Drawing Renewal Into Nature

בפסוק ופן תשא עיניך כו' אשר חלק ה' כו' אותם לכל העמים

Regarding the verse, "And lest you lift up your eyes... which Hashem your God has allotted... them to all the nations" (Devarim 4:19).

The Sfas Emes opens with the verse warning Bnei Yisrael not to be drawn after the sun, moon, and stars, which Hashem allotted to all the nations.

פרש"י להאיר

Rashi explains the phrase to mean: to give light.

Rashi clarifies that these heavenly bodies were allotted to the nations in order to give them light.

וכן כתבו חכמים לתלמי המלך חלק להאיר

And so too the Sages wrote for Ptolemy the king: "He apportioned them to give light."

The Sages who translated the Torah for Ptolemy likewise rendered the verse to mean that Hashem apportioned the celestial bodies to give light, softening any implication of idolatry.

וקשה שהרי להאיר נבראו גם לנו

Now this is difficult, for surely they were created to give light to us as well.

He raises a question: if the point is merely that they give light, the sun and stars give light to Bnei Yisrael too, so why are they spoken of as the portion of the nations alone?

אכן הפי' כי להם נחלק ההנהגה טבעיות ע"פ צבא השמים

Rather, the meaning is that to them, the nations, was allotted a natural mode of governance run through the host of the heavens.

He answers that the nations were given a natural order of governance, where the world appears to run through the fixed system of the heavenly host.

אבל לבנ"י הכל אחדות אחד

But to Bnei Yisrael, everything is a single, complete unity.

Bnei Yisrael, by contrast, perceive everything as bound up in one indivisible unity with Hashem.

וזה עיקר עדותן של בנ"י שגם הטבע אחדות א' דכתי' שמע ישראל ה"א ה' אחד ולא כתי' אלהי אחד רק ה' אחד שהוא המהוה כל הוה

And this is the essence of the testimony of Bnei Yisrael, that even nature itself is one absolute unity, as it is written, "Hear, O Yisrael, Hashem our God, Hashem is One" (Devarim 6:4) — and it does not write "our God is One" but rather "Hashem is One," for it is He who brings into being all that comes into being.

This is the very meaning of their testimony in Shema: even nature is one absolute unity, for the verse names Hashem, who continuously brings all existence into being, rather than the name denoting nature and judgment.

וכתי' וירא אלהים כו' האור כי טוב וגנזו לצדיקים וזהו ההבדלה נעשה ע"י המאורות כמ"ש יהי מאורות כו' להבדיל כו'

And it is written, "And Hashem saw... the light, that it was good" (Bereishis 1:4), and He stored it away for the tzaddikim; and this is the separation that was effected through the luminaries, as it is written, "Let there be luminaries... to separate..." (Bereishis 1:14).

The original light of Creation was hidden away for the tzaddikim, and the visible separation of day and night was instead carried out through the created luminaries.

אבל לבנ"י נמשך הארה מאור הגנוז כמ"ש מחדש בטובו בכ"י מעשה בראשית ובנ"י מעידין ע"ז בכל יום קודם ק"ש לכן אין האור הפנימי נבדל מהם

But to Bnei Yisrael there is drawn down an illumination from that hidden light, as we say, "in His goodness He renews each day, continually, the act of Creation," and Bnei Yisrael bear witness to this every day before Krias Shema; therefore the inner light is not separated from them.

Bnei Yisrael, however, receive a flow of illumination from that hidden light, which is why we declare each morning that Hashem renews Creation daily, and the inner light therefore remains united with them.

וז"ש חלק כו' לכל העמים כו' ואתכם לקח כו' פי' ביצ"מ שנשתנה הטבע עבור בנ"י נמסר להם ההנהגה הפנימיות כנ"ל כמ"ש החודש הזה לכם

And this is the meaning of "He apportioned... to all the nations... but you He took" (cf. Devarim 4:19-20) — meaning, at Yetzias Mitzrayim, when nature itself was changed for the sake of Bnei Yisrael, the inner mode of governance was handed over to them, as explained above, as it is written, "This month shall be for you" (Shemos 12:2).

The verse contrasts the nations, who got the celestial portion, with Bnei Yisrael, whom Hashem took as His own; at Yetzias Mitzrayim nature was overturned for them, and the inner governance was entrusted to them, signaled by the mitzvah of sanctifying the new month.

ואין כל חדש תחת השמש רק שהם דבקים למעלה מצבא השמים

And "there is nothing new under the sun" (Koheles 1:9) — only that they cling on high, above the host of the heavens.

Though seemingly nothing in nature ever changes, Bnei Yisrael are attached to a level above the fixed heavenly host.

ולא עוד אלא שהם מביאים התחדשות מן השורש אל צבא השמים:

And not only that, but they draw forth renewal from the Source down to the host of the heavens.

Beyond merely rising above nature, Bnei Yisrael actively channel renewal from the divine Source down into the natural order itself.

Summary: The Sfas Emes contrasts two modes of divine governance rooted in the verse warning against worshiping the heavenly bodies that Hashem allotted to the nations. The nations were given a natural order that runs through the fixed host of the heavens, where the original light of Creation lies hidden and only the created luminaries give visible light. Bnei Yisrael, however, testify in Shema that even nature is one absolute unity with Hashem, who continuously renews Creation, so that the hidden inner light is never separated from them. Through Yetzias Mitzrayim, when nature itself was overturned for their sake, this inner governance was handed to them, as expressed in the mitzvah of sanctifying the new month. Thus Bnei Yisrael not only cling to a level above the heavenly host but actively draw renewal from the Source down into the natural world.