Acharei Mot
אחרי מותThe Yom Kippur Service
17 translated essays · 38 total
תרל"ב(1871)
Mitzvos as acceptance of Hashem's kingship and source of life· Essay 1
In Rashi and the Midrash: "You accepted My kingship, accept My decrees, etc." Rashi and the Midrash teach that since Bnei Yisrael accepted Hashem's sovereignty (at Sinai, "I am Hashem"), they must now accept His decrees — His mitzvos. And l…
The true reward is bittul to Hashem· Essay 2
"Which a man shall do, and live by them" (Vayikra 18:5). The Sefas Emes opens with the pasuk that promises "vachai bahem" — that one lives through the mitzvos — which he will interpret as a description of the true reward of a mitzvah. Altho…
Acharei Mot תרל"ב
When performing any mitzvah there are 2 different drives and reasons to do it 1) The reason why HaShem commanded us to do them, and 2) fulfilling the will of HaShem who commanded us to do the mitzvot. The Sfas Emes proves that it is really …
Acharei Mot תרל"ב
תרל”ב ברש”י ומד’ קבלתם מלכותי קבלו גזירותי כו’. Rashi on the pasuk (Vayikra 18:2) “I am HaShem your G-d, whose Kingship you accepted, now accept my decrees” וכן בגמ’ לקבל עול מ”ש תחילה כו’. So too (…
תרלב(1871)
תרל"ה(1874)
The inner point that sanctifies every deed· Essay 1
"Like the practice of the land of Mitzrayim... and like the practice of the land of Canaan... you shall not do, and in their statutes you shall not walk; My ordinances you shall do... which a man shall do and live by them" (Vayikra 18:3-5).…
Olam shanah nefesh hinge on man· Essay 2
In the Mishnah (Avos 1:14): "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" The Sefas Emes brings Hillel's well-known three-part teaching as the basis for his exposition. The explanat…
Acharei Mot תרל"ה
תרל”ה כמעשה א”מ כו’ וכמעשה ארץ כנען כו’ לא תעשו ובחקותיהם לא תלכו את משפטי תעשו כו’ אשר יעשה אותם כו’ וחי בהם. “The actions of the Egyptian and the Canaanites you shall not do, and you shall not follow th…
תרל"ו(1875)
תרל"ח(1877)
Sanctifying mundane action like a rose· Essay 2
On the pasuk "like the deeds of the land of Egypt," etc. The Sefas Emes examines the verse warning Bnei Yisrael not to act like the people of Egypt and Canaan. It does not write "the deeds" but "like the deeds." The Torah's precise wording …
All-inclusive mitzvos as bundles of avodah· Essay 3
In the Midrash: "With this shall Aharon come [into the Kodesh]" (Vayikra 16:3) — "by stratagems shall you wage your war" (Mishlei 24:6) — a "bundle" (chavilah) of mitzvos, etc. The Sefas Emes cites the Midrash that links Aharon's entry into…
Korban binds creation to its root through bittul· Essay 4
And in the Midrash, regarding shechutei chutz (slaughtering offerings outside [the Sanctuary]): "And the advantage of a land is in everything (b'kol)," etc. — even things that appear superfluous, etc. The Midrash, discussing the prohibition…
תרל"ט(1878)
תרמ"א(1880)
תרמ"ב(1881)
Refining character before receiving the Torah· Essay 1
"Like the practice of the land of Mitzrayim… do not do; and My statutes you shall perform, etc." (Vayikra 18:3-4). The parsha opens by warning Bnei Yisrael not to imitate the corrupt practices of Mitzrayim and Canaan, and to keep Hashem's m…
Living Through Mitzvos Without Death· Essay 2
On the pasuk "which a person shall do and live by them" (Vayikra 18:5). The Sefas Emes examines the Torah's promise that one who performs the mitzvos will "live by them," and the various ways the commentators understand that "life." Rashi w…
Undated
21 more essays from this section await translation.