Mitzvos as vessels for hidden light

ואתה תצוה ויקחו אליך.

"And you shall command... and they shall take to you."

The Sefas Emes opens with the pasuk in which Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu that Bnei Yisrael should "take to you" the oil for the menorah — a phrasing he will unpack as something Moshe draws from his own inner light.

דכתיב נר מצוה ותורה אור.

As it is written: "A mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light." (Mishlei 6:23)

A mitzvah is like the vessel of a lamp, while the Torah is the actual light that the lamp is meant to hold.

דאיתא אור שברא הקב"ה היה מאיר מסוף העולם כו' וגנזו לצדיקים.

For it is taught that the light Hashem created shone from one end of the world to the other, and He hid it away for the tzaddikim. (Chagigah 12a)

The original light of Creation (the ohr haganuz) was concealed, set aside for the righteous in the future.

ואיתא בזוה"ק פרשת תרומה כי בכל יום יש נקודה מאור הנ"ל בעולם.

And it is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh, Parshas Terumah, that every day there is a point (nekudah) of this aforementioned light present in the world.

Even though the primordial light is hidden, a spark of it enters the world daily.

ועל זה כתיב בטובו מחדש בכל יום מעשה בראשית.

And about this it is written that in His goodness He renews each day the act of Creation.

This daily renewal of the world is itself the entry of that hidden light, for the light is called "good."

כי זה האור שנאמר עליו כי טוב.

For this is the light about which it was said: "that it was good." (Bereishis 1:4)

The "good" the Torah praises at Creation is precisely this concealed light.

והוא התורה שנקראת לקח טוב.

And it is the Torah, which is called "a good acquisition (lekach tov)." (Mishlei 4:2)

That same primordial light is identified with the Torah itself.

ובשעת קבלת התורה הי' נגלה אור הזה.

And at the time of receiving the Torah, this light was revealed.

At Matan Torah the hidden light briefly shone openly into the world.

ואחר החטא חזר ונגנז.

And after the sin it once again became hidden away.

The sin of the Golden Calf caused the revealed light to be concealed once more.

ונשאר אצל מרע"ה כמ"ש חז"ל וכולן זכה משה ונטלן.

And it remained with Moshe Rabbeinu, as Chazal said: "and Moshe merited them all and took them." (Shabbos 88a)

The light that was withdrawn from the nation as a whole stayed accessible through Moshe Rabbeinu.

לכן העצה ע"י המצות הם כלים שיוכל להתגלות ניצוצות מאור הנ"ל בעולם.

Therefore the strategy is through the mitzvos, which are vessels through which sparks (nitzotzos) of that aforementioned light can be revealed in the world.

Mitzvos are the vessels that let sparks of the hidden light shine out again for ordinary people.

וז"ש ויקחו אליך כמ"ש בגמ' קח לך כביכול משלך אני רוצה יותר.

And this is what it means, "and they shall take to you," as the Gemara says regarding "take for yourself" — as it were, Hashem says, "I desire more from what is yours."

"To you" points to Moshe: the light is drawn specifically through what is rooted in Moshe Rabbeinu.

כי למרע"ה הי' נגלה עצם האור.

For to Moshe Rabbeinu the essence of the light was revealed.

Moshe had direct access to the light in its essence.

ובבנ"י בא על ידי המצות.

And to Bnei Yisrael it comes by means of the mitzvos.

For the rest of Bnei Yisrael, that same light is accessed through performing mitzvos.

להעלות נר תמיד הוא הנקודה שמחדש בכל יום תמיד ממנה מעשה בראשית.

"To kindle a continual lamp" — this is the point from which He continually renews the act of Creation each day.

Lighting the menorah symbolizes drawing down the daily renewing point of light that sustains Creation.

לכן זה הי' עדות שהשכינה שורה בישראל.

Therefore this was a testimony that the Shechinah rests upon Yisrael.

The menorah served as proof that the Divine Presence dwells among Bnei Yisrael.

שע"י המצות שלהם מתגלה האור בעולם כנ"ל.

For through their mitzvos the light is revealed in the world, as above.

Their mitzvos are what cause the hidden light to shine into the world.

אך צריך להיות מכוון המצות כדי לעורר על ידי זה אור התורה.

However, the mitzvos must be directed with proper intent (kavanah), in order to awaken through them the light of the Torah.

A mitzvah only draws the light when it is performed with proper kavanah.

שהנר הוא רק כלי והכנה לקבל האור.

For the lamp is merely a vessel and a preparation to receive the light.

The mitzvah-act is only the container; the Torah's light is what fills it.

כענין ויקחו אליך.

This is the meaning of "and they shall take to you."

The "taking" is the act of preparing the vessel so the light can rest in it.

וכן ביטול הימי מעשה להשבת שהוא התגלות אור תורה כמ"ש בשבת יעשה כולו תורה.

So too the nullification (bittul) of the weekdays toward Shabbos, which is the revelation of the Torah's light, as it is said regarding Shabbos: "let it be made entirely Torah."

Just as a mitzvah submits to the light it carries, the weekdays are nullified toward Shabbos, when the Torah's light is openly revealed.

וחז"ל הקדימו פרשת זכור קודם פורים להקדים זכירה לעשי'.

And Chazal placed Parshas Zachor before Purim, to put remembrance (zechirah) before action (asiyah).

Reading Zachor first teaches that the inner act of remembering must precede physical action.

כי באמת עיקר כחו של עמלק הוא בבחי' העשי'.

For in truth the main power of Amalek is in the aspect of action (asiyah).

Amalek's grip is specifically over the realm of physical deeds.

כי הזכירה שהוא בחי' התורה בחי' נשמע.

For remembrance, which is the aspect of Torah, the aspect of "we will hear" (nishma) —

Zechirah corresponds to Torah and to "naaseh v'nishma" — the dimension of hearing and inner grasp.

בזה אין לו שום נגיעה.

— in this Amalek has no grip whatsoever.

Amalek can touch deeds, but has no hold on the inner Torah-dimension of remembrance.

לכן כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל.

Therefore, "when Moshe raised his hand, Yisrael prevailed." (Shemos 17:11)

Victory over Amalek came when Moshe lifted the nation toward the higher, inner dimension.

והתגברות כחו של מרע"ה הוא התורה.

And the strengthening of Moshe Rabbeinu's power is the Torah.

Moshe's strength is the strength of Torah — the dimension Amalek cannot reach.

רק בבחי' נעשה גרם עמלק כל הקלקולים ובימי הפורים נתקן העשיה ג"כ.

It is only in the aspect of "we will do" (naaseh) that Amalek caused all the damage, and in the days of Purim the realm of action too was repaired.

Amalek's damage was in the realm of action; Purim rectified even that realm.

לכן קבעו למשתה ושמחה.

Therefore they established it as a day of feasting and joy.

Because Purim repairs the physical realm, it is celebrated specifically through physical acts of feasting and gladness.

אבל צריך להיות עיקר המכוון בזכירה לבטל העשי' אל הזכירה כנ"ל:

But the main intent must be in the remembrance, to nullify the action toward the remembrance, as above.

Even on Purim, the physical celebration must remain subordinated (in bittul) to the inner remembrance of Torah.

Summary: A mitzvah is the "lamp" and the Torah is the "light" — the hidden light of Creation that was revealed at Sinai, withdrawn after the sin, and now drawn back into the world through mitzvos performed with proper kavanah. Just as the weekdays are nullified toward Shabbos and Amalek's hold (only over physical action) is broken by raising the deed toward the inner Torah-dimension of remembrance, so all avodah aims to make the physical vessel a fitting container for Hashem's light.