Connecting creation to its root through avodah

במדרש למעשה ידיך תכסוף ע"ש כי כל מעשה המשכן וכליו הכל לחבר התחתונים לשורש שלמעלה שזה רצונו יתברך.

In the Midrash on the pasuk "You shall long for the work of Your hands" (Iyov 14:15) — see there — for all the construction of the Mishkan and its vessels is entirely to connect the lower worlds to their root above, which is the ratzon Hashem (will of Hashem).

The Sefas Emes opens by teaching that the entire purpose of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) is to link the physical, lower world back to its spiritual source on high — and this connection is precisely what Hashem desires.

שימצא כל א' מקומו ושורשו.

That each one should find its place and its root.

Every created thing has a designated place and a spiritual root; the Mishkan enables each to return and reconnect to where it truly belongs.

וזהו גמר מעשה ידיו של הקב"ה.

And this is the completion of the handiwork of the Kadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, blessed is He).

This act of reconnecting everything to its root is what brings Hashem's creation to its true and final completion.

וזה ג"כ תכלית כל המצות שמחברין את האדם לשורש נשמתו.

And this is also the purpose of all the mitzvos (commandments), for they connect a person to the root of his neshamah (soul).

Just as the Mishkan connects the world to its root, every mitzvah a person performs connects him back to the source of his soul above.

ואיתא שלכן נתן הקב"ה לבנ"י מצות להרויח להם עוה"ב בשכר מעשיהם.

And it is stated that for this reason the Kadosh Baruch Hu gave Bnei Yisrael mitzvos, so that they should earn olam haba (the World to Come) as reward for their deeds.

Hashem gave us mitzvos not because He needs anything, but so that we ourselves should actively earn our share in the next world through our own actions.

דמאן דאכיל דלאו דילי' בהית לאיסתכולי באפי'.

For whoever eats that which is not his own is ashamed to look upon the face [of the one who gave it to him].

This Aramaic maamar Chazal teaches that a person who receives something he did not earn feels shame — this is nahama dechisufa, "bread of shame."

והקב"ה רוצה שיקחו בנ"י את שלהם בסבר פנים יפות.

And the Kadosh Baruch Hu desires that Bnei Yisrael take what is theirs with a cheerful countenance.

Hashem wants us to receive our reward as something genuinely earned and rightfully ours, so we can accept it joyfully and without any embarrassment.

וצריכין להבין הלא בודאי הכל של הקב"ה.

But we must understand: surely everything belongs to the Kadosh Baruch Hu.

The Sefas Emes raises a difficulty: since everything in existence ultimately belongs to Hashem, how can anything truly be called "our own"?

והכל אוכלין משולחנו של מקום.

And everyone eats from the table of the Omnipresent.

Every creature is sustained entirely by Hashem; no one provides for himself independently of the Borei (Creator).

א"כ מה הכוונה באומרם דאכיל דלאו דילי'.

If so, what is meant by their saying "whoever eats that which is not his own"?

Given that all sustenance comes from Hashem, the term "that which is not his own" needs explanation — what could it possibly refer to?

רק הפי' שאם זוכה האדם לאכול השייך לי כפי מה שהי' כוונתו ית' שיוכל לקבל השייך לו.

Rather, the meaning is that if a person merits to eat that which is fitting for him, in accordance with what was the intention of Hashem that he be able to receive what belongs to him —

The resolution is that "his own" means receiving exactly the portion Hashem intended for him, in the way Hashem designed it to be received — through his own avodah.

אז אין לו בושת.

— then he has no shame.

When a person receives precisely what Hashem destined for him through his own deeds, there is no embarrassment, because it is genuinely his.

כי בוודאי הנברא מקבל חיות מהבורא.

For certainly the created being receives its vitality from the Creator.

It is obvious that all life-force flows from Hashem to the creature — the question of "shame" was never about denying that.

אבל הרשעים נאמר עליהם גוזל אביו ואמו כו'.

But concerning the resha'im (wicked) it is said: "He robs his father and his mother" (Mishlei 28:24), etc.

The wicked, by contrast, take vitality that was never intended for them — like a thief — and so they are compared to one who robs his own parents.

ואוכלין מה שאינו שייך להם.

And they eat that which does not belong to them.

The resha'im consume a flow of sustenance to which they have no rightful claim — this is the true meaning of eating "that which is not one's own," and the source of nahama dechisufa.

ועל ידי תורה ומצות מקבלין בני ישראל כפי השורש השייך להם.

And through Torah and mitzvos, Bnei Yisrael receive according to the root that belongs to them.

By learning Torah and performing mitzvos, Bnei Yisrael draw down exactly the portion that corresponds to their spiritual root — making it truly and rightfully theirs.

וזהו למעשה ידיך תכסוף.

And this is [the meaning of] "You shall long for the work of Your hands."

This is why Hashem "longs" for the work of His hands: He desires that His creations, through their own avodah, become fitting vessels to receive what is rightfully theirs.

וע"י עבודת בנ"י במשכן ובהמ"ק הי' נמשך השפע מלמעלה כפי הכנתם ועבודתם.

And through the avodah of Bnei Yisrael in the Mishkan and the Bais Hamikdash, the shefa (flow of blessing) was drawn down from above in accordance with their preparation and their service.

The service in the Mishkan and Bais Hamikdash (Holy Temple) functioned as the channel through which Bnei Yisrael earned and received Divine abundance, measured precisely by their own readiness and effort.

וכ' ונשא אהרן כו' משפט בני ישראל על לבו.

And it is written: "And Aharon shall bear... the judgment of Bnei Yisrael upon his heart" (Shemos 28:30).

The Torah describes Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, carrying the "mishpat" (judgment) of Bnei Yisrael upon his heart through the Choshen, the breastplate.

שזה ענין חושן המשפט שמשפט כל העולם נמסר ביד בנ"י.

For this is the matter of the Choshen Mishpat (the Breastplate of Judgment) — that the judgment of the entire world is handed over into the hands of Bnei Yisrael.

The Choshen is called the "breastplate of judgment" because, through it, the fate and judgment of the whole world is entrusted to Bnei Yisrael and their avodah.

וכפי מעשיהם כך האירו האותיות שבחושן ואפוד.

And according to their deeds, so did the letters in the Choshen and the Eifod (Ephod) shine.

The luminous response of the letters on the Choshen and Eifod (the priestly apron) depended directly on the deeds of Bnei Yisrael — their actions determined what light radiated through it.

וכך נתברך העולם כפי משפט בני ישראל.

And so the world was blessed according to the judgment of Bnei Yisrael.

The measure of blessing that flows into the entire world is determined by the spiritual standing and deeds of Bnei Yisrael — they carry the "mishpat" of all creation.

וכמ"ש ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם:

As it is written: "And these are the mishpatim (ordinances) which you shall place before them" (Shemos 21:1).

The Sefas Emes hints that this same theme of "mishpat" — Bnei Yisrael bearing the judgment of the world — is rooted in the Torah's ordinances given to them to uphold.

Summary: The Mishkan, the Bais Hamikdash, and all the mitzvos share one purpose — to connect the lower world and each person back to their root above. Hashem gave Bnei Yisrael mitzvos so that they could actively earn their reward and receive it as rightfully their own, free of the "bread of shame" felt by one who takes what he has not earned. Through Torah, avodah, and the Choshen Mishpat that Aharon bore upon his heart, Bnei Yisrael draw down the shefa and carry the judgment of the entire world, which is blessed in accordance with their deeds.