Two divine utterances joined by the Kohanim

במד' יום ליום י"א כו'.

In the Midrash on "day to day utters speech, etc." (Tehillim 19:3).

The Sefas Emes builds this piece on the verse "day to day expresses speech, and night to night relates knowledge."

כבר כ' במ"א ב' האמירות כח הצימצום להתפשט מאמר הש"י לתחתונים כמ"ש למעלה אין אומר כו'.

I have already written elsewhere about the two "utterances": the power of tzimtzum (contraction) for Hashem's word to extend down to the lower beings — as it is written above, "there is no speech (and there are no words, their voice is not heard), etc." (Tehillim 19:4).

There are two modes of divine "speech." The first is Hashem contracting His infinite light so His word can reach the lower world, a hidden utterance with "no audible speech."

שהוא בלי השגה והוא בחי' תורה שבכתב שהש"י בטובו גנז אורות עליונות באלה האותיות.

This is beyond comprehension, and it is the aspect of Torah she'biksav (the Written Torah), in which Hashem, in His goodness, concealed supernal lights within these letters.

The Written Torah corresponds to this first utterance: lofty, incomprehensible lights hidden by Hashem inside its very letters.

והב' הוא התקרבות התחתונים לקבל הארות הנ"ל בחי' תושבע"פ.

And the second is the drawing-near of the lower beings to receive the aforementioned illuminations — the aspect of Torah she'baal peh (the Oral Torah).

The second utterance is the upward effort of the lower world to receive and unfold those hidden lights, corresponding to the Oral Torah.

ובחי' א' יום ליום יביע שהוא המשכות מדרגות זו אחר זו עד שבאין לזה העולם ובבחי' זו הש"י מחדש בטובו בכ"י מ"ב.

And the first aspect is "day to day utters speech," which is the drawing-down of levels one after another until they reach this world; and in this aspect Hashem "renews in His goodness each day the work of Creation."

"Day to day" describes the downward flow — light passing from level to level until it reaches our world, the constant renewal of Creation from Above.

והב' ולילה ללילה יחוה דעת בחי' עבודת התחתונים בעולם השפל ובכח עבודתם מבררין ההארות.

And the second, "night to night relates knowledge," is the aspect of the avodah of the lower beings in the lowly world; and through the power of their avodah they refine the illuminations.

"Night to night" is the work done in the darkness of this lowly world, where human avodah clarifies and reveals the hidden lights.

וז"ש יחוה דעת כמ"ש שהצדיקים מקיימין העולם שנברא בע"מ שמעידין ומבררין זאת.

And this is the meaning of "relates knowledge" (yechaveh da'as), as it is said that the tzaddikim sustain the world, which was created "on condition" that they testify to and clarify this.

The "knowledge" the night relates is the testimony of tzaddikim, whose avodah fulfills the condition of Creation by making Hashem's presence known.

וזה דעת התקשרות להימים הנ"ל.

And this "da'as" is the bond of connection to the aforementioned "days."

Da'as here means the connection that binds the lower world's avodah back up to the divine light that descends "day by day."

והכהנים בעבודת הקרבנות היו מבררין התחדשות זאת בכל יום והיו מקרבין ומקשרין התחתונים להעליונים בחי' ב' מאמרות הנ"ל.

And the Kohanim, through the avodah of the korbanos, would clarify this renewal each day, and they would bring near and bind the lower beings to the upper — the aspect of the two utterances mentioned above.

The daily Temple service was precisely this work of joining the two utterances: drawing the lower world near to the upper, clarifying the daily renewal of holiness.

לכן היו צריכין להיות טהורים כמ"ש אמרות ה' א' טהורות לכן לנפש לא יטמא כו':

Therefore they had to be tahor (pure), as it is written "the utterances of Hashem are pure utterances" (Tehillim 12:7); therefore "he shall not become impure for a dead person, etc." (Vayikra 21:1).

Because the Kohen mediates Hashem's pure "utterances," he himself must remain in a state of taharah — hence the parsha's command that a Kohen guard against tumah from the dead.

Summary: The verse "day to day utters speech, night to night relates knowledge" describes the two divine utterances: the downward tzimtzum that draws Hashem's hidden light into the world (Torah she'biksav) and the upward avodah of the lower world that refines and reveals it (Torah she'baal peh). The Kohanim's daily korbanos bind these two together, joining the lower realm to the upper — which is why the Kohen must remain pure, fit to channel Hashem's pure utterances.