Eis Ratzon Within Man
בכל מקום שאומרים שהוא עת רצון כמו באלול ובס"ג בשבת
Wherever we speak of a time being an eis ratzon, a time of favor — such as during Elul, or based on the sod (the deeper mystical teaching) regarding Shabbos —
The Sfas Emes opens by noting that Torah sources speak of certain times — like Elul and Shabbos — as being especially favorable, an eis ratzon.
הגם כי בהש"י לא שייך זמן
even though, in truth, with respect to Hashem there is no such thing as time at all,
He raises a difficulty: since Hashem transcends time entirely, how can one moment be more favorable to Him than another?
ע"כ הפי' שהוא עת רצון באדם שיוכל לקרב עצמו ולדבק בהקב"ה ברצון אמת בפנימיות הלב
the meaning is therefore that it is an eis ratzon within a person — namely, that he is able to draw himself near and cling to the Holy One, Blessed is He, with a true ratzon (a genuine yearning) in the innermost depths of his heart;
His answer: the eis ratzon is really a description of the person, who at those times is empowered to bind himself to Hashem with sincere longing from deep within his heart.
כי הקב"ה מלא רצון
for the Holy One, Blessed is He, is filled entirely with ratzon, with willing favor,
From Hashem's side there is always full ratzon and readiness to be close; nothing changes on His end.
ורק מי שזוכה יוכל להתקרב אליו
and it is only one who is zocheh — who merits it — who is able to draw close to Him,
The variable is the person — only one who makes himself worthy is able to actually draw near.
כי כמים הפנים כו'
for it is just as 'water reflects back the face' (Mishlei 27:19) — one's heart toward Hashem is mirrored by Hashem's heart toward him.
He grounds this in the principle that the heart works like a reflection in water: whatever a person directs toward Hashem is mirrored back toward him from Above.
וכפי התעוררות רחמים בלב על עצמו
And according to the measure that compassion is awakened in a person's heart upon himself —
Therefore the key is the arousal of rachamim a person feels for his own spiritual state.
איך שיש בו נקודה קדושה מהקדוש ברוך הוא ונטבע בחומר וגשמיות וכפי התעוררות בלבו ככה מתעורר עליו רחמים רבים בשמים ג"כ:
namely, awakening to recognize how there is within him a holy point that derives from the Holy One, Blessed is He, yet has become sunk into the physical matter and corporeality of this world — so, in exact proportion to that awakening in his heart, abundant mercy is correspondingly awakened upon him in Shamayim as well.
When a person awakens to how his holy inner point, rooted in Hashem, lies buried beneath physicality, that very stirring of his heart draws down a corresponding flood of mercy upon him from Shamayim.
Summary: The Sfas Emes asks how any particular time, such as Elul or Shabbos, can be called an eis ratzon, a time of favor, when Hashem is utterly above time and is always filled with willing favor. He resolves that the eis ratzon describes not Hashem but the person: at these times a Yid is empowered to draw near and cling to the Holy One, Blessed is He, with a true yearning from the depths of his heart. Drawing on the principle that 'water reflects back the face,' he teaches that the heart of a person and the favor of Hashem mirror one another — only one who makes himself worthy can come close. The decisive avodah is therefore arousing rachamim upon oneself: recognizing the holy point within, rooted in Hashem yet sunk in physicality, and yearning to free it. In exact measure to that awakening below, abundant mercy is awakened upon the person from Shamayim above.