Exodus Purifying Torah Study
והי' לאות כו' ולזכרון כו' למען תהי' תורת ה' בפיך כו'.
“And it shall be for a sign… and for a remembrance… so that the Torah of the Lord shall be in your mouth…”
The Sefat Emet begins by explaining that this verse teaches the purpose of the signs and remembrance: to bring a person to a state in which the Torah of God—specifically, the divine aspect of Torah—can be present within him.
פי' תורת ה' דייקא בהיות כי בכל תורה ומצות יש כמה מדרגות בעשותן האדם.
“‘The Torah of the Lord’ precisely, for in every act of Torah and mitzvot there are many levels in the way a person performs them.”
He emphasizes that not all Torah study or observance is equal; each deed has spiritual gradations, and only the highest level is truly called ‘the Torah of God.’
אמנם להיות נעשין בלי פסולת כלל הוא ע"י הקדמת יצ"מ.
“But for them to be done without any impurity at all is only through the prior remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt.”
The Sefat Emet teaches that pure, untainted service of God requires first recalling the Exodus, which purifies the person from spiritual residue and inner constriction.
וזה ענין הזכרת יציאת מצרים קודם ק"ש בכל יום שהוא עיקר התורה כמ"ש ודברת בם.
“And this is the reason for mentioning the Exodus before the Shema each day, which is the essence of Torah, as it is written: ‘And you shall speak of them.’”
The daily liturgy mirrors this principle by placing the remembrance of the Exodus before the Shema, the core declaration and study of Torah.
וכמו שהי' בכלל שהוקדם יצ"מ לקבלת התורה.
“Just as, in general, the Exodus preceded the giving of the Torah.”
He draws a parallel to the historical sequence: national liberation had to occur before the revelation at Sinai.
כמו כן עדיין נוהג בכל יום.
“So too this practice still applies every day.”
The spiritual pattern of Exodus-then-Torah is not a one-time event but a daily dynamic in religious life.
כי בהקדמת זכירת יצ"מ נעשין קצת בני חורין משעבוד היצה"ר ויכולין לקבל עמ"ש לעסוק בתורת ה' דייקא.
“For by first remembering the Exodus, we become somewhat free from the enslavement of the evil inclination and are able to receive what was said: to engage specifically in the Torah of the Lord.”
The Sefat Emet concludes that recalling the Exodus grants inner freedom from the yetzer hara, allowing one to access the higher level of divine Torah.
Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that true engagement with ‘the Torah of God’ requires inner liberation, achieved through remembering the Exodus. This pattern, established before Sinai, is reenacted each day by mentioning the Exodus before the Shema, enabling Torah observance free of spiritual impurity.