Love of God’s Essence

במד' סמכוני באשישות באש שלמעלה ושלמטה תורה שבכתב ושבע"פ עי"ש.

In the Midrash: “Sustain me with ashishot,” meaning with the fire above and the fire below — the Written Torah and the Oral Torah; see there.

The Sefat Emet explains that “ashishot” hints to two fires, symbolizing the two dimensions of Torah that support and sustain Israel.

ומסיים הפסוק כי חולת אהבה אני.

And the verse concludes: “For I am sick with love.”

This signals that Israel’s love for God must be essential, arising from within and not dependent on external aids.

היינו שצריך להיות לאיש ישראל אהבת ה' בעצם בלי שום סיוע כענין אבות הראשונים שלא הי' להם עדיין התורה והי' אהבת לבם בוער להתדבק בהקב"ה.

Meaning: A Jew must have an inherent love of God, without any assistance—like the first Patriarchs, who did not yet have the Torah, yet their hearts burned to cleave to the Holy One.

The Patriarchs exemplify pure, unassisted devotion, driven solely by an inner longing for God.

אבל על ידי שחולת אהבה אני צריכין סיוע מן האש שלמעלה ומטה ב' התורות.

But since “I am sick with love,” we require the support of the fire above and the fire below—the two forms of Torah.

Because our love is weakened, the Written and Oral Torah provide the needed strength and structure to restore that bond.

וכן איתא בס' חובת הלבבות מעין זה.

And similarly it is taught in the book Chovot HaLevavot.

This classical work also teaches that inner love needs spiritual reinforcement.

ושירה זו של הים מעיד על זה כי הוציאו מלבם פרשה בתורה קודם קבלת התורה ע"י שבאו אל אמונת ה' נתגלה פנימיות אהבת ה' שהוא בעצם בנפשות בנ"י.

And the Song at the Sea testifies to this, for they brought forth from their hearts a portion of Torah even before receiving the Torah; through coming to faith in God, the inner love of God—essential within the souls of Israel—was revealed.

The spontaneous song at the sea shows that faith can unlock an innate Torah and love hidden within Israel’s soul.

וכן איתא במדרש כי תורה וישראל קדמו לעולם.

And so it is stated in the Midrash that Torah and Israel preceded the world.

This teaching establishes their primordial bond.

ואמרו מחשבתן של ישראל קדמה אפי' לתורה ע"ש פ' בראשית.

And they said: the thought of Israel preceded even the Torah; see there, Parashat Bereishit.

Israel’s spiritual root is portrayed as even earlier than Torah itself.

ושירת הים הי' הכנה לתורה ומצות שניתן להם אח"כ.

And the Song at the Sea was a preparation for the Torah and commandments that were later given to them.

Through singing, they opened their hearts and readied themselves to receive the commandments.

ואיתא במדרש אני חבצלת השרון שעשיתי לו צל במדבר.

And it is stated in the Midrash: “I am the rose of Sharon who made shade for Him in the wilderness.”

This describes Israel’s merit in creating sacred space for God.

השרון שאמרתי לפניו שירה על הים.

Sharon refers to the fact that I sang before Him at the sea.

Their song is portrayed as the basis for this merit.

פי' שע"י השירה שאמרו ואנוהו שהשתוקקו לבנות לי משכן זכו לעשות לו צל ומשכן:

Meaning: Through the song they sang—“and I will glorify Him”—in which they longed to build a sanctuary for Me, they merited to make Him shade and a Tabernacle.

Their yearning to create a dwelling for God, revealed in their song, granted them the privilege of constructing the Mishkan.

The Sefat Emet teaches that inner love of God precedes Torah, yet Torah supports and elevates that love. The Song at the Sea revealed this primordial bond and prepared Israel for receiving the commandments.