Torah Reveals Hidden Freedom

ונסמך פרשת עשר תעשר לפרשת מאכלות אסורות דכמו שבאותן המינים טמאים מתטמטם נפש האוכלם ולכן נק' מאכלות אסורות שנאסר בהם הנפש וגם כח החיות שבו וניצוץ הק' נאסר בהם וא"י להתגלות

The parsha of "Aser te'aser" (You shall surely tithe) is placed next to the parsha of forbidden foods, for just as those impure species cause the soul of the one who eats them to become coarsened and dulled, and they are therefore called "forbidden foods" — for the soul becomes bound up and forbidden within them, and even the life-force within them, and the holy spark contained in them, becomes locked away and cannot be revealed.

Forbidden foods are forbidden because the impure species deaden a person's neshamah, trapping the holy spark and life-force within them so that it cannot shine forth.

כמו כן יש אכילה דקדושה שהיא בחי' חירות ומתרחב נפש האוכלם וכתי' בהם ואכלת לפני ה"א וכן הוא בעונג שבת

Correspondingly, there is an eating of kedushah, which is an aspect of freedom, through which the soul of the one who eats it is broadened and expanded; and concerning such eating it is written, "And you shall eat there before Hashem your God" (Devarim 14:23), and so too it is with the oneg (delight) of Shabbos.

The opposite kind of eating is eating done in kedushah, which expands the neshamah and is itself an expression of freedom, as with the verse about eating before Hashem and the delight of Shabbos.

ואיתא במשנה שלשה שאכלו על שלחן א' ואמרו עליו ד"ת כאלו אכלו משלחנו של מקום שנאמר זה השלחן אשר לפני ה'

And it is taught in the Mishnah (Avos 3:3) that three who ate at one table and spoke words of Torah upon it, it is as though they ate from the table of the Omnipresent, as it says, "This is the table that is before Hashem" (Yechezkel 41:22).

The Mishnah in Avos teaches that when people speak divrei Torah at their meal, their ordinary table becomes like the Mizbe'ach, the table of Hashem.

כי באמת מלא כל הארץ כבודו והכל ברא ע"י התורה כדאיתא בשביל התורה שנק' ראשית א"כ צריך להיות בכל מקום תורה

For in truth the whole world is filled with His glory, and He created everything by means of the Torah — as it is taught (Bereishis Rabbah 1:1), "For the sake of the Torah, which is called reishis (the beginning)" — and if so, there must be Torah present in every place.

Since Hashem's glory fills the entire world and He created everything through the Torah, Torah must be present everywhere, hidden within all things.

וכן הוא האמת רק שהטבע מסתיר האמת

And so it is in truth; it is only that nature conceals the truth.

This is the genuine reality; the only obstacle is that the natural world masks this underlying truth.

וע"י העסק בתורה שנק' חירות נגלה הפנימיות והוא השלחן אשר לפני ה'

And through engaging in the Torah, which is called freedom, the inner dimension is revealed, and this is "the table that is before Hashem."

Learning Torah, which is called cheirus (freedom), uncovers that hidden inner truth, transforming one's table into the table before Hashem.

וזה מצד כח בנ"י שנק' בני חורין וניתן להם התורה

And this comes about by virtue of the power of Bnei Yisrael, who are called bnei chorin (free men), and to whom the Torah was given.

This power belongs specifically to Bnei Yisrael, who are called free men and were given the Torah.

וכמו כן בהסתר הזמן השבת מביא חירות

And in the very same way, within the concealment of time, Shabbos brings about freedom.

Just as Torah reveals the inner truth, so too Shabbos accomplishes this within the dimension of time, drawing out freedom from concealment.

וכמו כן בבחי' עולם א"י ובהמ"ק הביאו חירות שזה עיקר החירות להסיר הסתרת הטבע ושיתגלה הפנימיות:

And in the very same way, within the aspect of place, Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash brought about freedom — for this is the essence of freedom: to remove the concealment of nature and to bring the inner dimension to revelation.

And within the dimension of place, Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash do the same — and this is the true meaning of freedom: stripping away nature's concealment so that the inner dimension can be revealed.

Summary: The Sfas Emes connects the parsha of tithing to that of forbidden foods, teaching that eating can either coarsen the neshamah and lock away the holy spark within it, or, when done in kedushah, broaden the neshamah and express freedom. Drawing on the Mishnah in Avos, he explains that speaking divrei Torah at one's meal elevates an ordinary table into "the table that is before Hashem," because in truth Hashem's glory fills the entire world and Torah is present in every place — only nature conceals this. Engaging in Torah, which is called cheirus (freedom), reveals this hidden inner dimension, a power granted specifically to Bnei Yisrael, who are called free men. The Sfas Emes then extends this principle: just as Torah reveals the truth, so too Shabbos reveals it within time, and Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash reveal it within place. The essence of freedom, then, is the removal of nature's concealment so that the hidden pnimius can shine forth.