Israel's justice and charity as Hashem's doing

במדרש משפט וצדקה ביעקב אתה עשית.

In the Midrash: "justice and righteousness in Yaakov — You have done" (Tehillim 99:4).

The Sefas Emes opens with the posuk that ascribes the justice and tzedakah found "in Yaakov" to Hashem Himself — "You have done" — which he will explain.

כי באמת גם בני נח מצווין על הדינין.

For in truth, the Bnei Noach (descendants of Noach) too are commanded concerning laws of justice (dinim).

Establishing courts and justice is one of the seven Noachide mitzvos, so a system of law is not unique to Bnei Yisrael — raising the question of what is distinctive about Jewish justice.

אבל כתיב חקיו ומשפטיו לישראל היינו שבנ"י מכוונים אל המשפט האמת דכתיב המשפט לאלקים הוא ובנ"י המה רק כלים שהקב"ה מנהיג העולם על ידיהם ונגמרים משפטי ה' ע"י סנהדרין שבישראל.

But it is written "His statutes and His ordinances to Yisrael" (Tehillim 147:19) — meaning that Bnei Yisrael are aligned with the true justice, as it is written "for the judgment is God's" (Devarim 1:17); and Bnei Yisrael are only vessels through whom the Holy One, blessed be He, conducts the world, and the judgments of Hashem are completed through the Sanhedrin of Yisrael.

The difference is that Israel's justice is not merely social order but an alignment with the absolute, divine truth — "the judgment is God's." The judges of Bnei Yisrael serve as kelim (vessels) through which Hashem's own justice is enacted and brought to completion in the world.

וז"ש אתה עשית כי עשיית בנ"י הוא בכח סיוע משמים.

And this is the meaning of "You have done" — for the "doing" of Bnei Yisrael is by the power of assistance from Heaven.

When the posuk credits the justice "in Yaakov" to Hashem ("You have done"), it teaches that Israel's actions are accomplished only through a Heavenly siyata — Hashem acting through them.

והם הארות שגנוזים בנשמות בנ"י.

And they are illuminations hidden within the neshamos of Bnei Yisrael.

That Heavenly assistance is not external; it consists of holy lights already embedded within the souls of Bnei Yisrael, awaiting expression.

דהנשמות נק' מעשי ידיו של הקב"ה כמ"ש בזוה"ק.

For the neshamos are called "the work of the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He," as is stated in the Zohar HaKadosh.

The Zohar teaches that the souls themselves are Hashem's handiwork, so whatever flows from them is, in essence, His own doing.

וכדכתיב ונשמות אני עשיתי.

And as it is written, "and the souls I have made" (Yeshayahu 57:16).

The posuk explicitly attributes the making of the neshamos to Hashem, grounding the idea that the soul's deeds are His.

וז"ש משפט וצדקה כו' אתה עשית שאין המשפט על פי שכל פשוט.

And this is the meaning of "justice and righteousness, etc., You have done" — that the judgment is not according to simple human reasoning.

The justice of Bnei Yisrael does not arise from ordinary human intellect alone; "You have done" signals a higher source.

רק שיש דעת בחכמי ישראל לברר משפטי ה'.

Rather, there is a special wisdom (daas) in the sages of Yisrael to clarify the judgments of Hashem.

The chachamim of Yisrael possess a divinely granted insight that enables them to discern and clarify Hashem's true justice, beyond what plain logic could reach.

והכל בכוחות שגנוזי' בנשמתם.

And all this is by the powers hidden within their souls.

This capacity flows from the holy lights concealed within their neshamos — the divine endowment that makes their rulings an expression of Hashem's will.

כמ"ש ממני פריך נמצא.

As it is written, "from Me your fruit is found" (Hoshea 14:9).

Even the "fruit" — the good that a person produces — ultimately comes "from Me," from Hashem; the source of Israel's righteous deeds is divine.

וכן בצדקה ונדבה שנמצא בלבות בנ"י הם הכל כחות הבורא ית'.

And likewise the tzedakah and generosity (nedavah) found in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael — they are all the powers of the Creator, may He be blessed.

The same applies to charity: the very impulse to give that arises in a Jew's heart is itself a power placed there by the Creator.

וז"ש צדקה תרומם גוי וחסד לאומים חטאת ואמרו חז"ל מה דעבדין לגרמייהו עבדין.

And this is the meaning of "tzedakah exalts a nation, but the kindness of the (other) peoples is sin" (Mishlei 14:34), and Chazal said: "what they do, they do for their own sake."

The posuk contrasts Israel's charity with that of the nations. Chazal explain that the nations' acts of kindness are done for self-serving motives — for their own benefit rather than as an expression of the divine.

פי' שאין למעשיהם דביקות בשורש אבל מעשה בנ"י המה בדביקות נשמתם.

The meaning is that their deeds have no attachment (deveikus) to the Root, whereas the deeds of Bnei Yisrael are in attachment to their souls.

The nations' good deeds remain disconnected from the divine Source, while the deeds of Bnei Yisrael are bound up with the holy root within their neshamos — and therefore connected to Hashem.

ונק' הכל מעשה ה' ממש.

And all of it is called, quite literally, the act of Hashem.

Because Israel's deeds flow from the divine lights within their souls, they are reckoned as Hashem's own actions in the world.

רק שהמה כלים להוציא הדברים מכח אל הפועל.

It is only that they are vessels to bring these things from potential into actuality.

The role of Bnei Yisrael is that of kelim — they actualize and give concrete expression to a power whose source is wholly divine.

וכן איתא באדר משמיעין על השקלים.

And so it is taught: on (the first of) Adar they announce concerning the shekalim.

He connects the theme to the season — the Mishnah's ruling that at the start of Adar a public announcement is made about giving the half-shekel.

נראה הרמז שמשמים מעוררין הנדבה בלבות בנ"י כמ"ש משפט וצדקה ביעקב אתה עשית *):

It appears the allusion is that from Heaven they awaken the generosity in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "justice and righteousness in Yaakov — You have done."

The public "announcement" about the shekalim hints that it is really Heaven that arouses the will to give within Jewish hearts — bringing the essay full circle: the tzedakah of Bnei Yisrael, like their justice, is ultimately Hashem's own doing, awakened from Above.

Summary: Though even the nations are commanded in basic laws of justice, the justice and tzedakah of Bnei Yisrael are uniquely an alignment with Hashem's true judgment — "the judgment is God's." Bnei Yisrael are kelim through whom Hashem conducts the world, for the holy lights hidden in their neshamos (which are "the work of His hands") are the real source of both their righteous rulings and their charity. Unlike the self-serving kindness of the nations, Israel's deeds are bound in deveikus to their divine root and are therefore reckoned as Hashem's own act — a truth hinted in the Heavenly arousal of generosity announced through the shekalim of Adar.