Children Beyond Reward And Punishment

ובמדרש תנחומא משל למלך שקנה לו עבד והתנה אם אתה עושה רצוני כו' מאכילך ומשקך ואם א"א עושה רצוני כו' מיסרך עשה העבד יותר ממה שהתנה ואח"כ סרח והתפשר עמו ע"ש

In the Midrash Tanchuma there is a parable of a king who acquired a servant for himself, and stipulated: 'If you do my will, I will feed you and give you drink, and if you do not do my will, I will chastise you.' The servant did more than what was stipulated, and afterward he sinned, and the king made a settlement with him; see there.

The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash's parable: a king promises his servant reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience, but this servant exceeded the terms of the agreement before later faltering, and the king then dealt with him through compromise.

הנמשל הוא כי הברכות והקללות הם אשר תשמעו ואם לא תשמעו

The lesson of the parable is that the berachos and the kelalos are the meaning of 'which you shall heed' and 'if you shall not heed' (Devarim 11:27-28).

He identifies the nimshal: the berachah and kelalah of the parashah correspond to the two conditions — reward if Bnei Yisrael heed Hashem, and punishment if they do not.

אבל בנ"י הקדימו נעשה לנשמע

But Bnei Yisrael placed 'na'aseh' before 'nishma' — they declared 'we will do' before 'we will hear' (Shemos 24:7).

But Bnei Yisrael went beyond a mere conditional arrangement when they said 'na'aseh' before 'nishma,' committing to do even before knowing what they would hear.

וזה יותר ממה שהתנה

And this is more than what was stipulated.

This unconditional commitment is precisely the 'more than what was stipulated' that the servant in the parable demonstrated.

ובאמת קודם החטא היו בנ"י למעלה מאלו שתי הדרכים

And in truth, before the cheit, Bnei Yisrael stood above both of these two paths.

Originally, before the cheit, Bnei Yisrael were on a level higher than the entire framework of reward-and-punishment, beyond both paths of berachah and kelalah.

לכן אחר החטא הוכיחן מרע"ה אנכי נותן לפניכם בו"ק

Therefore, after the cheit, Moshe Rabbeinu rebuked them: 'Behold, I set before you a berachah and a kelalah' (Devarim 11:26).

Only after the cheit did Moshe Rabbeinu need to present them with the choice of berachah and kelalah, because they had descended into that conditional framework.

כי מקודם היו למעלה מכל זה כי נעשה קודם השמיעה הוא בחי' בנים שנמשכו אחר מעשה אביהן מעצמן בלי שום ציווי

For beforehand they were above all of this, since 'na'aseh' preceding 'nishma' is the aspect of children, who are drawn after the deeds of their father on their own, without any command whatsoever.

Before the cheit they transcended this, for putting 'na'aseh' before 'nishma' reflects the aspect of children, who naturally follow their father's ways out of inner connection, with no command needed to compel them.

וכן יהי' לעתיד כמ"ש שם במדרש בעוה"ז נתתי לכם ברכה וקללה ולעתיד כל רואיהם יכירום כי הם זרע ברך ה' הוא בחי' בנים כנ"ל:

And so it will be in the future, as it states there in the Midrash: 'In this world I have given you a berachah and a kelalah, but in the future all who see them will recognize them, for they are the seed that Hashem has blessed' (Yeshayahu 61:9) — this is the aspect of children, as explained above.

And this lofty level of children will be fully restored in the future, when, as the Midrash teaches, all who behold Bnei Yisrael will recognize them as the blessed seed of Hashem — the very aspect of children described above.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the Midrash Tanchuma's parable of a king and his servant to explain the berachos and kelalos of the parashah. The framework of reward for heeding and punishment for not heeding is a conditional arrangement, like the king's stipulation with his servant. But Bnei Yisrael rose above this when they declared 'na'aseh' before 'nishma,' doing 'more than was stipulated' — the level of children who follow their Father naturally, out of inner bittul, without needing any command. Before the cheit they stood above both paths entirely, and only afterward did Moshe Rabbeinu have to set before them the choice of berachah and kelalah. In the future this exalted aspect of children will be fully restored, when all who see Bnei Yisrael will recognize them as the seed that Hashem has blessed.