Bittul Opens Divine Hearing

בפסוק כי הגוים האלה כו' אל מעוננים כו' ואתה לא כן כו' נביא מקרבך כו'

On the pasuk, "For these nations... heed those who practice divination... but as for you, Hashem your G-d has not given you so... a navi from your midst..." (Devarim 18:14-15).

The Sfas Emes opens with the Torah's contrast between the nations who turn to diviners and Bnei Yisrael, to whom Hashem gives a navi instead.

כבר כ' במ"א הענין כי מעוננים וקוסמין הם ע"י כוחות הטבע מעשרה מאמרות

I have already explained the matter elsewhere: that those who practice ona'an-divination and sorcery operate through the forces of nature, which derive from the Ten Utterances with which the world was created.

Diviners and sorcerers tap into the natural forces of the world, which were created through the Ten Utterances of Creation.

ובנ"י נבחרו באופן נעלה מהטבע והוא עשרת הדברות

But Bnei Yisrael were chosen in a manner that is loftier than nature, and this is the Ten Commandments.

Bnei Yisrael, however, are bound to a higher source than nature itself, namely the Ten Commandments given at Sinai.

וכמו דכ' עושי דברו לשמוע בק"ד

And as it is written, "those who carry out His word, to hearken to the voice of His word" (Tehillim 103:20).

He brings a pasuk in Tehillim describing those who first carry out Hashem's word and only then come to hear His voice.

שע"י ביטול המעשה להנהגות הבורא ית'

For it is through nullifying one's action to the conduct of the Creator, may He be blessed,

The key is that nullifying one's own actions to the will of the Creator is what opens the channel to a higher revelation.

שאמרו כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה

as they said, "All that Hashem has spoken we will do" (Shemos 24:7),

This is the meaning of na'aseh — "we will do" — coming before nishma, placing action and submission first.

זכו לשמוע בק"ד

that they merited to hear the voice of His word.

Because of that bittul, Bnei Yisrael at Sinai were able to directly hear the voice of Hashem's word.

והי' זה הכנה לדורות שהי' ראוי להיות כל עם ה' נביאים לשמוע לעולם דבר ה'

And this was a preparation for all the generations, for it would have been fitting that all of Hashem's people should be nevi'im, to hear the word of Hashem forever.

Sinai was meant to be a permanent state in which all of Bnei Yisrael would remain nevi'im hearing Hashem's word forever.

אך כי יצאה נשמתן ואמרו לא אוסיף כו'

However, since their souls departed and they said, "I will not continue [to hear the voice of Hashem]" (Devarim 18:16),

But the intensity caused their souls to depart, and they asked not to continue hearing directly, so the ideal was not sustained.

ונשאר זה הכח לנביאים

this power remained with the nevi'im.

As a result, the power of direct prophecy was concentrated in the nevi'im rather than held by the whole nation.

וכפי זכות בנ"י עי"ז עצמו שאין נמשכים אחר הקוסמים

And it is in accordance with the merit of Bnei Yisrael, through this very thing itself, that they do not allow themselves to be drawn after the sorcerers.

Yet the level of this prophetic gift corresponds to the merit of Bnei Yisrael in refusing to chase after sorcery and divination.

וז"ש כי הגוים כו' פי' ה' עשה כן להיות הכוחות הטבעיות האלה בעולם

And this is what is meant by "For these nations..." — the explanation is that Hashem made it so, that these natural forces should exist in the world.

The pasuk teaches that Hashem deliberately placed these natural forces in the world as a test and a backdrop.

ובנ"י מבטלים הכל אליו ית' כמ"ש תמים תהי' כו'

But Bnei Yisrael nullify everything to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written, "You shall be wholehearted [with Hashem your G-d]" (Devarim 18:13).

Bnei Yisrael's response is total bittul to Hashem, captured in the command "tamim tihyeh" — to be wholehearted with Him.

עי"ז זוכין לשמוע בק"ד

Through this they merit to hear the voice of His word.

That wholehearted nullification is precisely what earns them the ability to hear the voice of Hashem's word.

וז"ש נביא מקרבך ממש שתלוי בכלל בנ"י כנ"ל

And this is what is meant by "a navi from your midst" — literally from your midst, for it is dependent upon the entire collective of Bnei Yisrael, as explained above.

"A navi from your midst" is literal: prophecy emerges from within the collective of Bnei Yisrael and depends on their merit.

ומעין זה נמצא בכל איש ישראל כפי הביטול אליו ית' זוכה לשמוע ולהשיג דבר ה':

And something of this nature is found in every individual of Yisrael: according to his nullification to Him, may He be blessed, so does he merit to hear and to grasp the word of Hashem.

Finally, this is not limited to formal nevi'im — every Jew, to the degree he nullifies himself to Hashem, merits to perceive and grasp the word of Hashem.

Summary: The Sfas Emes contrasts the nations, who seek guidance from diviners and sorcerers drawing on the natural forces created through the Ten Utterances, with Bnei Yisrael, who are bound to the loftier source of the Ten Commandments. The gateway to this higher revelation is bittul — nullifying one's own actions to the will of the Creator, as expressed in na'aseh preceding nishma, which enabled Bnei Yisrael at Sinai to hear the very voice of Hashem's word. Sinai was meant to make the entire nation permanent nevi'im, but when their souls departed and they asked not to continue, that power became concentrated in the nevi'im, in measure with the nation's merit in refusing to follow sorcery. Hashem deliberately set the natural forces in the world, and Bnei Yisrael's wholehearted nullification to Him — "tamim tihyeh" — is what earns them prophecy from within their own midst. Ultimately every individual Jew, according to his own measure of bittul to Hashem, merits to hear and grasp the word of Hashem.