Nature Testifies Through Emunah

בפסוק ואעידה בם א' השמים כו' פי' א"א מו"ז ז"ל שע"י בנ"י מתברר כבודו ית' שנסתר במ"ב דכ' השמים מספרים כו' והכל תלוי בבנ"י כו'

On the verse "And I shall call as witnesses against them the heavens etc." (Devarim 30:19), my grandfather, master and teacher, of blessed memory, explained that it is through Bnei Yisrael that the glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, becomes clarified and revealed — the glory that is hidden within the Creation, as it is written, "The heavens declare etc." (Tehillim 19:2) — and everything depends upon Bnei Yisrael.

The Sfas Emes opens with his grandfather's teaching that Hashem's glory, hidden within Creation, is brought to light specifically through Bnei Yisrael, so that everything hinges upon them.

והנה פי' הפשוט ששמים וארץ נעשו עדים כמ"ש יד העדים תהי' כו'

Now, the simple explanation is that the heavens and the earth are made into witnesses, as it is written, "the hand of the witnesses shall be etc." (Devarim 17:7).

He notes the straightforward reading: heaven and earth literally serve as witnesses against Bnei Yisrael, just as human witnesses function in Torah law.

ונראה שהכל אחד שזה עצמו העדות מה שהטבע משתנה לפי עמידת בנ"י

But it appears that it is all one and the same, for this itself is the testimony — that nature changes in accordance with how Bnei Yisrael stand and conduct themselves.

He then unifies the two ideas — the very testimony of heaven and earth IS the way nature shifts according to the conduct of Bnei Yisrael.

אם מטיבין מעשיהם ונתנה הארץ יבולה כו' וא"ל ועצר את השמים כו'

If they better their deeds, then "the land shall give forth its produce etc." (Vayikra 26:4); and if not, then "He will hold back the heavens etc." (Devarim 11:17).

When Bnei Yisrael act well, the land yields its produce; when they fail, the heavens withhold rain. Nature itself bears witness.

נמצא בנ"י מבררין מלכותו ית'

It emerges that Bnei Yisrael are the ones who clarify and make manifest the kingship of Hashem, may He be blessed.

The conclusion is that Bnei Yisrael are the means by which Hashem's kingship is revealed and clarified in the world.

והאמת כי זה מדרגה חדשה שזכו בנ"י שיתמשך כל הטבע כפי עבודת התחתונים

And the truth is that this is a new level which Bnei Yisrael merited — that the entire natural order should be drawn after the avodah of those below.

This responsiveness of nature to human avodah is itself a new spiritual level granted uniquely to Bnei Yisrael.

כי מקודם לא הי' כן כי שכר ועונש בהאי עלמא ליכא רק בנ"י המשיכו דרך זה בכח התורה

For beforehand it was not so, since there is no reward and punishment in this world; rather it was Bnei Yisrael who drew down this pathway through the power of the Torah.

Originally the natural world did not respond to reward and punishment; Bnei Yisrael, through the power of Torah, drew down this new mode of providence.

והאמת כי הרשעים אמרו עזב ה' את הארץ

And in truth, the wicked said, "Hashem has forsaken the land" (Yechezkel 8:12).

The wicked, by contrast, claimed that Hashem had abandoned the world to run on its own.

ובאמת השגחת הבורא ית' בעולם הוא כפי האמונה

But in reality, the providence of the Creator, may He be blessed, in the world is in accordance with one's emunah.

The truth is that Hashem's hashgachah in the world operates in proportion to a person's emunah.

והרשעים שאין מאמינים נמסרו להטבע בלבד

And the wicked, who do not believe, are handed over to nature alone.

Those who lack belief are left to nature alone, with no providence beyond it.

ובנ"י כפי האמונה שבהם משתנה להם הטבע כענין אין מזל לישראל

Whereas Bnei Yisrael — in accordance with the emunah that is within them — nature itself is changed for them, in the manner of "there is no mazal for Yisrael" (Shabbos 156a).

But for Bnei Yisrael, their emunah causes nature itself to bend for them — this is the meaning of "there is no mazal for Yisrael."

ועי"ז שקיבלו עליהם בנ"י ברכות וקללות לכן יש להם לבטוח כי יטיבו מעשיהם באחרונה

And by means of this — that Bnei Yisrael took upon themselves the blessings and the curses — they therefore have grounds to trust that in the end they will better their deeds.

Because Bnei Yisrael accepted the blessings and curses upon themselves, they can trust that they will ultimately improve their deeds.

וז"ש והי' כי יבאו ע' הברכה כו' והשבות

And this is the meaning of "And it shall be, when these things come upon you, the blessing etc." and "you shall return" (Devarim 30:1-2).

This is the meaning of the verse promising that after the blessings and curses come, Bnei Yisrael will return.

פי' ע"י שקבלתם עליכם ברכות וקללות ממילא תראו ותבינו לומר הלא על כי א' אלקי בקרבי כו' ועי"ז תשובו בתשובה

The explanation: through the fact that you accepted upon yourselves the blessings and the curses, you will inevitably see and understand and come to say, "Is it not because my Hashem is in my midst etc." (cf. Devarim 31:17), and through this you will return in teshuvah.

Accepting the blessings and curses leads Bnei Yisrael to recognize Hashem's presence among them, and that recognition itself produces teshuvah.

ובנ"י בכל עת יש להם התקשרות בתורת ה'

And Bnei Yisrael, at every moment, have a bond and connection to the Torah of Hashem.

At all times Bnei Yisrael remain bound and connected to the Torah of Hashem.

וגם בדורות האחרונים שנתגרשנו משלחן אבינו שבשמים יש לנו חלק בתורה

And even in the later generations, in which we have been driven away from the table of our Father in Heaven, we still have a portion in the Torah.

Even in the later generations of exile, when we are distanced from our Father in Heaven, we still retain a genuine portion in the Torah.

והלא כמה פרשיות שלימות שמיוחדים רק על ימי הגלות והירידה

For behold, there are several entire parshiyos that are designated specifically for the days of galus and decline.

Proof of this is that whole parshiyos are devoted specifically to the era of galus and decline.

כמ"ש וענתה השירה הזאת כו' שגם בימים אלו יש להם חלק בתורה

As it is written, "and this song shall testify etc." (Devarim 31:21) — that even in these days they have a portion in the Torah.

The verse about the song that testifies shows that even in these latter days Bnei Yisrael have a portion in the Torah.

וכ' אם יהי' נדחך בקצה השמים

And it is written, "If your dispersed ones be at the end of the heavens" (Devarim 30:4).

The verse about the dispersed ones "at the end of the heavens" is brought to reinforce this point.

לומר כי לעולם יש לבנ"י חלק בתורה ובשמים הרבה או מעט

This comes to say that forever Bnei Yisrael have a portion in the Torah and in the heavens — whether much or little.

It teaches that Bnei Yisrael forever retain a portion in the Torah and in the heavens, whether great or small.

כמ"ש לא תשכח מפי זרעו פרש"י שאין התורה משתכחת מזרעם לגמרי כו'

As it is written, "it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring" (Devarim 31:21), and Rashi explains that the Torah is never entirely forgotten from their offspring etc.

Rashi on "it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring" confirms that the Torah is never completely lost from their descendants.

כמ"ש שיש להם תמיד אחיזה בתורה ובשמים

As it states, that they always have a grasp and hold upon the Torah and upon the heavens.

This shows that Bnei Yisrael always maintain a grasp upon both the Torah and the heavens.

[וע"ד הלצה כי התורה היא השמים

[And by way of a homiletical remark: for the Torah is the heavens,

By way of a homiletical flourish, the Sfas Emes identifies the Torah itself with "the heavens."

ואלה פרשיות אחרונות שבתורה שהם מדברים מדורות האחרונות נק' בקצה השמים כנ"ל]:

and these final parshiyos of the Torah, which speak of the later generations, are called "at the end of the heavens," as explained above.]

Accordingly, the closing parshiyos of the Torah, which address the later generations, are alluded to in the phrase "at the end of the heavens."

Summary: The Sfas Emes, building on his grandfather's teaching, explains that Hashem's hidden glory in Creation is revealed specifically through Bnei Yisrael, so that heaven and earth serve as witnesses precisely by responding to the deeds of Bnei Yisrael — yielding produce or withholding rain according to their conduct. This responsiveness of nature is a new level of hashgachah, drawn down through the power of Torah, and it operates in proportion to emunah: the wicked who do not believe are left to bare nature, while Bnei Yisrael, by their faith, find that even nature bends for them, as in "there is no mazal for Yisrael." Because Bnei Yisrael accepted both the blessings and the curses upon themselves, they can trust that they will ultimately better their deeds and, recognizing Hashem's presence in their midst, return in teshuvah. He then stresses that Bnei Yisrael never lose their bond to the Torah — even in the later generations of galus, whole parshiyos are devoted to those times, guaranteeing them a portion in the Torah whether much or little. By way of a homiletical remark, he reads "the end of the heavens" as an allusion to the Torah itself, with its closing parshiyos that speak to the later, exiled generations.