Shabbos, bris, and blotting out Amalek

והנה השבת סהדותא איקרי.

Now, Shabbos is called "testimony" (sahadusa).

The Sefas Emes opens with the teaching that Shabbos bears the name "testimony," for keeping Shabbos bears witness that Hashem created the world.

והוא בחי' יוסף דכ' עדות ביהוסף שמו.

And it is the aspect of Yosef, as it is written: "He appointed it as a testimony in Yehosef (Yosef)."

This dimension of testimony is linked to Yosef HaTzaddik, whose very name the pasuk associates with "edus" (testimony).

דכ' אתם עדי נאום ה'.

For it is written: "You are My witnesses, says Hashem."

Bnei Yisrael themselves are called Hashem's witnesses, testifying to His existence and oneness.

וזה העדות אינו באמירה בלבד.

And this testimony is not through speech alone.

The witnessing of Bnei Yisrael is not merely a verbal declaration about Hashem.

אבל בנ"י בעצמותם הם עדים על הקב"ה.

Rather, Bnei Yisrael in their very essence are witnesses to Hashem.

By their very being — the form and holiness imprinted in them — Bnei Yisrael serve as living testimony to the Creator.

ואיתא בזוה"ק פרשה זו כי עשרת הדיברות מול עשרה מאמרות.

And it is brought in the Zohar HaKadosh on this parshah that the Ten Commandments correspond to the Ten Utterances (of Creation).

The Zohar teaches a parallel: each of the Aseres HaDibros mirrors one of the Asarah Ma'amaros by which the world was created.

ודיבור לא תענה ברעך עד שקר מול נעשה אדם בצלמינו ע"ש.

And the commandment "you shall not bear false witness against your fellow" corresponds to "let us make man in our image" — see there.

Specifically, the prohibition of false testimony aligns with the utterance "na'aseh adam betzalmeinu" — the creation of man in the Divine "image."

ויתכן לפרש כי כפי תיקון האדם.

And it is possible to explain that according to a person's rectification.

The Sefas Emes offers an explanation of that correspondence: it depends on the degree to which a person perfects himself.

משלים הצורה.

He completes the form (tzurah).

As a person refines himself, he brings to completion the Divine "form" — the tzelem Elokim — that was intended in his creation.

שעליו נאמר בצלמינו.

Concerning which it was said, "in our image."

That completed form is the realization of "betzalmeinu," the image in which man was created.

ואז הוא עד על הבורא.

And then he is a witness to the Creator.

Only when a person fulfills the Divine form within him does he truly become a witness to Hashem — his very being attests to its Maker.

ולכן כתיב לא תענה ברעך עד שקר.

And therefore it is written, "you shall not bear false witness against your fellow."

This is why false testimony corresponds to "in our image": to corrupt the Divine form is to become a "false witness," distorting the very testimony man is meant to embody.

להיות השתנות הצורה.

For it brings about a change of the form.

Falsehood and sin alter and deface the Divine tzurah, the opposite of completing it — making one a "false" rather than a true witness.

וזה העדות הוא בכח המילה.

And this testimony is through the power of the milah (circumcision).

The power that lets Bnei Yisrael bear this testimony comes through the bris milah, which imprints the Divine sign upon them.

שבזה נשתנו ונבדלו צורות בנ"י.

For through it the forms of Bnei Yisrael were changed and set apart.

The bris milah transformed and distinguished the very "form" of Bnei Yisrael, marking them as separate and holy.

והוא אות יו"ד באיש וה' באשה וזהו עדות ביהוסף שמו וכפי שמירת הברית כך נגמר הצורה.

And this is the letter yud in the man and the hei in the woman — and this is "He appointed it as a testimony in Yehosef" — and according to the guarding of the bris, so the form is completed.

The bris places the letter yud upon the man (in milah) and the hei upon the woman, together forming a Name of Hashem within Bnei Yisrael; this is the "testimony in Yehosef." The more one guards the bris (shemiras habris), the more fully the Divine form is completed.

וברית זה משנה צורת האדם.

And this bris changes the form of the person.

The covenant of milah transforms a person's essential form, elevating it toward the Divine image.

וכמו שהשבת נותן הארה לכל הימים.

And just as Shabbos gives illumination to all the days.

Shabbos radiates its light into all six weekdays, infusing them with its kedushah.

כן הברית מאיר כל פני האדם.

So too the bris illuminates the entire face (countenance) of the person.

Likewise the bris milah sheds light upon the whole person — its holiness radiates outward to illuminate all of him, just as Shabbos illuminates the week.

וז"ש חז"ל שאין הכסא שלם עד שימחה זרע עמלק.

And this is the meaning of what Chazal said: the Throne is not complete until the seed of Amalek is blotted out.

Chazal teach that the Kisei HaKavod (the Divine Throne) remains "incomplete" so long as Amalek's offspring endure.

כי צורת יעקב חקוקה תחת כסה"כ.

For the form of Yaakov is engraved beneath the Throne of Glory.

The "form" of Yaakov — the perfected tzelem of Bnei Yisrael — is engraved beneath the Kisei HaKavod, so its completion and the completeness of the Throne are bound together.

ובכח ברית מילה נגמר זו הצורה.

And through the power of the bris milah this form is completed.

It is the bris milah that perfects this engraved form of Yaakov, and thereby brings the Throne toward its completeness.

וכמו שכל בנ"י כל עבודתם לתקן ולהוציא צורה זו הפנימיות מכח אל הפועל.

And just as the entire avodah of Bnei Yisrael is to rectify and to bring this inner form out from potential into actuality.

The whole task of Klal Yisrael is to actualize this hidden inner tzurah — the penimiyus, the holy inner point — drawing it from potential into full reality through their avodah.

כך אותו רשע עמלק ימ"ש עומד להלחם ולבטל צורה ועדות זה.

So too that wicked one, Amalek — may his name be erased — stands to wage war and to nullify this form and this testimony.

Opposite this avodah stands Amalek, whose entire mission is to fight against and undo this Divine form and the testimony it bears to Hashem.

וכמו שיוסף הצדיק הי' עיקר תולדות יעקב שהוא כלל כל השבטים.

And just as Yosef HaTzaddik was the essence of the offspring of Yaakov, who comprises all the tribes.

Yosef is "eleh toldos Yaakov" — the principal of Yaakov's descendants, encompassing and representing all the shevatim.

והוא למעלה מהם כידוע שהגם שהוא בתוכם מ"מ מעלה כל השבטים לשורש העליון.

And he is above them, as is known — for although he is among them, nevertheless he elevates all the tribes to the supernal root.

Though Yosef is one of the brothers, he stands above them and serves as the channel that raises all the shevatim up to their lofty spiritual root.

כמו כן זה לעומת זה עמלק עיקר תולדות עשו.

Correspondingly, "this opposite that," Amalek is the essence of the offspring of Esav.

By the principle of "zeh le'umas zeh" (this set against that), Amalek is the mirror-opposite of Yosef — the core of Esav's descendants.

והגם שהוא תוך אלופי אדום אבל הוא עיקר כח עשו בשורשו.

And although he is among the chieftains of Edom, yet he is the essential power of Esav at his root.

Just as Yosef is one of yet above the brothers, Amalek is listed among Edom's chiefs yet embodies the root-power of Esav's impurity.

ולכן כמו בחי' השבת שהוא בחי' יוסף נק' לחם משנה כמ"ש במ"א שכולל לחם מן השמים ומן הארץ.

Therefore, just as the aspect of Shabbos — which is the aspect of Yosef — is called "lechem mishneh" (double bread), as written elsewhere, for it includes bread from heaven and bread from earth.

Shabbos, corresponding to Yosef, is marked by lechem mishneh — a doubling that unites the heavenly bread (the mahn) and earthly bread, signifying abundance and fullness.

וכל מעשה שבת כפולים כדאיתא במדרש.

And all the doings of Shabbos are doubled, as it is brought in the Midrash.

The Midrash notes that everything of Shabbos comes in a doubled measure — its bread, its sacrifices, its very name (zachor and shamor) — a sign of its fullness.

וזהו בחי' שולחן מלא.

And this is the aspect of a "full table."

This doubling expresses the "full table" — overflowing abundance and blessing, the hallmark of Yosef and of Shabbos.

כמו כן להיפוך בעמלק כתיב מחה אמחה.

Correspondingly, in the opposite direction, regarding Amalek it is written "I shall surely blot out" (machoh emcheh — a doubled expression).

As the mirror-opposite of Yosef's doubling toward fullness, Amalek's doubling is one of erasure — "machoh emcheh," a double expression of blotting out.

וכל מפלת המן בבחי' משנה כמ"ש במ"א בשם אמו"ז ז"ל במ"ש לשנותה ביום.

And the entire downfall of Haman is in the aspect of "doubling," as written elsewhere in the name of my grandfather, of blessed memory, regarding what is written "to do it (l'shanosah) on the day."

The Sefas Emes notes, citing his grandfather, that Haman's downfall too came in a pattern of "doubling" — the word "l'shanosah" hints at this — but here the doubling works against Amalek's side, turning to his ruin.

וכ"כ ומחר אעשה כדבר המלך.

And so too it is written, "and tomorrow I will do as the king has said."

Another instance of this "morrow"/doubling motif surrounding the events of Amalek's defeat in the Megillah.

וכ"כ בדוד כשנלחם עם עמלק בנשף למחרתם.

And so too it is written concerning David, when he fought with Amalek, "at twilight until their morrow."

When David battled Amalek, the verse again invokes the "morrow" — the same pattern of a doubled, two-stage motion against Amalek.

וכ"כ במשה רבינו מחר אנכי נצב כו' עכ"ד ז"ל.

And so too it is written concerning Moshe Rabbeinu, "tomorrow I will stand…" — these are the words of [my grandfather], of blessed memory.

At the war with Amalek in the wilderness, Moshe too said "machar" — "tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop." In every battle against Amalek the motif of "the morrow"/doubling recurs; so concludes the grandfather's teaching.

והוא כמ"ש שהוא היפוך מבחי' יוסף והוא שולחן ריקה למעלה ולמטה.

And this is as said, that he is the opposite of the aspect of Yosef, and he is an "empty table," above and below.

Amalek is the inverse of Yosef's "full table" — he represents an "empty table," a force of barrenness and lack, both in the upper worlds and in this world.

וכמו שלוחם למטה עם בנ"י.

And just as he wages war below with Bnei Yisrael.

Just as Amalek physically attacks Bnei Yisrael in this world.

כך למעלה יש לו קליפה שמכסה שאין אור נשמתן של ישראל יכול להאיר בשלימות עד שימחה שמו.

So too above he has a klipah that covers, so that the light of the soul of Yisrael cannot shine in completeness until his name is blotted out.

On high, Amalek is a concealing klipah that blocks the neshamah-light of Klal Yisrael from shining fully; only when his name is erased can that light radiate completely.

ואז יתקיים ולא יכנף עוד מוריך.

And then will be fulfilled, "and your Teacher will no longer be hidden away."

With Amalek's covering removed, the pasuk's promise is realized — the Divine light, "your Teacher," will no longer be concealed but will shine openly.

ולכן כל אחד צריך להיות שונא לעמלק.

Therefore everyone must be a hater of Amalek.

Because Amalek obstructs the very light of the neshamah, each person is obligated to hate him with a personal hatred.

שכל מה שקשה לתקן שמירת הברית כראוי.

For all that makes it hard to properly fulfill the guarding of the bris.

Every inner difficulty one faces in keeping shemiras habris as it should be kept.

הכל בכח אותו הרשע ימ"ש.

Is all through the power of that wicked one — may his name be erased.

The struggles that hinder a person from guarding the bris all stem from the spiritual force of Amalek, who wars against this very tikkun.

לכן תקנו זכירת עמלק בשבת:

Therefore they established the remembrance of Amalek on Shabbos.

Since Shabbos and the bris both express the perfected Divine "form" and "testimony" that Amalek seeks to nullify, Chazal fittingly instituted the reading of Zachor — the remembrance to blot out Amalek — in connection with Shabbos.

Summary: Shabbos is "testimony," and Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's living witnesses through the Divine form (tzelem) imprinted in them — completed by the bris milah and by guarding the bris, just as Shabbos illuminates all the days. This form of Yaakov is engraved beneath the Throne, which stays incomplete until Amalek is erased. Yosef, who unifies and elevates all the tribes (the "full table" / lechem mishneh of Shabbos), has Amalek as his exact opposite — the root of Esav, the "empty table," whose downfall comes through doubled measures of erasure. Amalek is the klipah blocking Yisrael's soul-light and the very force that makes guarding the bris difficult; therefore the remembrance to blot him out is tied to Shabbos.