Torah as fire and water: two modes of purity

במד' א' ה' אמרות טהורות כו'.

In the Midrash: "The sayings of Hashem are pure sayings (imros tehoros)…"

The Sefas Emes begins with the pasuk describing Hashem's words as "pure," which the Midrash applies to specific portions of the Torah.

ב' פרשיות הכתיב לנו והם טהורות פ' המת ופ' פרה כו'.

"Two passages He wrote for us, and they are pure (tehoros): the passage of the dead and the passage of the [red] heifer (parah)…"

The Midrash points to two parshiyos dealing with death and purification, calling them "pure," which the Sefas Emes will now unpack.

דפי' אמרות טהורות שאין ד"ת מקבלין טומאה.

For the meaning of "pure sayings" is that words of Torah (divrei Torah) do not become susceptible to tumah (impurity).

One meaning of "pure" is that the Torah itself is intrinsically pure and can never contract spiritual impurity.

וגם פי' טהורות שמטהרין לאדם העוסק בהם והם ב' בחי' בתורה שנק' אש כמ"ש חז"ל כה דברי כאש מה אש אין מקבל טומאה כו' ונק' מים כמ"ש חז"ל מה מים מטהרים לאדם כן דברי תורה מעלין האדם מטומאה לטהרה.

And "pure" also means that they purify the person who engages in them; and these are two aspects of the Torah, which is called "fire," as Chazal said, "Is not My word like fire" — just as fire does not become susceptible to tumah — and is called "water," as Chazal said, just as water purifies a person, so words of Torah raise a person from impurity to purity.

The second meaning of "pure" is active: Torah purifies those who learn it. These are its two aspects — "fire," which is itself immune to impurity, and "water," which actively cleanses a person.

ובחי' אש הי' הכוונה במתן תורה וע"ז כתי' אמרתי אלקים אתם.

And the aspect of "fire" was the intent at Matan Torah, and about this it is written, "I said, you are godly beings (elokim atem)."

At Sinai, Bnei Yisrael reached the "fire" level — themselves becoming pure and godly, untouchable by impurity.

ולא הי' שולט בהם מיתה שורש הטומאות.

And death — the root of all impurities — did not have dominion over them.

At that exalted level, death itself, the source of all tumah, had no power over them.

ומרע"ה הי' במדרגה זו כמ"ש בלבת אש.

And Moshe Rabbeinu was on this level, as it says, "in a flame of fire (b'labas eish)."

Moshe permanently embodied this "fire" aspect — pure, beyond the reach of death and impurity.

ובבנ"י כתי' כי יראתם מפני האש ולא עליתם בהר.

But regarding Bnei Yisrael it is written, "for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not ascend the mountain."

Bnei Yisrael, however, could not sustain the "fire" level — they feared it and did not ascend, falling back from that height.

ואח"כ אכן כאדם תמותון הוצרכו לבחי' מים שמטהרים.

And afterward, "indeed like men you shall die" — they needed the aspect of "water" that purifies.

Once death returned to them after the sin, they could no longer rely on the immunity of "fire" and required the "water" aspect of Torah that cleanses impurity.

ובחי' זו נמסרה לאהרן שטהרתן של ישראל ביד הכהנים:

And this aspect was entrusted to Aharon, for the purification of Yisrael is in the hands of the kohanim.

The "water" task of purifying Bnei Yisrael from impurity was given over to Aharon and the kohanim — which is fitting for parshas Emor, addressed to the kohanim.

Summary: Hashem's "pure sayings" carry a double meaning: the Torah neither contracts impurity nor is it ever susceptible to it, and it actively purifies those who learn it. These correspond to its two aspects — "fire," which is itself immune to tumah, and "water," which cleanses. At Matan Torah, Bnei Yisrael momentarily reached the "fire" level, godly beings over whom death had no dominion (as Moshe permanently was); but when they fell from it and death returned, they came to need the "water" of purification, a task entrusted to Aharon and the kohanim.