Binding Blessing To Mitzvos

במדרש מה כ' למעלה שמור תשמרון

In the Midrash: What is written just before this? "You shall surely guard" (the mitzvos).

The Sfas Emes opens by citing the Midrash, which links our verse to the preceding command "You shall surely guard" the mitzvos.

מהו כל המצוה זו ק"ש שבת כו' ד"א שמור המצות תשמרון הנפשות ע"ש

What is "the entire mitzvah"? This refers to Krias Shema, Shabbos, and so forth. Another explanation: "Guard" the mitzvos, and "you shall surely guard" your neshamos — see there.

The Midrash offers two readings of "the entire mitzvah": one identifying it with Krias Shema and Shabbos, and another reading "guard" as protecting the mitzvos and the neshamah.

פי' זו ק"ש דאחר פ' והי' א"ש כתי' שמור תשמרון כו' כל המצוה הזאת וקאי על פרשת והי' א"ש

The meaning is that this refers to the Krias Shema, for after the parshah of "Vehayah im shamo'a" (Devarim 11:13) it is written "You shall surely guard, etc., the entire mitzvah" — and this is referring back to the parshah of "Vehayah im shamo'a."

He explains that "the entire mitzvah" points to Krias Shema, since the command to guard comes right after the parshah of "Vehayah im shamo'a," which we recite in Shema.

ושבת מטעם דשקול נגד כל המצות

And Shabbos is mentioned for the reason that it is weighed against all the mitzvos.

Shabbos is included here because Chazal teach that Shabbos is weighed against all the mitzvos combined.

אבל ביאור הענין הוא דהמד' מפ' שמור תשמרון שזה עצמו המבוקש מבנ"י להיות שמירת הנפש וגוף תלוי בשמירת המצות

But the explanation of the matter is that the Midrash expounds "You shall surely guard" to mean that this very thing is what is asked of Bnei Yisrael: that the guarding of neshamah and body should be dependent upon the guarding of the mitzvos.

The deeper point of the Midrash is that Hashem's request of Bnei Yisrael is precisely this: to make the wellbeing of body and soul hinge entirely on keeping the mitzvos.

ובוודאי הש"י מסר הבחירה לבני אדם

And surely Hashem handed over free choice to mankind.

Hashem certainly granted free will to every human being.

ומ"מ כ"א כפי מה שמאמין בו ית' ומבקש לצאת מן הבחירה להיות נמסר ביד הבורא ית' בעצמו זוכה לכך ומכ"ש כלל ישראל שזכו למשוך תורה מן השמים

Nevertheless, each person, according to how much he has emunah in Him, Yisbarach, and seeks to step out of his own free choice so as to become handed over into the hand of the Borei, Yisbarach, Himself, merits this — and all the more so the entire Klal Yisrael, who merited to draw down Torah from Heaven.

Yet to the degree a person believes in Hashem and wishes to surrender his own choosing into the Borei's hand, he is granted that closeness — most of all Klal Yisrael, who drew the Torah down from Heaven.

וז"ש אנכי נותן לפניכם כו'

And this is the meaning of "Behold, I set before you, etc." (Devarim 11:26).

This is what the pasuk means by "Behold, I set before you" the blessing and the curse.

והלא ברכה וקללה נמצא לכל העולם

But is not blessing and curse found throughout the entire world?

The Sfas Emes raises a question: blessing and curse exist for every nation in the world, so what is unique here?

אך לבנ"י אנכי נותן דייקא שיהי' תלוי הברכה והקללה בשמירת התורה ומצות וזה אנו מקבלים בכל יום על עצמנו בפרשת והי' א"ש כו'

Rather, to Bnei Yisrael specifically does Hashem say "I set before you" — that the blessing and the curse should be dependent upon the guarding of the Torah and mitzvos; and this is what we accept upon ourselves each and every day in the parshah of "Vehayah im shamo'a," and so forth.

The answer is that only for Bnei Yisrael does Hashem make the blessing and curse depend on Torah and mitzvos — a commitment we renew daily when we say "Vehayah im shamo'a."

וז"ש שמור תשמרון כו' ד"א זו שבת משום דהשבת ג"כ אות ע"ז שנמשך הברכה מש"ק על ימי המעשה וזה ניתן לבנ"י כי בימי המעשה ההנהגה ע"י הטבע והמלאכים

And this is the meaning of "You shall surely guard, etc." Another explanation: this refers to Shabbos, because the Shabbos is likewise a sign of this — that the blessing is drawn from the holy Shabbos onto the weekdays; and this was given to Bnei Yisrael, for during the weekdays the conduct of the world is through nature and through the malachim.

The second explanation ties "guard" to Shabbos, which is a sign that all the blessing of the week is drawn down from Shabbos; on weekdays the world runs through nature and the malachim.

ולבנ"י ניתן בש"ק הברכה על כל ימי המעשה כנ"ל:

But to Bnei Yisrael there was given, on the holy Shabbos, the blessing for all the weekdays, as explained above.

But Bnei Yisrael receive on Shabbos itself the blessing that flows out to power all the weekdays.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the Midrash that links "the entire mitzvah" to Krias Shema and Shabbos, explaining that Hashem's deepest request of Bnei Yisrael is to make the welfare of body and neshamah depend entirely on the guarding of the mitzvos. Although Hashem gave free choice to all mankind, a person who has emunah and longs to surrender his own choosing into the hand of the Borei merits to be carried by Hashem Himself — and Klal Yisrael merited this above all by drawing the Torah down from Heaven. While blessing and curse exist for the whole world, only to Bnei Yisrael does Hashem say "I set before you," binding the blessing and the curse to the keeping of Torah and mitzvos, a bond we renew each day in "Vehayah im shamo'a." So too Shabbos serves as a sign of this, for the blessing of the entire week is drawn down from the holy Shabbos: the weekdays are conducted through nature and the malachim, but on Shabbos Bnei Yisrael receive the source of blessing that flows out upon all their days.