became one unified band in His holy House, may He be blessed, as above.]

This bittul is the true "rest," and it was constant in the Beis HaMikdash, called "rest" and "inheritance," where Bnei Yisrael were set apart from the nations and joined as one band in Hashem's holy House.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the verse "You are children to Hashem" alongside the prohibition of "lo tisgodedu" to teach that the title of being Hashem's children is not automatic but must be aroused by Bnei Yisrael through two intertwined avodos: unifying as one band and setting themselves apart from the ways of the nations. Hashem granted them the understanding to reach this madreigah, and its fullest expression is Shabbos — the sign between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael — when they become unified through the secret of His oneness, separated from the nations, and the Name of Heaven rests upon them through the neshamah yeseirah. Whereas weekdays place them in the aspect of servants serving by their own strength, Shabbos elevates them to children through bittul, where everything is governed solely by the higher direction from Above. This state of "rest" and "inheritance" is unbroken and enduring, and it was the constant reality in the Beis HaMikdash, where Bnei Yisrael stood set apart from the nations and bound together as one band in Hashem's holy House.