Wholehearted Faith Above Wisdom

<b>ואא"ז מו"ר ז"ל</b> אמר כי איש ישראל צריך להיות תמים

My grandfather, my teacher and master, of blessed memory, said that a Jew must be wholehearted (tamim).

The Sfas Emes opens with his grandfather's teaching that a Jew's essential trait must be wholeheartedness, simple and complete faith in Hashem.

אע"פ שנתנה תורה הטעם נביא מקרבך כו' שלא תאמר להם יש לשאול כו'

Even though the Torah was given, the reason being "Hashem will raise up for you a prophet from your midst" (Devarim 18:15) — so that you should not say to them, "There is one to ask of," and so forth.

The Torah forbids consulting diviners precisely because Hashem provides a legitimate channel, a prophet, so there is no need to seek hidden knowledge elsewhere.

א"כ עתה שאין לנו נביא הדרא קושיא לדוכתי'

If so, now that we have no prophet, the question returns to its place.

This raises a difficulty: now that prophecy has ceased, the original need that prophecy answered seemingly returns unanswered.

אעפ"כ אנו אין לנו אלא ידיעת התורה

Even so, we have nothing other than the knowledge of the Torah.

The resolution is that even without prophecy, Bnei Yisrael possess the Torah itself as their source of knowledge and guidance.

ופי' בזה הפסוק איזה ספר כריתות אמכ' אשר שלחתי'

He explained the verse in this way: "Where is the bill of divorce of your mother whom I sent away?" (Yeshayahu 50:1).

He brings the verse in which Hashem challenges, asking where is the divorce document of Knesses Yisrael, since none exists.

ואמר דאיתא ושלחה לאפוקי למי שמשתלחת וחוזרת ואנחנו בנ"י אפי' ישלחנו ח"ו כמה פעמים אין לנו מקום אחר רק חוזרין אליו לעמוד בפתח עד שירחם עלינו

And he said that it is taught: "And he sends her away" — to exclude one who is sent away yet returns; and we, Bnei Yisrael, even if He should send us away, Heaven forbid, many times over, we have no other place — we only return to Him to stand at the doorway until He has mercy upon us.

A true divorce permanently sends a wife away, but Bnei Yisrael always return to Hashem and wait at His door, so the bond can never truly be severed.

ולכן אין ס' כריתות לנו עכ"ד פח"ח

Therefore there is no bill of divorce for us — thus far the words of his holy mouth.

Hence Knesses Yisrael can never receive a bill of divorce from Hashem; the relationship is unbreakable.

והאמת כי זה הדין בשיטות שא"י להתגרש

And the truth is that this is the law in those methods where it is impossible to be divorced.

He notes that halachically this parallels certain situations where a wife legally cannot be divorced.

וכמו כן באיש ישראל בטלין כל החכמות כשנוגע באמונת השי"ת וכמאמר מוטב שיהי' שוטה כל ימיו ולא רשע שעה א' לפני המקום

And likewise, with a Jew all wisdoms become nullified when it touches upon faith in Hashem, may He be blessed, as in the saying, "Better that a man be a fool all his days and not be wicked for a single hour before the Omnipresent" (Eduyos 5:6).

Just as that bond cannot be broken, so too for a Jew, all worldly wisdoms become worthless the moment they conflict with faith in Hashem; better to appear foolish than to sin.

ולכן אין לנו לחפש שום חכמה רק מן התורה ומהקב"ה וב"ש בלבד

Therefore we have no business seeking any wisdom except from the Torah and from the Holy One, Blessed is He, alone.

The practical lesson is that a Jew should seek wisdom only from the Torah and from Hashem, not from outside sources.

ואע"ג שבאמת הנבואה חסר לנו

And even though in truth prophecy is lacking to us,

He concedes that we genuinely lack prophecy today.

כמ"ש אותותינו לא ראינו א"ע נביא ולא אתנו יודע עד מה

as it is written, "Our signs we have not seen, there is no longer a prophet, nor is there with us anyone who knows how long" (Tehillim 74:9),

He supports this with the verse lamenting that we no longer have prophetic signs or anyone who knows how long the galus will last.

יתכן לפרש כנ"ל שבנ"י מתפארין בזה שאעפ"י שלא ראינו אעפ"כ ולא אתנו יודע כו'

it may be explained as above, that Bnei Yisrael take pride in this — that even though "we have not seen," nevertheless "nor is there with us anyone who knows," and so forth.

Yet he reframes the verse as a source of pride: Bnei Yisrael deliberately do not pursue knowledge beyond what Hashem reveals.

שאין מחפשין ידיעות חיצוניות לסור ח"ו מאמונתו ית"ש

For they do not seek out external bodies of knowledge that would cause them, Heaven forbid, to turn away from faith in Hashem, may He be blessed.

Their refusal to chase external knowledge that might erode their emunah is itself a praiseworthy trait.

וזה השבח של בנ"י אדם ובהמה ערומין בדעת ומשימין עצמן כבהמה

And this is the praise of Bnei Yisrael: "man and beast" (Tehillim 36:7) — cunning in knowledge, yet they place themselves as a beast.

Though clever and capable of knowledge, Bnei Yisrael humbly make themselves like an unquestioning beast before Hashem, and this is their praise.

כמ"ש בהמות הייתי עמך דכתי' ואנחנו עמו וצאן מרעיתו

As it is written, "I was as a beast with You" (Tehillim 73:22), and as it is written, "And we are His people and the flock of His pasture" (Tehillim 100:3).

He grounds this in verses describing the Jew as a beast before Hashem and as the sheep of His flock.

פי' כשהקב"ה מנהיג אותנו בהתגלות הדעת כבנים כמו שהי' בזמן המקדש

The explanation: when the Holy One, Blessed is He, leads us with the revelation of knowledge, as children, as it was in the time of the Beis HaMikdash;

When the Beis HaMikdash stood, Hashem led Bnei Yisrael openly, with revealed knowledge, as a father leads his children.

ואפי' עתה בגלות שאין זוכין לזה אעפ"כ צאן מרעיתו אנחנו

and even now in galus, when we do not merit this, nevertheless we are the flock of His pasture.

Even now in galus, when that clarity is absent, Bnei Yisrael remain the cherished flock of His pasture.

ובאמת זה שבחן של בנ"י בגלות

And in truth, this is the praise of Bnei Yisrael in galus.

He emphasizes that this faithful devotion specifically in galus is the true praise of Bnei Yisrael.

ואפשר שזה מעלה גדולה ביותר כדאיתא באשה שאין בעלה מספיק לה צורכי' אעפ"כ אינה מורדת בו בפרט אנחנו שיודעין שמצד עונותינו הוא

And it is possible that this is an even greater virtue, as it is taught regarding a wife whose husband does not provide her needs sufficiently, that nevertheless she does not rebel against him — all the more so we, who know that it is on account of our sins.

He compares it to a wife who stays loyal even when her husband cannot provide fully; all the more so Bnei Yisrael, who recognize that the hardships of galus stem from their own sins, remain devoted.

וז"ש כי הגוים האלה כו' ואתה לא כן נתן כו'

And this is what is written: "For these nations whom you are about to dispossess listen to soothsayers and diviners, but as for you, Hashem your God has not given you so" (Devarim 18:14).

He ties this to the verse contrasting the nations who consult diviners with Bnei Yisrael, to whom Hashem has not given such a path.

ויתכן לפרש כי כל החכמות ששם הקב"ה בטבע מעוננים וקוסמים

And it may be explained that all the wisdoms that the Holy One, Blessed is He, placed in nature — soothsayers and diviners —

He suggests that the various occult wisdoms Hashem embedded in nature, used by soothsayers and diviners, exist for a purpose.

הכל הי' כדי להראות שבחן של בנ"י שמכירין כל החכמות ומבטלין עצמם אליו ית"ש

all of it was in order to display the praise of Bnei Yisrael, who recognize all the wisdoms and yet nullify themselves to Him, may He be blessed.

Their purpose is to highlight the praise of Bnei Yisrael, who can recognize these wisdoms yet still nullify themselves entirely to Hashem.

וזה המשך הפסוק תמים תהי' כו' כי הגוים כו' ואתה לא כן כו' שהכל מכוון א' כנ"ל

And this is the continuation of the verses: "You shall be wholehearted" (Devarim 18:13), "for these nations," "but as for you, not so" — that it is all aimed at one point, as above.

He shows that the flow of the verses, from "be wholehearted" through the nations and "but you, not so," all converges on this single theme of wholehearted devotion.

בשם <b>מו"ז ז"ל</b> רמז על אלול דכתי' לא אנחנו

In the name of my grandfather, my teacher, of blessed memory: a hint to Elul, as it is written, "lo anachnu" (Tehillim 100:3).

He adds his grandfather's teaching connecting this to the month of Elul through the words "lo anachnu."

ויש קרי וכתיב לו בוא"ו ובא'

And there is a difference between the way it is read and the way it is written — "lo" with a vav and "lo" with an aleph.

He notes the kri-and-ksiv, that the word "lo" is read one way and written another, with an aleph and with a vav.

והכל א' כי בנ"י אין להם מציאות אחרת כלל בלתי לה' לבדו ולכן לו אנחנו

And it is all one: for Bnei Yisrael have no other existence at all apart from Hashem alone, and therefore "we are His" (lo with a vav).

Both readings unite into one truth: Bnei Yisrael have no independent existence apart from Hashem, and therefore "we are His."

ולמ"ש לעיל א"ש סיום הפסוק עמו וצאן מרעיתו כו':

And according to what was said above, the conclusion of the verse fits well: "His people and the flock of His pasture," and so forth.

With this, the end of the verse, "His people and the flock of His pasture," fits perfectly into the theme he has developed.

Summary: The Sfas Emes, citing his grandfather, teaches that the defining trait of a Jew is wholeheartedness (tamim) toward Hashem. Even though prophecy has ceased and we lack the revealed knowledge we once had, Bnei Yisrael take pride in not chasing external wisdoms or occult knowledge that might weaken their emunah; when any wisdom conflicts with faith in Hashem, it is nullified entirely. He illustrates the unbreakable bond between Hashem and Knesses Yisrael through the image of a wife who can never be divorced and always returns to wait at His door. Their willingness to make themselves like a humble, unquestioning beast before Hashem, especially amid the darkness of galus where they recognize their suffering stems from their own sins, is precisely their greatest praise. The occult wisdoms Hashem placed in nature exist only to showcase how Bnei Yisrael, though capable of recognizing them, nullify themselves entirely to Hashem alone, for they have no existence apart from Him.