Finding Kedushah Within Action
בפסוק ושמרתם ועשיתם כ"ה חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים כו' רק השמר כו' פן תשכח כו' הדברים אשר ראו עיניך כו' ויש להקשות וכי הי' כוונת מרע"ה שעבודת בנ"י יהי' מטעם שיהיו חכמים ונבונים בעיני העמים
On the verse "And you shall guard and do, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations etc." — "Only guard yourself etc. lest you forget etc. the things that your eyes have seen etc." (Devarim 4:6,9). And there is a difficulty: was it really the intention of Moshe Rabbeinu that the avodah of Bnei Yisrael should be for the sake of their appearing wise and understanding in the eyes of the nations?
The Sfas Emes opens with a difficulty: the verse says Torah observance makes Bnei Yisrael appear wise and understanding before the nations. Could Moshe Rabbeinu really have meant that our avodah is performed in order to impress the gentile nations?
אבל ביאור הענין כי בוודאי מדרגת בנ"י היא למעלה מהטבע כמו שהי' במעמד הר סיני כולם מוכנים לנבואה וכמ"ש ראתה שפחה מה שלא ראו נביאים
But the explanation of the matter is that the level of Bnei Yisrael is certainly above nature, as it was at the standing at Har Sinai, where all of them were prepared for nevuah, as it is written that even a maidservant saw at the Yam Suf what the nevi'im did not see.
He answers that the true level of Bnei Yisrael is above nature, as at Har Sinai, where the entire nation reached prophetic perception — even a simple maidservant at the sea saw more than the great nevi'im later saw.
והי' עבודת בנ"י כמ"ש באדם הראשון לעבדה ולשמרה הכל ברוחניות
And the avodah of Bnei Yisrael was as it is written regarding Adam HaRishon, "to work it and to guard it" (Bereishis 2:15) — all of it in a spiritual manner.
Originally, our avodah was meant to be entirely spiritual, like Adam HaRishon's charge to "work and guard" the garden, which the Sfas Emes reads as a spiritual labor rather than a physical one.
אכן אח"כ שנפלו ממדרגתם צריך להיות העצה רק ע"י תיקון המעשים בגשמיות כמ"ש תרי"ג מצות הם עיטין ועצות לבוא לעיקר העבודה כי עתה שיש סט"א ותערובת טו"ר בעולם לכן ע"י המצות במעשה שעי"ז מתנוצץ הארת הקדושה בתוך המעשים זאת מסמא עיני הרשעים כמ"ש וראו כו' כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך
Indeed, afterward, once they fell from their level, the counsel must come only through rectifying one's actions in a physical way, as it is written that the six hundred and thirteen mitzvos are stratagems and pieces of counsel to arrive at the essence of the avodah; for now, when there is a sitra achra and a mixture of good and evil in the world, therefore through the mitzvos performed in deed — by which the illumination of kedushah sparkles within the actions — this blinds the eyes of the resha'im, as it is written, "And they shall see etc. that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you" (Devarim 28:10).
After the fall from that lofty level, the path back must run through physical deeds: the mitzvos are practical strategies that cause kedushah to shine within physical actions, and that radiance is what overawes the wicked nations who see Hashem's Name upon us.
וז"ש כי הוא חכמתכם כו' שהחכמה והבינה שמאירים תוך המעשים הוא נצרך לעיני העמים כו' כדי שיפול עליהם אימה ופחד ואמרו רק עם חכם ונבון כו'
And this is what is meant by "For it is your wisdom etc." — that the wisdom and understanding which shine within the actions are needed for the eyes of the nations etc., so that dread and fear should fall upon them, and they will say "Surely a wise and understanding nation etc." (Devarim 4:6).
Thus "for it is your wisdom" means that the inner light shining through our mitzvos is what the nations perceive, causing them dread, so that they declare us a wise and understanding nation.
רק השמר כו' שאעפ"כ צריך האדם לידע כי לא זאת העיקר רק צריך להשתוקק לבוא אל עיקר המעלה ומדרגת בנ"י כמו שהי' במתן תורה
"Only guard yourself etc." (Devarim 4:9) — that nevertheless a person must know that this is not the essence; rather he must yearn to arrive at the essence of the elevation and the level of Bnei Yisrael as it was at Mattan Torah.
Yet the verse warns "only guard yourself": a person must not mistake this outward effect for the goal. He must keep yearning to return to the original, supernal level Bnei Yisrael attained at Mattan Torah.
וכן הוא תמיד ימי המעשה הם בחי' חכמה ובינה שתוך המעשה כנ"ל עי"ז זוכין אח"כ לשבת שהוא מעין עוה"ב לכן בשבת ניתנה תורה לישראל ואעפ"כ צריכין כל ימי המעשה לזכור את השבת כנ"ל שזה עיקר המכוון:
And so it is always: the days of the week are the aspect of the wisdom and understanding that lie within the deed, as above; through this one merits afterward to Shabbos, which is a foretaste of Olam Haba. Therefore on Shabbos the Torah was given to Yisrael, and even so, throughout all the days of the week one must remember the Shabbos, as above — for that is the essential intent.
This is a constant pattern: the weekdays are the avodah of finding kedushah within action, which earns Shabbos, a taste of Olam Haba. Torah was given on Shabbos, yet through all the weekdays we must remember Shabbos — that yearning is the true purpose.
Summary: The Sfas Emes confronts a difficulty in the verse that says Torah observance makes Bnei Yisrael wise and understanding in the eyes of the nations: surely our avodah is not meant to impress the gentiles. He explains that the true level of Bnei Yisrael is above nature, as at Har Sinai, where their avodah was wholly spiritual, like Adam HaRishon's charge in Gan Eden. After the fall from that level, the mitzvos became practical stratagems through which kedushah sparkles within physical deeds, and that inner radiance is what overawes the nations who see Hashem's Name upon us. But the verse cautions that this outward effect is not the essence; a person must keep yearning to return to the supernal level of Mattan Torah. So too the weekdays are avodah within action that earns Shabbos, a foretaste of Olam Haba — and even through the workdays one must always remember the Shabbos, for that yearning is the true intent.