Creative Speech of Yisrael
בפסוק תמים תהי' כו' כי הגוים האלה כו' אל מעוננים כו'
On the pasuk, "Be wholehearted [with Hashem your God]... for these nations... [hearken] to soothsayers..." (Devarim 18:13-14).
The Sfas Emes opens with the pesukim that warn Bnei Yisrael to be wholehearted with Hashem and not to follow the soothsaying practices of the nations.
פי' כי נמצא חכמה בטבעיות והוא בחי' עשרה מאמרות שנברא בו העולם דכתי' מה גדלו מעשיך כו' ויש חכמה בעולם שנה נפש ומאלו הכחות נמצא בחכמי האומות
The explanation is that there is wisdom embedded in the natural order, which is the dimension of the Ten Utterances through which the world was created, as it is written, "How great are Your works" (Tehillim 92:6); and there is wisdom in the world (olam), in time (shanah), and in the soul (nefesh) — and it is from these forces that the wisdom found among the wise men of the nations is drawn.
He explains that real wisdom is built into nature itself through the Ten Utterances of Creation, distributed across the three axes of world, time, and soul — and the wise men of the nations tap into these very forces.
מעוננים היא החכמה בזמן
"Soothsayers" (me'onenim) refers to the wisdom that lies within time.
Soothsaying draws its power from the wisdom hidden within the dimension of time.
קוסמים במעשה
"Diviners" (kosmim) refers to the wisdom that lies within action.
Divining draws its power from the wisdom hidden within the dimension of action.
אוב ידעוני בנפשות
"Ov" and "yidoni" refer to the wisdom that lies within souls.
The practices of ov and yidoni draw their power from the wisdom hidden within the dimension of souls.
אכן לבנ"י נמשך בכל יום התחדשות למעלה מן הזמן והטבע
Yet for Bnei Yisrael, a renewal is drawn down each and every day that is above time and above nature.
By contrast, Bnei Yisrael receive a daily flow of renewal that transcends both time and nature entirely.
וזה ענין עשרת הדברות שנמסר כל ההנהגה ביד בנ"י
And this is the matter of the Ten Commandments — that the entire conduct of the world was placed into the hands of Bnei Yisrael.
This transcendent renewal is what the Ten Commandments represent — the running of the world was entrusted to Bnei Yisrael.
כי עשרה מאמרות הם החק שנתן הקב"ה בהבריאה
For the Ten Utterances are the fixed law (chok) that the Holy One, Blessed is He, set into the creation.
The Ten Utterances are the fixed natural law that Hashem embedded into the creation.
ובעשרת הדברות כתי' וידבר כו' לאמר
And regarding the Ten Commandments it is written, "And He spoke... saying (leimor)" (Shemos 20:1).
The Torah's wording "He spoke... saying" hints that the Ten Commandments were meant to be transmitted onward and renewed.
שנתן זה הכח בפיהן של בנ"י כמ"ש ואשים דברי בפיך
For He placed this power into the mouths of Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "And I have placed My words in your mouth" (Yeshayahu 51:16).
Hashem implanted the creative power of speech into the mouths of Bnei Yisrael, as the navi states that Hashem placed His words in their mouth.
אשים הוא לשון עתיד והוה
"I have placed" (asim) is an expression of both the future and the present tense.
The word "asim" carries both future and present meaning, showing that this placing of Hashem's words is ongoing, not a one-time event.
כי באמת האותיות הושמו בלב בנ"י בקבלת התורה
For in truth, the letters were placed into the hearts of Bnei Yisrael at the receiving of the Torah.
At Matan Torah the very letters of Hashem's word were embedded into the hearts of Bnei Yisrael.
אך מתפרשין בכל עת בפירושים וצירופים שונים
But they are explicated at every moment in varied interpretations and combinations.
These embedded letters are continually drawn out into ever-new interpretations and combinations of meaning.
ואלה הדרכים יכולין בנ"י להשיג תמיד
And these are the pathways that Bnei Yisrael are able to attain at all times.
Through these pathways Bnei Yisrael are able to reach fresh Divine wisdom at all times.
ומזה הי' הנבואה בישראל כמ"ש ונתתי דברי בפיו
And from this came the gift of prophecy among Yisrael, as it is written, "And I will place My words in his mouth" (Devarim 18:18).
This embedded power is the source of nevuah in Yisrael, since Hashem said He would place His words in the navi's mouth.
והנביא הי' בכח כללות בנ"י כמ"ש נביא מקרבך
And the navi drew his power from the collective whole of Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "A navi from your midst" (Devarim 18:15).
The navi did not prophesy as an isolated individual but drew his strength from the collective whole of Bnei Yisrael, as the pasuk calls him "a navi from your midst."
רק שהנביא הוציא מכח אל הפועל כח הדיבור שבכללות בנ"י כמ"ש ואשים דברי בפיך כו' לנטוע שמים וליסוד ארץ כו' שבדבורים אלו מתקיימין ומתחדשים מעשה בראשית תמיד
It is only that the navi brought forth from the potential into the actual the power of speech that resides within the collective whole of Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "And I have placed My words in your mouth... to plant the heavens and to lay the foundation of the earth" (Yeshayahu 51:16) — for through these very utterances the works of Creation are sustained and renewed continually.
The navi's role was simply to actualize the latent power of speech that already lay within all of Bnei Yisrael — the same creative speech through which Creation is sustained and renewed continually.
ועי' במד' יתרו שכל הנביאים קבלו נביאתן מהר סיני כמ"ש לאמר כו':
And see in the Midrash on Yisro, that all the nevi'im received their prophecy from Har Sinai, as it is written, "saying (leimor)...".
He closes by citing the Midrash that every navi received his prophecy already at Har Sinai, anchored in the word "leimor."
Summary: The Sfas Emes contrasts the wisdom of the nations with the avodah of Bnei Yisrael. The soothsayers, diviners, and practitioners of ov and yidoni tap into a genuine wisdom that Hashem embedded into nature through the Ten Utterances of Creation, distributed across the dimensions of world, time, and soul — but it is a wisdom locked within the fixed natural order. Bnei Yisrael, by contrast, were given the Ten Commandments, through which a daily renewal that transcends time and nature is drawn down, and the very letters of Hashem's word were implanted into their hearts at Matan Torah. These letters are continually drawn out into ever-new interpretations and combinations, which is the very source of nevuah. The navi merely actualized the creative power of speech latent within the collective whole of Bnei Yisrael — the same speech through which the works of Creation are sustained and renewed at every moment.