Covenants of speech, deed, and thought

ובמד' ישלח עזרך מקודש כו'.

And in the Midrash on "May He send your help from the Sanctuary…"

The Sefas Emes opens from the verse in Tehillim that speaks of help being sent "from the Sanctuary" and from Tzion.

הם ב' קדושות שבראש בנ"י שכ' במדרש והם בחי' ברית הלשון והמעור.

These are the two kedushos that are at the head of Bnei Yisrael, of which the Midrash speaks, and they are the aspects of the bris (covenant) of the tongue and of the circumcision.

The two phrases of the verse correspond to two foundational holinesses given to Bnei Yisrael: the covenant of speech and the covenant of milah.

הלשון קודש שנמסר רק לבנ"י כמ"ש בהנחל עליון כו' בהפרידו כו'.

The tongue is holy, given over only to Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "When the Most High gave nations their inheritance… when He separated…"

The holy tongue — lashon hakodesh and the bris of speech — was entrusted uniquely to Bnei Yisrael when Hashem set them apart from the nations.

והוא בחי' דיבור.

And this is the aspect of speech (dibbur).

The covenant of the tongue corresponds to the faculty of speech.

וברית מילה היא בעשי' רושם ממש בגוף זה מציון יסעדך.

And bris milah is in the realm of action (asiyah), an actual impression in the body — this is "from Tzion may He support you."

Circumcision is a covenant of deed, leaving a real mark engraved in the flesh, which the verse calls support coming "from Tzion."

וקדושת המחשבה היא למעלה מכל זה.

And the kedushah of thought (machshavah) is higher than all of this.

Above both speech and deed stands the holiness of thought, which is loftier than either.

ולכן בזה אין רושם מיוחד בבנ"י.

And therefore in this there is no distinct mark in Bnei Yisrael.

Precisely because thought is so elevated, it bears no separate, visible covenant-sign in the body or the spoken word.

אבל בתיקון בחי' דיבור ומעשה ניתקן ממילא המחשבה.

But by rectifying the aspects of speech and deed, thought is rectified of itself.

When a person sanctifies his speech and his actions, his thoughts are automatically purified along with them.

וע"ז מבקשין ויהי נועם ה' כו' עלינו:

And concerning this we pray, "May the pleasantness of Hashem… be upon us."

The rectification of thought, which flows from above as a gift, is what we request in the prayer that Hashem's "noam" — His pleasantness — rest upon us.

Summary: The verse "May He send your help from the Sanctuary… and from Tzion support you" alludes to the two covenants given to Bnei Yisrael — the bris of the holy tongue (speech) and the bris of milah (deed). Higher than both is the holiness of thought, which bears no visible sign; yet by rectifying speech and action, a person's thought is purified of itself, and this gift from above is what we seek in the prayer "May the noam of Hashem be upon us."