Written and Oral Torah as marriage

במדרש כתוב לך כו' על פי הדברים האלה כרתי כו'.

The Midrash on the verse "Write for yourself … for by the mouth of (al pi) these words I have made [a covenant]…"

The Sefas Emes opens with the pasuk (Shemos 34:27) that hints at the two parts of Torah, and homiletically reads "al pi" — "by the mouth" — as the Torah she'b'al peh (Oral Torah).

פי' תורה שבכתב ושבע"פ ע"ש.

That is, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah — see there.

The verse alludes to both Torah she'bichsav (the Written Torah) and Torah she'b'al peh (the Oral Torah).

ובמדרש ע"פ ויתן אל משה ה' יתן חכמה כו' ע"ש.

And the Midrash on the verse "And He gave to Moshe" [expounds] "Hashem grants wisdom…" — see there.

The giving of the Torah to Moshe Rabbeinu was Hashem implanting wisdom directly within him.

והענין הוא כי בעשרת הדברות ששמענו מהקב"ה בעצמו הדברים.

The matter is that through the Ten Commandments, which we heard from the Holy One Himself,

At Har Sinai Bnei Yisrael heard the Aseres Hadibros directly from Hashem, with nothing in between.

נעשו נפשות בנ"י כלים להיות מוכנים לתורה שבכתב.

the souls of Bnei Yisrael became vessels, prepared to receive the Written Torah.

Hearing Hashem directly transformed the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael into fitting kelim (vessels) able to hold the Torah.

דאיתא בקבלת התורה הי' קידושין.

For it is taught that at the receiving of the Torah there was a kiddushin (betrothal).

Kabbalas haTorah is likened to a marriage between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

וכמו שהאשה ע"י הקדושין נעשית כלי כו'.

And just as a woman, through the kiddushin, becomes a vessel [designated to her husband]…

As betrothal designates and prepares the wife, so the giving of the Torah made Bnei Yisrael into a vessel set apart for Hashem.

כי כח התורה שבע"פ הוא מזה שנטע הקב"ה בנפשותינו.

For the power of the Oral Torah comes from that which the Holy One planted within our souls.

The Torah she'b'al peh draws its strength from the inner kedushah that Hashem planted inside the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael.

ועל זה נאמר ממני פריך נמצא.

And about this it is said: "From Me your fruit is found" (Hoshea 14:9).

The "fruit" of our Torah and avodah comes from the seed Hashem placed within us — even our chiddushim originate in Him.

והמשכיל יבין יותר.

And the discerning one will understand more.

The Sefas Emes leaves the deeper point for the reader to grasp on his own.

ובלוחות הי' תורה שבכתב והם אותיות ורמזים שיוכלו בני ישראל לעמוד על ידיהם לרצון הבורא ית'.

In the Luchos was the Written Torah — letters and hints by which Bnei Yisrael could arrive at the ratzon haBorei (the will of the Creator).

The Written Torah on the Tablets is the outer "letters and signs," the means through which a Jew reaches the will of Hashem.

אבל העיקר הוא כחן של ישראל בפה.

But the essence is the power of Bnei Yisrael through the mouth.

The truly essential part is the Oral Torah — the living power within Bnei Yisrael to expound and reveal the Torah.

ועל זה אמרו מפיו דעת ותבונה.

And concerning this they said: "From His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Mishlei 2:6).

The da'as and tevunah of Torah flow from the inner "mouth" — the Oral Torah implanted in us.

ולכן כתיב על פי הדברים כו' כרתי.

Therefore it is written: "By the mouth of these words … I have made [a covenant]."

The covenant of Torah is sealed specifically through the "mouth" — the Oral Torah of Bnei Yisrael.

פי' שכל אות ודיבור שבתורה פותח שער מיוחד להשיג הסודות הטמונים.

That is, every letter and word of the Torah opens a special gate to attain the hidden secrets.

Each letter of the Written Torah is a doorway; the Oral Torah is the key that opens it to reveal the sodos (hidden depths) concealed within.

וזהו פי הדברים.

And this is "the mouth of the words."

"Al pi hadevarim" means that the words have a "mouth" — an opening — through which their inner light pours out.

וזה הרמז ככלתו התורה ניתנה כללים ע"ש במדרש.

And this is the hint in "as He finished (k'chaloso)" — the Torah was given in general principles — see there in the Midrash.

The Midrash reads "k'chaloso" (when He finished giving the Torah) as related to "kelalim" (general rules), for the Written Torah is given as broad principles that the Oral Torah unfolds.

וע"ז אמרו לא דבר רק ואם רק הוא מכם ע"ש ועל ב' אלו אמרו חכמים חביבין ישראל שניתן להם כלי חמדה כו' חיבה יתירה נודעת היא מפיו דעת ותבונה חיי עולם נטע כו'.

And about this they said, "It is not an empty thing (reik)" — and if it seems empty, it is "from you" — see there; and regarding these two [parts of Torah] the Chachamim said: "Beloved are Bnei Yisrael, for a precious vessel was given to them … a greater love is made known," from "His mouth come knowledge and understanding," and "eternal life He planted [in our midst]."

Quoting the Mishnah in Avos (3:14): when Torah seems "empty," the lack is in us, not the Torah. The "precious vessel" (the Written Torah) and the "greater love" (the Oral Torah implanted in us) are the two layers of Hashem's gift.

ונק' יתירה שאין לה גבול להכתב בפי' רק ניתן הדעת בנפשות בנ"י כמ"ש אתה הראת לדעת כו'.

It is called "greater" (yeseirah) because it has no limit to be written down explicitly; rather, the da'as was placed in the souls of Bnei Yisrael, as it says: "You have been shown, to know…" (Devarim 4:35).

The Oral Torah is "extra" love because it cannot be confined to writing — Hashem implanted living da'as directly within the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael.

ודו"ק:

And understand this well.

The Sefas Emes invites careful reflection on this idea.

Summary: The two parts of Torah — the Written Torah on the Luchos and the Oral Torah implanted in our souls — correspond to a marriage between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael. The Written Torah is the outer "letters and signs," general principles that point toward Hashem's will, while the deeper, limitless gift is the da'as Hashem planted within Bnei Yisrael themselves, the living "mouth" that opens every letter to its hidden light.