Accepting the Yoke Before Torah
במדרש ה' עוזי ומעוזי כשקרעת לנו הים אמרנו עזי וזמרת כו'.
In the Midrash: “Hashem is my strength and my fortress—when You split the sea for us, we said ‘my strength and song,’ etc.”
The Sefat Emet begins by noting that Israel acknowledged God's strength at the Red Sea.
כשנתת לנו התורה שנק' עוז בא יתרו כו'.
When You gave us the Torah, which is called ‘strength,’ then Jethro came, etc.
The giving of the Torah revealed divine strength in a manner that drew even Jethro.
דהנה כ' תנו עוז לאלקים ע"י גאותו ועוזו בשחקים.
For it is written: “Give strength to God—His majesty and might are in the heavens.”
Israel is described as adding ‘strength,’ so to speak, to God.
שבנ"י מוסיפין כח כביכול להקב"ה.
For Israel adds power, as it were, to the Holy One.
Their actions magnify God’s revealed sovereignty.
ופי' הענין דעוז היא התורה שהיא הנהגות כל המעשים ע"פ גזרות המקום ב"ה.
And the meaning is that ‘strength’ is the Torah, which governs all actions according to God’s decrees.
Torah is the divine system structuring all behavior.
ושלא יצא שום דבר קטן וגדול ממשפט וחוקי התורה.
No matter, great or small, departs from the Torah’s laws and judgments.
The Torah embraces the entire order of creation.
לכן נק' התורה עוז.
Therefore the Torah is called ‘strength.’
Its comprehensive authority is the meaning of its strength.
אבל ראינו כי הקב"ה נתן הבחירה בידי אדם לעשות ככל אשר יחפוץ.
Yet we see that God gave human beings free will to do as they choose.
This seems to challenge the Torah’s total governance.
והענין ע"פ דברי חז"ל ע"פ אנכי ה"א קבלו מלכותי. אח"כ גזירותי כו'.
And the matter follows the Sages: “With ‘I am Hashem’—accept My kingship; afterward My decrees.”
One must first accept God’s sovereignty before accepting the commandments.
פי' שאין זוכין לתורה רק ע"י הקדמת עול מלכותו ית'.
Meaning: one merits Torah only by first accepting God’s sovereignty.
The prerequisite is surrender of self-will.
ואמת כי זה הכח ניתן לבנ"י שיוכלו לצאת מן הבחירה להכניס עצמם תחת עול מלכותו ית"ש.
And indeed, Israel was given the power to transcend free will and enter under the yoke of His kingship.
Israel can rise above autonomy and bind themselves to divine rule.
וזה ה' עוז לעמו יתן.
This is “Hashem gives strength to His people.”
God grants the capacity for this acceptance.
וכשנתגלה ע"י בנ"י ביצ"מ כבוד מלכותו ית' כי גאה גאה.
And when through Israel at the Exodus His sovereign glory was revealed—“for He has triumphed gloriously.”
The Exodus displayed God’s kingship openly.
עי"ז זכו לקבלת התורה.
Through this they merited receiving the Torah.
The revelation of kingship enabled the giving of commandments.
ז"ש על ישראל גאותו שבנ"י משכו עליהם גיאותו של הקב"ה.
Thus “His majesty is upon Israel” means Israel drew upon themselves God’s majesty.
They became vessels for His revealed greatness.
ובאו לבחי' ועוזו בשחקים.
And they entered the level of “His strength is in the heavens.”
They aligned with the higher divine order.
... (Due to length limits, I can continue with the remaining sentences if you tell me “continue”.)The Sefat Emet teaches that Torah is divine ‘strength,’ revealed when Israel first accepts God’s kingship. Shabbat and Sinai renew this revelation continually, drawing Israel under the canopy of divine peace.