Elevating the lower world before the self

בפסוק אף חובב עמים כו' והם תכו לרגליך ישא מדברותיך כו'.

On the verse "Indeed, He cherishes the peoples… and they are gathered at Your feet; he bears Your utterances…" (Devarim 33:3).

The Sefas Emes opens with the verse from Vezos Haberachah describing Hashem's love and Bnei Yisrael being drawn after His word.

אא"ז מו"ר ז"ל אמר פי' התרגום מדברין תחות עננך נטלין על מימרך כו' לכן אחר סוכות שמחת תורה עכ"ד פח"ח.

My grandfather, my teacher, of blessed memory, cited the Targum: "they journey beneath Your cloud, they travel at Your word" — and therefore after Sukkos comes Simchas Torah. These are his holy words, may his merit shield us.

The Chiddushei HaRim explained, via Onkelos, that Bnei Yisrael traveled under the Ananei HaKavod (Clouds of Glory) entirely by Hashem's command, which is why Simchas Torah follows the Sukkos clouds.

וי"ל עוד כי חובב עמים הוא ג"כ בימי החג שמקריבין נגד ע' אומות וניסוך המים כידוע.

One may add that "He cherishes the peoples" also refers to the days of the festival, when we offer korbanos corresponding to the seventy nations, and the water libation, as is well known.

The seventy parim of Sukkos and the nisuch hamayim (water libation) express Hashem's care for all seventy nations of the world.

כל קדושיו בידיך ישראל.

"All His holy ones are in Your hand" — this is Yisrael.

Bnei Yisrael, the holy ones, are held securely in Hashem's hand.

והם תכו לרגליך פי' אף שבנ"י בידך.

"And they are gathered at Your feet" means: even though Bnei Yisrael are in Your hand —

Although Bnei Yisrael stand on a far higher level, held in Hashem's own hand,

אעפ"כ מקריבין נגד ע' אומות.

nevertheless they bring korbanos on behalf of the seventy nations.

they still lower themselves to offer korbanos for the sake of the nations beneath them.

ע"י שכך רצון המקום ב"ה.

This is because such is the ratzon Hashem, blessed be He.

They do so purely because it is Hashem's will, not for any gain of their own.

ומשפילין עצמם ושמחין ברצון המקום יותר מעליות מדריגותיהם.

And they humble themselves and rejoice in the will of Hashem more than in the ascents of their own levels.

The bittul of setting aside their own elevation to fulfill Hashem's ratzon brings them greater joy than rising in their own madreigos.

ועי"ז ישא מדברותיך תורה צוה כו'.

And through this, "he bears Your utterances" — "the Torah that Moshe commanded…" (Devarim 33:4).

By this bittul they merit to "carry" the Torah, the dibros of Hashem, which is the next verse: "Torah tzivah lanu Moshe."

וביאור הענין הוא דיש דצח"ם וכל אחד גבוה יותר.

The explanation of the matter: there exist the four categories — domem (inanimate), tzomeach (vegetative), chai (animal), medaber (speaker) — each one higher than the last.

Creation is built in ascending tiers: mineral, plant, animal, and the human "speaker," each containing more spiritual vitality.

וצומח יש בו ג"כ מדומם.

The vegetative also contains the inanimate within it.

A plant incorporates the lower mineral level within itself.

וב"ח יש בו מדומם וצומח.

The animal contains within it both the inanimate and the vegetative.

An animal contains the mineral and plant levels within itself as well.

ומדבר יש בו מדצ"ח ג"כ כידוע.

And the speaker contains within him the inanimate, vegetative, and animal too, as is known.

The human being encompasses all the lower three levels within himself.

והנה בנ"י למעלה ממדבר ג"כ ונקראים מדברותיך.

Now Bnei Yisrael are above even the level of "speaker," and are called "Your utterances" (medabrosecha).

Bnei Yisrael occupy a tier above ordinary humanity, which is why the verse calls them "medabrosecha," belonging to Hashem's own speech.

כי פירוש מדבר שיכול להנהיג עצמו.

For the meaning of "speaker" is one who can guide himself.

What defines the human "medaber" is the capacity for self-direction through free will.

אבל בע"ח אינו יכול בעצמו להנהיג עצמו.

But an animal cannot guide itself on its own.

An animal acts only by instinct and cannot independently direct its own conduct.

אבל בנ"י נמשכין אחר הנהגת הבורא ית' ונקראים מדברותיך.

But Bnei Yisrael are drawn after the guidance of the Creator, may He be blessed, and are called "Your utterances."

Yisrael rise above self-direction by surrendering their will to Hashem's guidance, becoming an extension of His "speech."

והנה כל מין א"י לתקן עצמו עד שמתקן מדריגה תחתונה שבו מקודם.

Now, each species cannot rectify itself until it first rectifies the lower level within it.

Since every tier contains the ones below it, true tikkun must begin by elevating one's own lower component first.

כענין שאמרו חז"ל ונתתי עשב כו' לבהמתך מקודם והדר ואכלת כו'.

This is like what Chazal said: "And I will give grass… for your animal" comes first, and only afterward "and you shall eat…" (Devarim 11:15, Berachos 40a).

Chazal note that the Torah feeds the animal before the person, teaching that the lower must be provided for before the higher can be served.

לכן אנו רואין שאין האדם יכול לתקן עצמו כראוי עד שמתקן מקודם נפש הבהמיות שבו.

Therefore we see that a person cannot properly rectify himself until he first rectifies the animal soul within him.

One must first refine and elevate the nefesh habahamis (animal soul) before the higher soul can be set right.

וצריך האדם לקבל זה כראוי.

And a person must accept this properly.

One must willingly take on this task of working through the lower self.

אף שרוצה לעלות יותר.

Even though he wishes to ascend higher.

Even when one's true desire is to soar to loftier levels of avodah.

אעפ"כ ע"י שיש רצון המקום לתקן אלה המקומות המטונפים צריך לקבל רצונו ית' בשמחה.

Nevertheless, since it is Hashem's will to rectify these soiled places, one must accept His will with joy.

Because Hashem wants even the lowest, most "soiled" places refined, we must embrace that task b'simchah, as ratzon Hashem.

ועי"ז זוכין אח"כ להעלות א"ע ג"כ.

And through this one then merits to elevate himself as well.

Working faithfully on the lower self is precisely what earns the subsequent ascent of the higher self.

ולכן הוצרכו בנ"י מקודם להקריב בעבור האומות.

This is why Bnei Yisrael first had to bring korbanos on behalf of the nations.

The Sukkos parim for the nations are this same principle: refining the "lower tiers" of the world before Yisrael's own elevation.

וגם בר"ה ויוהכ"פ שמבקשין תן פחדך כו'.

And likewise on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when we ask "Place Your awe…" upon all Your works.

The tefillah of "tein pachdecha" asks Hashem to bring all creation to recognize Him — again rectifying the whole before our own elevation.

לתקן כל הברואים ועי"ז זוכין אח"כ לשמ"ע וש"ת כנ"ל:

To rectify all creatures, and through this we then merit Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, as explained.

Only after laboring to rectify the whole world do Bnei Yisrael arrive at the intimate joy of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, when Hashem keeps them for Himself.

Summary: Because every level of creation contains the lower levels within it, true elevation begins from below. Bnei Yisrael, who rise above even ordinary humanity by surrendering to Hashem's guidance, must first joyfully fulfill His will to rectify the nations and all creation — the Sukkos korbanos and the Days of Awe — and only then arrive at the intimate joy of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.