Redeeming the Torah's captive light

במדרש עלית למרום שבית שבי כו'.

In the Midrash on "You ascended on high, You took captives" (Tehillim 68:19).

The Sefas Emes opens with the pasuk Chazal apply to Moshe Rabbeinu ascending to receive the Torah, "taking captive" the Torah from on high.

נק' התורה שבי כי התלבשות אור התורה במעשי המצות כמו שהם בעוה"ז.

The Torah is called "captive" because the clothing of the Torah's light in the physical acts of the mitzvos, as they exist in this world,

The Torah's light is described as a "captive" because in olam hazeh it is dressed up inside the material deeds of the mitzvos.

הוא כמו בשבי'.

is like being in captivity.

The luminous inner Torah is, as it were, imprisoned within the outer physical garment of the mitzvah.

אבל הוא מתנות באדם.

But it is "gifts among men" (Tehillim 68:19).

Yet this very "captivity" was given as a gift to mankind — the means by which a person can reach the Torah's light.

כי בכח איש ישראל בעוסקו בתורה ומצות לעורר פנימיות התורה.

For it is in the power of a Jew, through his engagement in Torah and mitzvos, to awaken the penimiyus (inner dimension) of the Torah.

By learning Torah and doing mitzvos, a Jew can free the captive light and arouse the Torah's hidden inner core.

ולכן איתא אוי לבריות מעלבונה של תורה.

Therefore it is taught, "Woe to the creatures because of the insult to the Torah" (Avos 6:2).

Neglecting Torah is an "insult" to it, because it leaves the Torah's light trapped and unredeemed.

שכשאין עוסקין בתורה.

For when people do not engage in Torah,

When the Torah is left unstudied,

אין האור נגלה ונכסה במלבוש החיצון.

the light is not revealed, and it remains concealed within the outer garment.

The inner light stays hidden inside its physical clothing, never brought to the surface.

כמ"ש אשה יפה וסרת טעם.

As it is written, "a beautiful woman who turns aside from good sense" (Mishlei 11:22).

The Torah is compared to a beautiful form whose true inner taste and reason stay concealed when it is not properly engaged.

וכמו כן העוסק בתורה הוא בן חורין כמ"ש במ"א הפי' בזה.

And likewise, one who engages in Torah is a free man, as is explained elsewhere.

Just as Torah-study frees the captive light, it makes the one who studies a free man — released from the constraints of the material self (cherus, freedom).

וז"ש במדרש משפטים בפסוק וכי ימכור איש כו' בתו כו' בת יחידה הי' לי ומכרתי' לכם שאין אתם מוציאין אותה אלא חבושה בארון כו' ע"ש.

This is what the Midrash says on Parshas Mishpatim, on the verse "And if a man sells... his daughter..." (Shemos 21:7): "I had an only daughter and I sold her to you — yet you may not take her out except confined in the Aron (Ark)," see there.

The Midrash pictures the Torah as Hashem's "only daughter," given to Yisrael but to be kept "confined in the Aron" — hinting that her light is clothed and contained.

הרמז על התלבשות אותיות התורה במעשה מצות גשמיות.

The hint is to the clothing of the letters of the Torah within the physical performance of mitzvos.

The "daughter confined in the Aron" represents the letters of the Torah dressed inside material mitzvah-acts.

וכמו כן בכל איש ישראל יש אותיות התורה כלולים בנשמתו.

And likewise, within every Jew there are letters of the Torah included in his neshamah.

The same letters of the Torah are embedded within each Jew's soul.

וכשאדם זוכה לתקן כל הגוף אחר הארת אותיות הנ"ל.

And when a person merits to rectify his entire body in accordance with the illumination of these letters,

When a person aligns his whole body with the light of those soul-letters,

אז נק' לו יעדה.

then it is called of him, "he has designated her" (Shemos 21:8).

Such a person "betroths" the Torah to himself — the inner light is properly joined to him.

ואם תערובת הרע בגופו אשר לא יעדה.

But if there is an admixture of evil in his body — "that he did not designate her" (Shemos 21:8) —

If evil is still mingled in his body, he has not fully "designated" the Torah-light.

עכ"פ צריך לשמור שלא לפגום הארת הנפש ונשמה.

he must at least take care not to blemish the illumination of his nefesh and neshamah.

Even so, his minimum obligation is to guard the soul's light from damage.

לעם נכרי לא כו' למכרה בבגדו בה.

"To a foreign people he shall have no power to sell her, since he has dealt deceitfully with her (b'vigdo bah)" (Shemos 21:8).

The light must not be handed over to an "alien" force; it is forbidden to betray it through the "garment" of the body.

פי' במה שנתלבשו האותיות במלבוש הגוף.

The explanation: in that the letters were clothed in the garment of the body.

"B'vigdo" (in his dealing/garment) hints that the soul-letters are dressed within the body's garment, which must not be allowed to betray them.

והפדה. זה בפרט כל איש ישראל.

"And he shall redeem her" (Shemos 21:8) — this applies to each individual Jew.

Every Jew, on the personal level, is charged to "redeem" the captive Torah-light within himself.

ובכלל ישראל צריכין לראות להוציא מכח אל הפועל פנימיות התורה להוציא חמה מנרתיקה.

And collectively, Yisrael must see to bring the penimiyus of the Torah from potential into actuality, to "draw the sun out of its sheath."

On the national level, Yisrael's task is to release the Torah's inner light fully into the open — like the blazing sun taken out of its protective covering.

ואם לאו נקראת חבושה בארון.

And if not, she is called "confined in the Aron."

If the inner light is not drawn out, the Torah remains, as it were, locked away in the Ark.

וקרי עלה כי ימכור כו':

And of her it is read, "if a man sells..." (Shemos 21:7).

Then the verse of the "sold daughter" applies — the Torah's light remains in its captive, clothed state, awaiting redemption.

Summary: The Torah's light is "taken captive" by being clothed in the physical acts of mitzvos and in the soul of every Jew, like Hashem's only daughter kept "confined in the Aron." It is a Jew's task — both individually and as a nation — to redeem and reveal this penimiyus through Torah and mitzvos, drawing the inner light out of its garment "like the sun from its sheath." One who rectifies his whole body "designates" the Torah to himself; failing that, he must at least guard the soul's light from being blemished or betrayed.