Shabbos Testimony Through Daas
במצות שבת כתיב בפרשה זו וזכרת כי עבד היית כו' ובראשונות כתי' כי ששת ימים עשה כו'
In the mitzvah of Shabbos, it is written in this parsha, "And you shall remember that you were a slave [in Egypt]" (Devarim 5:15), whereas in the first set of luchos it is written, "For in six days Hashem made [the heavens and the earth]" (Shemos 20:11).
The Sfas Emes notes a difference in how the Torah grounds the mitzvah of Shabbos. In Vaeschanan it ties Shabbos to remembering the slavery in Egypt, while in Yisro it ties Shabbos to Hashem's creating the world in six days.
הנה שבת סהדותא איקרי ובנ"י מעידין בש"ק על הש"י ובעד כתי' או ראה או ידע כדאיתא בגמ' דיש עדות בראי' או בידיעה
Behold, Shabbos is called a testimony ("sahaduSa"), and Bnei Yisrael bear witness on the holy Shabbos concerning Hashem; and regarding a witness it is written, "Whether he has seen or known" (Vayikra 5:1), as is brought in the Gemara, that there is testimony either through seeing or through knowing.
He establishes that Shabbos is itself called a testimony, with Bnei Yisrael serving as Hashem's witnesses. He cites the Gemara that a valid witness establishes his testimony in one of two ways: by seeing or by knowing.
וכ"כ אתה הראת לדעת
And so it is written, "You have been shown to know [that Hashem is the God; there is none other besides Him]" (Devarim 4:35),
The pasuk "You have been shown to know" hints at both modes together. Being "shown" is seeing, and "to know" is knowing.
שבנ"י הם עדים בראי' ובידיעה
that Bnei Yisrael are witnesses both through seeing and through knowing.
This is the proof that Bnei Yisrael function as witnesses in both manners at once, through sight and through knowledge.
והנה ביצ"מ ראו בנ"י הנסים שעשה להם הקב"ה וב"ש
And behold, at the Exodus from Egypt Bnei Yisrael saw the miracles that the Holy One, Blessed is He, performed for them, and this is well and good.
The Exodus from Egypt was witnessed through seeing, since Bnei Yisrael actually beheld the miracles Hashem did for them. For testifying about the Exodus, the mode of seeing fully suffices.
אבל להעיד על בריאת שמים וארץ לא שייך ראי' רק ידיעה
But to testify concerning the creation of heaven and earth, seeing does not apply — only knowing.
But no one can have literally seen the creation of heaven and earth, since it preceded all human existence. Therefore testimony about creation cannot rest on seeing, but only on knowing.
והוא הדעת שזכו בנ"י בקבלת התורה דכתיב פנים בפנים דיבר וניטל מהם מסך הגוף המבדיל כדכתי' אשר עמדת לפני ה"א
And this is the daas (knowledge) that Bnei Yisrael merited at the receiving of the Torah, as it is written, "Face to face [Hashem] spoke" (Devarim 5:4), and the curtain of the body which separates was removed from them, as it is written, "that you stood before Hashem your God" (Devarim 4:10).
This knowing is the daas Bnei Yisrael acquired at Matan Torah, when Hashem spoke to them face to face. At that moment the bodily barrier that screens a person off from Hashem was lifted.
ולכן יכולין להעיד על בריאת מ"ב הואיל ונתעלו למעלה מכיפת הרקיע כדפרש"י ז"ל אתה הראת שפתח להם הרקיע כו'
Therefore they are able to testify concerning the creation of heaven and earth, since they were elevated above the dome of the firmament, as Rashi explains, "You have been shown" — that He opened the firmament for them, etc.
Because that barrier was removed and they were lifted above the firmament, they can testify about creation even without having seen it. Rashi teaches that the firmament was opened for them, granting them a vision beyond the physical world.
ובאמת בכל ש"ק יש פתח זה
And in truth, on every holy Shabbos there is this opening.
The Sfas Emes adds that this opening is not a one-time event. Every Shabbos this same opening recurs.
וע"ז כתי' שער החצר כו' הפונה קדים הוא כנ"ל התגלות מקודם הבריאה
And concerning this it is written, "The gate of the courtyard [...] which faces eastward" (Yechezkel 46:1) — this is, as stated above, the revelation that is from before the creation.
He reads the pasuk in Yechezkel about the eastward-facing gate as a reference to this opening. The eastward gate represents the revelation that stems from before creation itself.
ביום השבת יפתח
"On the day of Shabbos it shall be opened" (Yechezkel 46:1).
He continues the pasuk: that very gate is opened specifically on Shabbos. This is the channel through which the pre-creation revelation shines.
ומצד זה יש נשמה יתירה שיורדת בשבת כדי שנוכל להעיד על הש"י שברא העולם [וב' אלו הם דכתי' השמע עם כו'
And from this aspect there is a neshamah yeseirah (additional soul) that descends on Shabbos, so that we may testify concerning Hashem, that He created the world. [And these two are what is written, "Has a people heard [the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and lived]" (Devarim 4:33).
Through this opening a neshamah yeseirah descends on Shabbos, empowering us to testify that Hashem created the world. He then begins a bracketed aside reading the pasuk "Has a people heard" as containing these two modes of testimony.
פי' שמיעה קבלה והוא הדעת שזכו בנ"י בקבלת התורה וע"ז אומרים בכל יום שמע ישראל לזכור יום אשר עמדת כו' בחורב
The meaning of "hearing" is receiving, and this is the daas that Bnei Yisrael merited at the receiving of the Torah; and concerning this we say each day, "Shema Yisrael," to remember the day on which "you stood [before Hashem your God] at Chorev" (Devarim 4:10).
"Hearing" denotes receiving, which is the daas of Matan Torah. This is why we say Shema each day, to recall standing before Hashem at Chorev.
ע"י שכ"א מכניס עצמו בכלל ישראל יוכל להרגיש מעט מדעת הנ"ל
Through each individual bringing himself into the collective of Yisrael, he is able to feel a little of the aforementioned daas.
By including himself within the collective of Yisrael, any individual can tap into a measure of that Sinai daas. The collective is the conduit for this shared knowledge.
או הנסה כו' הוא בחי' יצ"מ]. ובשבת זוכין לזה הדעת והוא הרגשת האמת בכח התורה שניתן לבנ"י ולכן יכולין להעיד גם על מה שאין הראי' שולט בו
"Or has [any god] tried [to come and take for himself a nation from the midst of another nation]" (Devarim 4:34) — this is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt.] And on Shabbos we merit this daas, which is the perception of the truth through the power of the Torah that was given to Bnei Yisrael; and therefore they are able to testify even concerning that over which seeing has no grasp.
He reads "Or has any god tried" as alluding to the Exodus, the mode of seeing, closing the bracket. On Shabbos we attain the daas of Matan Torah, a felt perception of truth through the Torah's power, enabling testimony even about what lies beyond sight.
וזה באמת העדות גם על בנ"י שזוכין להעיד על הש"י ובכלל ישראל הוא בחי' הנבואה ורוה"ק שנמצא בישראל ודו"ק היטב:
And this, in truth, is the testimony concerning Bnei Yisrael themselves as well, that they merit to testify concerning Hashem; and within the collective of Yisrael lies the aspect of nevuah (prophecy) and ruach hakodesh that is found among Yisrael — and analyze this well.
This testifying is also, in truth, a testimony about the greatness of Bnei Yisrael themselves, who are worthy to bear witness about Hashem. Within the collective of Yisrael rests the aspect of prophecy and ruach hakodesh.
Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the two reasons the Torah gives for Shabbos — the Exodus and the creation of the world — by way of the principle that Shabbos is a testimony and Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's witnesses. Citing the Gemara, he distinguishes two valid modes of testimony: seeing and knowing. The Exodus was witnessed through seeing, since Bnei Yisrael beheld the miracles directly, but creation can only be testified to through knowing — the daas acquired at Matan Torah, when the bodily barrier was lifted and they were raised above the firmament. This same opening above the firmament recurs every Shabbos, when a neshamah yeseirah descends and grants a felt perception of truth through the power of the Torah, empowering Bnei Yisrael to testify even about what the eye cannot grasp. In this very capacity to bear witness lies a testimony about Bnei Yisrael themselves, within whose collective rests the aspect of prophecy and ruach hakodesh.