Torah reveals the inner truth and tzelem Elokim

בנוסח הברכה אשר נתן לנו תורת אמת.

In the wording of the berachah: "Who has given us a Torah of truth (Toras emes)."

The Sefas Emes examines the language of the blessing over the Torah, which calls it "Toras emes," a "Torah of truth."

דלכאורה הלשון אינו מדויק דהול"ל תורה אמיתות.

For at first glance the wording is imprecise, since it should have said "a true Torah" (Torah amitis).

Grammatically one would have expected the adjective form — a "true Torah" — rather than the construct "Torah of truth." The Sefas Emes asks why the blessing is phrased this way.

ונראה דתורת הוא פועל יוצא.

And it appears that "Toras" is an active, transitive form.

He answers that "Toras emes" should be understood actively: the Torah does something — it produces or teaches truth — rather than merely being described as true.

שעיקר חביבות בנ"י אל התורה שמלמדת לנו דרך האמת.

For the essence of the preciousness of the Torah to Bnei Yisrael is that it teaches us the way of truth.

What makes the Torah so beloved to Bnei Yisrael is precisely that it instructs us in the path of emes — it leads us to truth.

כי עולם הזה היא עלמא דשיקרא.

For this world is a "world of falsehood" (alma de-shikra).

Olam Hazeh, by its very nature, is a realm of concealment and falsehood, where truth is hidden.

רק הקב"ה נתן לנו התורה שע"י נזכה אל האמת.

Only that Hashem gave us the Torah, through which we merit to attain the truth.

The one means of breaking through the falsehood of this world is the Torah Hashem gave us, by which we can reach the truth.

כדכ' תתן אמת ליעקב אין אמת אלא תורה.

As it is written: "You shall give truth to Yaakov" (Michah 7:20) — and "there is no truth other than Torah."

Chazal identify the "truth" given to Yaakov with the Torah itself; truth in its fullest sense is the Torah.

כי התורה הוא חיות הכל ונמצא עיקר האמת בכל דבר הוא התורה.

For the Torah is the life-force of everything, and so the essential truth within every thing is the Torah.

Since the Torah is the inner vitality animating all of creation, the true essence hidden inside every single thing is really Torah.

והיא ציור האמיתי של כל הדברים.

And it is the true form (tzius) of all things.

The Torah is the authentic inner blueprint or design according to which everything is shaped.

וכמו כן באדם הצלם אלוקי מתגלה ע"י עוסקו בתורה.

And likewise, in a person the tzelem Elokim (divine image) is revealed through his engagement in the Torah.

So too with a human being: the tzelem Elokim, the divine image at his core, is brought to light specifically through his toil in Torah.

וז"ש תורה "צוה "לנו "משה ר"ת צל"ם.

And this is the meaning of "Torah tzivah lanu Moshe" (Devarim 33:4) — the initial letters of "tzivah lanu Moshe" spell tzelem.

The Sefas Emes finds this hinted in the pasuk: the first letters of the words "tzivah lanu Moshe" form the word tzelem (image) — teaching that the Torah Moshe gave us is what reveals the divine image in a person.

והוא ציור הפנימי האמיתי של איש ישראל כנ"ל:

And it is the true inner form of a Jew, as above.

The Torah is the authentic penimiyus, the true inner design of a Yid — which is uncovered and made manifest through his learning Torah.

Summary: The Sefas Emes resolves the wording "Toras emes" by reading it actively: the Torah does not merely happen to be true, it produces truth, teaching us the way of emes in a world that is otherwise alma de-shikra, a world of falsehood. Since the Torah is the life-force and true inner design of all creation, it is the authentic form of every thing — and in a person, the tzelem Elokim is revealed through engagement in Torah, hinted in the initials of "tzivah lanu Moshe," which spell tzelem.