Existence sustained through bittul to Hashem

במד' ואתה מרום לעולם רוממות אתה כו' בעולמך.

In the Midrash: "And You are exalted (marom) forever" — "You are exaltedness... in Your world," etc.

The Midrash reads "And You are exalted forever" as: Your exaltedness is the very thing that sustains Your world.

הענין לידע שאין לחוש שע"י הפרישה מעוה"ז יתבטל קיום הטבע.

The matter is to know that one need not fear that, through withdrawing from this world, the sustaining of nature would be nullified.

One might worry that turning away from worldly involvement toward Hashem would undermine the natural order — the Sefas Emes assures us this fear is unfounded.

כי הקב"ה ברא העולם בזה האופן שכפי הביטול אליו ית' מתקיים הבריאה.

For the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world in such a manner that creation is sustained precisely in accordance with the bittul (self-nullification) to Him, may He be blessed.

On the contrary, Hashem designed creation so that it is upheld in direct proportion to how much it is nullified and devoted to Him.

וז"ש הפסוק ההפרש בין הרשעים בפרוח כו' כמו עשב כו' להשמדם.

And this is what the pasuk says — the difference: regarding the wicked, "when they blossom... like grass... it is so they may be destroyed forever."

The verse in Tehillim contrasts the wicked, who flourish like grass only to be destroyed — their apparent vitality has no enduring root.

אבל השתולים בבית ה' ומתבטלים אליו יש להם קיום.

But those who are planted in the House of Hashem and nullify themselves to Him — they have enduring existence.

By contrast, the righteous, "planted in the House of Hashem" and devoted to Him in bittul, possess true and lasting endurance.

וזה עדות השבת שבו שובתין מכל המעשים והוא קיום כל ימי המעשה.

And this is the testimony of Shabbos, on which one rests from all activities — and it is the sustenance of all the days of work.

Shabbos itself testifies to this principle: precisely by ceasing all labor and nullifying our doing, Shabbos becomes the source that sustains all the workdays of the week.

וזה קדושים תהיו להיות הרצון לקבל הוי' ומציאות ע"י ביטול המציאות אליו ית' הממציא כל המציאות.

And this is "You shall be holy" — that the will should be to receive being and existence through the nullification of one's existence to Him, may He be blessed, who brings all existence into being.

"Kedoshim tihyu" means orienting one's will to draw existence from Hashem by nullifying one's own independent existence before Him, the true Source who continually grants being to all that exists.

וזה מרום לעולם ה' כי ההוי' ומציאות עיקר שורש קיומה למעלה מהטבע והמציאות כנ"ל.

And this is "You are exalted forever, Hashem" — for the essential root of being and existence's endurance is above nature and above existence itself, as above.

"You are exalted forever, Hashem" teaches that the true root sustaining all existence lies above the natural order — in Hashem's transcendent exaltedness, not within nature itself.

וצריך איש ישראל לקבל בכל יום התחדשות חיות מהבורא ית' המחדש בטובו בכ"י מעשה בראשית.

And a Jew must receive each day a renewal of vitality from the Creator, may He be blessed, who in His goodness renews each day the act of Creation.

Since existence is continually granted from above, every day a Jew must draw fresh vitality from Hashem, who daily renews ma'aseh bereishis (the work of Creation).

וזה קדושים תהיו תמיד בכל יום.

And this is "You shall be holy" — constantly, every day.

"Kedoshim tihyu" is therefore an ongoing, daily charge to renew this bittul and receive renewed life each day.

וע"ז ניתקן התפלה בכל יום כמ"ש בזוה"ק תרומה על פסוק קדוש עובר עלינו תמיד כו' ע"ש [*דף קלג] וזה שרמז לא תאכלו על הדם קודם שתתפללו על דמכם.

And for this, daily prayer was instituted, as is written in the Zohar HaKadosh, Terumah, on the verse "holy" — "[the holy] passes over us constantly," etc. (see there, folio 133). And this is what is hinted by "You shall not eat upon the blood" — before you have prayed over your blood.

Tefillah was instituted daily for precisely this renewal of holiness, as the Zohar teaches. This is hinted in "You shall not eat al ha'dam" — which Chazal expound as: do not eat in the morning before you have prayed over your "blood" (your life).

פי' שלא להיות הקיום.

The meaning being: that one's existence should not be...

The Sefas Emes begins to explain the deeper intent of this prohibition regarding the basis of one's existence.

הטבע והדם שכבר נתיישב בו מצד הטבעי.

...the nature and the blood that has already settled within him from the natural side.

One must not rest his sense of existence upon the natural life-force ("blood") already established within his body by mere nature.

רח להמשיך חיות וקיום המציאות ע"י התדבקות בשורש החיים כנ"ל:

...rather, to draw vitality and the sustaining of existence through cleaving (deveikus) to the Source of life, as above.

Instead, one should draw his vitality and continued existence through deveikus to Hashem, the Source of all life — which is the purpose of praying over one's "blood" each morning before eating.

Summary: One need not fear that devotion to Hashem and withdrawal from worldliness will undermine existence; on the contrary, Hashem created the world so that it endures precisely through bittul to Him. Shabbos testifies to this, as resting from labor sustains the week. "Kedoshim tihyu" is a daily call to nullify one's independent existence and draw renewed life from Hashem through deveikus and tefillah, rather than resting on the natural life-force already within.