Mesirus Nefesh At Sinai

בפסוק היום הזה ראינו כו' ידבר אלקים את האדם וחי כו' למה כו' יוספים כו' לשמוע כו'

Regarding the verse, "This day we have seen that Hashem speaks with man, yet he lives" (Devarim 5:21), [the Torah continues] "so why should we die? ... if we continue ... to hear ..." [the voice of Hashem].

The Sfas Emes opens with the verse where Bnei Yisrael express wonder that they survived hearing Hashem speak, and then ask why they should die if they continue to hear His voice.

וקשה דלאו רישא סיפא ונראה כי לאשר בנ"י היו מוכנים למסור נפשם שהקדימו נעשה לנשמע לכן הי' חביב להם דברים אלו ששמעו במס"נ כי לא ידעו שיוכלו להיות נשארים בחיים

This is difficult, for the beginning of the verse does not seem to fit with its end. It appears that, since Bnei Yisrael were prepared to give over their very lives — for they placed "we will do" before "we will hear" (Shemos 24:7) — therefore these words that they heard with mesirus nefesh were precious to them, for they did not know that they would be able to remain alive.

He raises the difficulty that the verse's beginning and end seem inconsistent, and resolves it: hearing Hashem with mesirus nefesh was precious to them precisely because they had committed to give their lives, not knowing they would survive.

ועתה שראינו כי ידבר כו' וחי אם יוספים כו' ולא יהי' במס"נ שיהי' רגיל אצלם לשמוע דבר ה' בדרך הטבע

But now, having seen that "Hashem speaks with man, yet he lives," if they were to continue [to hear] it would no longer be with mesirus nefesh, but rather it would become routine for them to hear the word of Hashem in a natural manner.

Now that they have seen one can hear Hashem and live, continuing to hear would lose its element of self-sacrifice and become an ordinary, natural experience.

ולכן ביקשו דבר אתה כו'

Therefore they requested, "You [Moshe] draw near and hear ..." (Devarim 5:24).

For this reason they asked Moshe to be the one to draw near and hear in their place.

והש"י שיבח דבריהם מי יתן כו' שמוכח שדיברו כן ע"י רצון יראת הש"י בלבם שרצו שלא יקיל בעיניהם לשמוע דבריו ית' בלי מס"נ כנ"ל

And Hashem praised their words: "Who would grant that this heart of theirs be theirs [to fear Me] ..." (Devarim 5:26) — which proves that they spoke this way out of the will of yiras Shamayim in their hearts, for they wished that it should not become light in their eyes to hear His blessed words without mesirus nefesh, as explained above.

Hashem praised this request, which shows it stemmed from genuine yiras Shamayim — they did not want hearing His words to become casual and devoid of mesirus nefesh.

ובאמת י"ל שאין בכח אנושי לשמוע כו' וחי

And in truth, it may be said that it is not within human power to hear [the word of Hashem] and remain alive,

He suggests that in reality it is simply impossible for a human being to hear the word of Hashem and stay alive.

רק ע"י מס"נ

except through mesirus nefesh.

Survival was possible only by way of mesirus nefesh.

וגם מכבשן אש גשמיי ניצולו חנני' מ"ו ע"י מס"נ

And so too, Chananyah and his companions were saved from a physical fiery furnace only through mesirus nefesh.

He brings proof from Chananyah and his companions, who survived a literal fire only through their readiness to give their lives.

א"כ בפשיטות נוכל לומר שכשישמעו בלי מס"נ ומתנו כו' כנ"ל

If so, we may say plainly that were they to hear without mesirus nefesh, they would die, as explained above.

Thus we can say plainly that hearing without mesirus nefesh would indeed be fatal.

וצריכין לזכור יום מתן תורה לעולם כדכתי' יום אשר עמדת כו' וזכירה זו מועלת להרגיש הארת מתן תורה דכתיב מצוך היום פירש"י בכל יום יהיו בעינך כחדשים שע"י שאדם מכין עצמו ומשתוקק להתדבק ביום מתן תורה יוכל להתחדש באמת הארת מתן תורה דכתי' ולא יסף ולא פסק

And we must remember the day of Mattan Torah forever, as it is written, "the day that you stood [before Hashem your God at Chorev]" (Devarim 4:10); and this remembrance is effective in enabling one to sense the radiance of Mattan Torah, as it is written, "which I command you this day" (Devarim 6:6) — Rashi explains: "each day they should be in your eyes as new" — for through a person preparing himself and yearning to cleave to the day of Mattan Torah, he is able truly to renew within himself the radiance of Mattan Torah, as it is written, "and it did not cease" (Devarim 5:19), [meaning] it never stopped.

We are obligated to remember Mattan Torah always; this remembrance lets us feel its radiance, and Rashi teaches that the Torah should feel new each day, so that one who prepares and yearns for that day can genuinely renew its light within himself.

ויש לדייק יום אשר עמדת לפני ה"א כו'

And one may note carefully the precise wording, "the day that you stood before Hashem your God ..."

He points to the precise phrasing of the verse, "the day that you stood before Hashem."

ולא כתיב אשר עמדת בו לפני ה"א

for it is not written "that you stood upon it [bo] before Hashem your God,"

The verse does not say "the day that you stood upon it," which would refer to a past moment in time.

רק שבנ"י העמידו יום מיוחד שעומד תמיד לפני הש"י והוא יום מתן תורה שמסרו כל בנ"י את נפשם בהקדמת נעשה לנשמע

but rather that Bnei Yisrael established a special day that stands always before Hashem — and that is the day of Mattan Torah, on which all Bnei Yisrael gave over their lives by placing "we will do" before "we will hear."

Rather, Bnei Yisrael established an enduring day that perpetually stands before Hashem — the day of Mattan Torah, when all of them gave over their lives with "we will do" before "we will hear."

וכדאיתא שגם בכ"א שעושה מצוה אותו יום מעיד עליו לפני השי"ת

And as it is brought down, that even regarding any individual who performs a mitzvah, that very day testifies on his behalf before Hashem,

He cites the teaching that even an ordinary person's mitzvah causes that day to testify on his behalf before Hashem.

מכ"ש יום מתן תורה דכתי' יום הששי כו' ו' בסיון שבעבורו נברא שמים וארץ

all the more so the day of Mattan Torah, of which it is written "the sixth day" (Bereishis 1:31) — the sixth of Sivan — for whose sake the heavens and the earth were created.

How much more so does the day of Mattan Torah endure, the sixth of Sivan, called "the sixth day," for whose sake all of creation was brought into being.

ויכולין בנ"י למצוא הארת אותו היום בכל עת שדורשין אותו כראוי כנ"ל:

And Bnei Yisrael are able to find the radiance of that day at every time that they seek it out properly, as explained above.

Therefore Bnei Yisrael can access the radiance of that very day whenever they properly seek it out.

Summary: The Sfas Emes resolves the apparent contradiction in the verses after Mattan Torah, where Bnei Yisrael marvel that they heard Hashem and lived yet fear they would die if they continued. He explains that hearing the word of Hashem was precious specifically because it demanded mesirus nefesh; once it became clear one could survive, continuing would render it routine and strip it of self-sacrifice, which is why they asked Moshe to hear in their stead — a request Hashem praised as rooted in true yiras Shamayim. In truth, he says, it is beyond human capacity to hear Hashem and live except through mesirus nefesh, as Chananyah and his companions were saved from the furnace only by giving over their lives. He then teaches that we must perpetually remember the day of Mattan Torah, which is not merely a past event but an enduring day that stands always before Hashem, established by Bnei Yisrael through their "we will do before we will hear." Through proper yearning and preparation, every Jew can renew and draw down the radiance of that eternal day whenever he seeks it out.