Soul-root, Torah, and Shabbos revelation

במדרש וידבר אלקים א"כ הדברים כו'.

In the Midrash on "And God spoke" (Shemos 20:1): if so, the words... etc.

The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash that derives a far-reaching idea from the way the Torah introduces the giving of the Aseres Hadibros.

מה שהנביאים עתידין להתנבאות הכל קיבלו מהר סיני.

Whatever the prophets were destined to prophesy, they all received at Har Sinai.

Every later prophecy was already contained within the revelation at Sinai; nothing new was added, only drawn out from that original source.

ביד מלאכי בימי מלאכי לא נאמר כו'.

"By the hand of Malachi" — "in the days of Malachi" is not stated.

The prophecy came "by the hand of" the navi, not merely "in his days," teaching that the content existed before him and was transmitted through him from Sinai.

אשר עמנו עומד היום אין כ'.

"Who stands with us here this day" — it does not write "stands."

The Torah says of the covenant (Devarim 29:14) that it includes those "not here with us this day," implying that even future souls who had no bodily "standing" were present at Sinai.

רק הנשמות שאין בהם עמידה כו' כי בוודאי לשמוע דבר ה' אינו בגוף רק בנשמה אכן אבותינו שעמדו על הר סיני נזדככו להיות כמלאכי השרת.

Only the souls, which have no "standing"... for surely to hear the word of Hashem is not with the body but with the neshamah; however, our forefathers who stood at Har Sinai were refined to become like the ministering angels.

Hearing Hashem's word is an act of the soul, not the body. At Sinai the souls of all generations were present, but our ancestors who physically stood there were so purified that even their bodies became angelic.

כדכ' אמרתי אלקים אתם.

As it is written: "I said, you are godly beings (elokim)" (Tehillim 82:6).

The generation of Sinai reached such elevation that they were called "elokim," angelic and divine-like.

לכן גם הגופות שלהם היו כנשמות.

Therefore even their bodies were like souls.

Their physical bodies were so refined that they took on the quality of pure neshamos.

אבל כל הדורות הנשמות שלהם היו במעמד הר סיני.

But as for all the generations, their souls were present at the standing of Har Sinai.

Even those not yet born participated at Sinai through their souls, which were all present at the revelation.

ולכן כפי שאדם זוכה לנשמה ולהארת הנשמה.

Therefore, to the degree that a person merits his neshamah and the illumination of the neshamah —

A person's access to Torah is proportional to how much he uncovers the light of his own soul, the soul that stood at Sinai.

כך זוכה לתורה.

— so does he merit Torah.

The more the neshamah shines within him, the more of the Torah's revelation he is able to receive.

ולכן איתא בש"ק יעשה כולו תורה כי הוא יומא דנשמתין ולאו דגופא.

Therefore it is taught regarding Shabbos Kodesh that one should make it entirely Torah, for it is "the day of souls and not of the body" (cf. Zohar).

Shabbos is a day of the neshamah rather than the body, and so it is especially fitting to devote it wholly to Torah, which is grasped through the soul.

ונשמה יתירה היורדת בש"ק נפתח ע"י שער התורה בש"ק.

And the neshamah yeseirah (additional soul) that descends on Shabbos Kodesh opens the gateway of Torah on Shabbos.

The extra soul of Shabbos unlocks a special "gate" through which the revelation of Torah pours in.

ומקריאת התורה בש"ק מוכח שיש התגלות התורה בש"ק.

And from the reading of the Torah on Shabbos Kodesh it is evident that there is a revelation of Torah on Shabbos.

The fact that we publicly read the Torah on Shabbos demonstrates that Shabbos itself is a time of renewed Torah revelation.

ובאמת שכפי העסק בתורה זוכין להתגלות הנשמה.

And in truth, according to one's involvement in Torah, one merits the revelation of the neshamah.

The relationship runs in both directions: toiling in Torah itself draws out and reveals the soul.

כמ"ש בזוה"ק ע"פ ישרצו המים שרץ נפש חיה.

As it is written in the Zohar HaKadosh on the verse "let the waters swarm with swarms of living souls (nefesh chayah)" (Bereishis 1:20).

The Zohar reads the "living soul" brought forth from the waters as an allusion to the soul that is drawn out through Torah, the "waters" of Torah.

וכמו כן לפי התגלות הנשמה זוכין לתורה.

And likewise, according to the revelation of the neshamah, one merits Torah.

And conversely, the more the soul is revealed, the more Torah one attains — the two continually elevate one another.

ושניהם אין להם סוף שיש נשמה לנשמה כו'.

And both have no end, for there is a soul within the soul (neshamah la-neshamah).

This mutual elevation is endless, because the soul contains ever-deeper inner layers — a neshamah within the neshamah without limit.

וכמו כן יש פנים לפנים במ"ט פנים לתורה.

And likewise there is "an inner face within the face" within the forty-nine faces (panim) of the Torah.

Just as the soul has infinite inner depths, the Torah has its "forty-nine faces," each opening onto still deeper inner faces without end.

ויש לכל איש ישראל חלק בתורה בשורש נשמתו.

And every Jew has a portion in the Torah, in the root of his soul.

Each individual neshamah is bound to a unique portion of Torah at its very root.

והנביאים התנבאו בכח שורש נשמתם למעלה.

And the prophets prophesied through the power of the root of their souls above.

A navi's prophecy flows from the upper root of his particular soul, the portion of revelation assigned to him from Sinai.

וז"ש ביד מלאכי כי יד הוא מקום.

And this is the meaning of "by the hand (yad) of Malachi," for "yad" denotes a place (makom).

The word "yad" signifies a specific place or station — the unique location of that prophet's soul-root.

כדאיתא בזוה"ק בהיכלות דפקודי ע"פ וידי אדם תחת כנפיהם.

As it is stated in the Zohar HaKadosh in the Heichalos of Parashas Pekudei, on the verse "and the hands of a man were beneath their wings" (Yechezkel 1:8).

The Zohar there explains that these "hands" represent designated places prepared above for human souls.

שהם מקומות מיוחדים לבני אדם.

That these are places designated for human beings.

Each person has a particular "place" above, the station of his soul's root.

וע"ז כ' וביד הנביאים אדמה.

And concerning this it is written: "and by the hand of the prophets I was likened (adameh)" (Hoshea 12:11).

Hashem reveals Himself "by the hand of" — that is, in the particular place of — each prophet's soul-root.

ובקבלת התורה הוכנו כל אלה המקומות.

And at Kabbalas HaTorah all these places were prepared.

At Sinai every soul's station was established, which is why all later prophecy was already "received from Har Sinai."

ובש"ק שמתעלין נפשות בנ"י אל השורש זוכין לתורה.

And on Shabbos Kodesh, when the souls of Bnei Yisrael are elevated to their root, they merit Torah.

Shabbos lifts each soul back to its root at Sinai, and from that root the revelation of Torah flows.

לכן מתפללין בתפילת שבת ותן חלקינו בתורתך.

Therefore we pray in the Shabbos prayer: "and grant us our portion in Your Torah."

On Shabbos we ask specifically for "our portion" — the share of Torah tied to the root of our soul.

והכל תלוי כפי היגיעה בימי המעשה להיות הכנת כל הימים רק לשבת.

And everything depends on the toil (yegiah) during the weekdays, that the preparation of all the days be only for Shabbos.

The Torah revelation of Shabbos is earned by the labor of the weekdays, when all of one's effort is directed toward preparing for Shabbos.

ויתכן לומר כמ"ש היו נכונים ליום השלישי.

And one may say, as it is written: "be ready for the third day" (Shemos 19:15).

Just as Bnei Yisrael prepared three days for Matan Torah, the same pattern recurs each week.

כמו כן כל הג' ימים דקמי שבתא הם להיות מוכן לקבלת התורה בש"ק.

So too, the three days before Shabbos are for becoming ready to receive the Torah on Shabbos Kodesh.

The three days leading into Shabbos parallel the three days of preparation before Sinai, readying a person to receive Torah anew each Shabbos.

והג' ימים דבתר שבתא להכניס הארת השבת בכל המעשים שבחול:

And the three days after Shabbos are to bring the illumination of Shabbos into all the deeds of the weekdays.

The three days following Shabbos carry its light forward, infusing the mundane weekday acts with the holiness drawn down on Shabbos.

Summary: All prophecy was already received at Sinai, where the souls of every generation were present even though only those physically standing there were refined to be like angels. Torah is grasped through the neshamah, so the more a person reveals his soul's light, the more Torah he merits — and the relationship is endless, for there is "a soul within the soul" matching the infinite inner faces of Torah. Each Jew has a Torah portion rooted in his soul's unique "place," prepared at Sinai. Shabbos, the day of the soul, lifts each soul back to that root and reopens the gate of Torah — earned by the weekday toil, with three days preparing for Shabbos and three days carrying its light back into the week.