Fifty Gates Of Freedom

והנה שבת סהדותא איקרי

Now, Shabbos is called "sahadusa" — testimony.

Shabbos itself bears witness — it testifies to Hashem as Creator. The Sfas Emes opens with this idea that Shabbos is a form of testimony.

דכתי' אתם עדי

As it is written, "You are My witnesses" (Yeshayah 43:10).

He brings the verse from Yeshayah where Hashem calls Bnei Yisrael His witnesses, tying their role of bearing witness to the theme of Shabbos.

דהנה כתי' אנכי ה"א אשר הוצאתיך מא"מ

For it is written, "I am Hashem your God, who took you out of the land of Mitzrayim" (Shemos 20:2).

The Aseres HaDibros open by identifying Hashem as the One who took Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim, rather than as Creator.

ומקשין אמאי לא נאמר אשר בראתיך

And the commentators ask: why does it not say, "who created you"?

The commentators are puzzled: since the Exodus seems lesser than Creation, why does Hashem introduce Himself through yetzias Mitzrayim instead of through having created them?

אבל פי' אנכי ה"א שהכירו בנ"י וידעו את ה' והרגישו אלקותו ית' בנפשותם וזה בא ע"י יצ"מ כדאיתא בזוה"ק חמשין זמנין אידכר יצ"מ באורייתא לקבל נ' שערי בינה ע"ש [דכתי' אתה הראת לדעת לשון נפעל הוא כנ"ל עפמ"ש בזוה"ק ע"פ נודע בשערים מאן יכול למנדע אלא כל בר נש לפום שעורין דליבא ע"ש פ' וירא

Rather, the meaning of "I am Hashem your God" is that Bnei Yisrael came to recognize and to know Hashem, and they sensed His Godliness, blessed is He, within their very souls; and this came about by way of yetzias Mitzrayim, as is brought in the holy Zohar that the Exodus from Mitzrayim is mentioned fifty times in the Torah, corresponding to the fifty gates of binah (understanding), see there. [For it is written, "You were shown, to know" (Devarim 4:35) — in the passive form, as above — based on what is brought in the holy Zohar on the verse "He is known in the gates" (Mishlei 31:23): who is able to know? Rather, each and every person according to the measure of his heart, see there in Parshas Vayeira.

The answer is that "I am Hashem your God" speaks of an experiential knowing — Bnei Yisrael actually felt Hashem's Godliness in their souls, and this came through the Exodus, which the Zohar links to the fifty gates of binah. The bracketed proof shows that such knowing is personal, measured by each one's heart.

וז"ש שע"י הנסים נפתחו שערי בינה בלבות בנ"י לידע כי אנכי ה"א

And this is what is meant: that through the miracles the gates of binah were opened in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael, to know that "I am Hashem your God."

The miracles of the Exodus pried open the gates of understanding within the hearts of Bnei Yisrael, enabling them to directly know Hashem.

וז"ש הראת לדעת] והוא החירות דכמו דיש נ' שערי בינה שהוא תכלית הבריאה לכבודו ית' להבין ולהכיר גדולתו של יוצר בראשית

And this is the meaning of "You were shown, to know".] And this is the freedom — for just as there are fifty gates of binah, which are the very purpose of Creation, all for His honor, blessed is He, that one should comprehend and recognize the greatness of the One who fashioned the beginning of all things,

The verse "You were shown, to know" expresses this opened understanding. The fifty gates of binah are the purpose of all Creation — to recognize the greatness of the Creator.

אך שיש בעוה"ז מול זה מ"ט שערי טומאה וחשכות הטבע שאין ניכר פנימיות הנהגה שהוא מאתו ית'

yet, correspondingly, there are in this world the forty-nine gates of impurity and the darkness of nature, within which the inner conduct — that everything is from Him, blessed is He — is not discernible.

Opposite the fifty gates of holiness stand forty-nine gates of impurity and the concealment of nature, where Hashem's inner guidance of the world is hidden from view.

וכשיצאנו ממצרים יצאו מאותן המ"ט שערים ונגלה להם שערי בינה והכירו כבודו ית'

And when we left Mitzrayim, we went out from those forty-nine gates, and the gates of binah were revealed to them, and they recognized His honor, blessed is He.

Leaving Mitzrayim meant breaking out of those forty-nine gates of impurity, so that the gates of binah opened and Bnei Yisrael recognized Hashem's honor.

ולכן הזכיר נ' זימנין יצ"מ

And therefore the Exodus from Mitzrayim is mentioned fifty times.

Because the Exodus is what opened all fifty gates of understanding, the Torah commemorates it fifty times.

וכ"כ בזוה"ק פרשה זו בהדי' ע"ש דף רס"ב

And so it is written explicitly in the holy Zohar on this very parshah; see there, daf 262.

The Sfas Emes notes that the Zohar states this very point explicitly in this parshah, pointing to the page reference.

וכענין זה הוא בנ' שבתות השנה שבכל שבת נפתח שער מיוחד מהנ' שערי בינה כדכתי' ביום השבת יפתח ובנ"י שיצאו מארץ מצרים ונעשו בני חורין שזה עיקר החירות שבאין אל הבינה שהיא תכלית מה שבראנו בעולם לכבודו ית' יכולין להרגיש בכל שבת ההארות המתגלות בהם וז"ש וזכרת כי עבד כו' ע"כ צוך כו':

And along these very lines is the matter of the fifty Shabbosos of the year, for on each Shabbos a particular gate of the fifty gates of binah is opened, as it is written, "On the day of Shabbos it shall be opened" (Yechezkel 46:1); and Bnei Yisrael, who went out from the land of Mitzrayim and became free men — for this is the essence of freedom, that one comes to binah, which is the ultimate purpose for which He created us in the world, for His honor, blessed is He — are able to sense on each Shabbos the illuminations that are revealed within them. And this is the meaning of "And you shall remember that you were a slave... therefore Hashem your God commanded you..." (Devarim 5:15).

He applies the idea to the fifty Shabbosos of the year: each Shabbos opens one of the fifty gates of binah. Because Bnei Yisrael became free at the Exodus — true freedom being the ability to reach binah — they can sense these illuminations every Shabbos, which is why the mitzvah of Shabbos is tied to remembering the slavery and the Exodus.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains why the Aseres HaDibros introduce Hashem as the One who took Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim rather than as their Creator. "I am Hashem your God" refers to an experiential knowing — Bnei Yisrael actually sensed His Godliness within their souls, and this came about through yetzias Mitzrayim, which the holy Zohar links to the fifty gates of binah, the very purpose of Creation. Opposite these stand forty-nine gates of impurity and the darkness of nature that hide Hashem's inner guidance; leaving Mitzrayim meant breaking free of those gates so the gates of understanding could open, which is why the Exodus is mentioned fifty times in the Torah. This is the essence of true freedom: coming to binah and recognizing the greatness of the Creator. He concludes that the fifty Shabbosos of the year each open one of these gates, so Bnei Yisrael — made free at the Exodus — can sense these illuminations on every Shabbos, which is why the mitzvah of Shabbos is bound to remembering that they were slaves who were redeemed.