Thanksgiving, bittul, and the inner Shabbos

במד' זובח תודה יכבדנני בעוה"ז ובעוה"ב כו'.

The Midrash teaches on the pasuk "One who brings a korban todah (thanksgiving offering) honors Me" (Tehillim 50:23) — that he honors Me in this world and in the world to come.

The Sefas Emes opens with the idea that genuine thanksgiving to Hashem brings honor to His Name both in olam hazeh and in olam haba.

כי הנה בחי' תודה הוא הכנעה וביטול וד' שצריכין להודות הוא שהביא עליו הקב"ה אותו הסיבה שנחלה או נאסר ואח"כ עזרו הקב"ה כדי שיבין להכניע א"ע ולהודות לו.

For the aspect of todah is one of submission and bittul (self-nullification). And the four who must give thanks (Brachos 54b) — it is because Hashem brought upon a person the very circumstance that he fell ill or was imprisoned, and afterward Hashem helped him, in order that he should understand to humble himself and give thanks to Him.

True hodaah flows from hachna'ah and bittul. Hashem deliberately sends the difficulty itself so that, once delivered, a person will recognize his dependence and acknowledge Him.

כי באמת הקב"ה עושה חסד בכל עת.

For in truth Hashem performs chesed (kindness) at every moment.

Hashem's kindness is continuous and constant, not limited to moments of obvious rescue.

אך כי אין האדם מרגיש רק כשבאה לו איזה סיבה.

It is only that a person does not feel it except when some circumstance befalls him.

We become aware of Hashem's hand only through a jarring event; the ongoing kindness goes unnoticed.

ואח"כ צריך להבין ולהודות לפניו על הכל.

And afterward one must understand and give thanks before Him for everything.

The lesson of the rescue is to thank Hashem not only for that one deliverance but for the totality of His kindness.

לא על זה הסיבה בפרט.

Not for that particular circumstance alone.

The thanksgiving must expand beyond the single incident that prompted it.

לכן כתיב יודו לה' חסדו ע"ז הפרט.

Therefore it is written, "Let them give thanks to Hashem for His kindness" (Tehillim 107:8) — referring to the particular instance.

The pasuk's first clause speaks of thanking Hashem for the specific chesed that one experienced.

ונפלאותיו לבני אדם הוא על הנפלאות שעושה בכל עת.

"And His wonders to the children of men" — this refers to the wonders that He performs at every moment.

The second clause broadens the gratitude to the hidden wonders Hashem works constantly, which are usually unseen.

ולכן תודה באה חמץ כי כפי רוב ההכנעה והביטול נמצא מקום גם לחמץ כי הכל מאתו ית'.

This is why the korban todah is brought together with chometz (leaven) — for in accordance with the abundance of submission and bittul, a place is found even for the chometz, since everything is from Him, may He be blessed.

The todah uniquely includes leavened bread. Where there is enough hachna'ah and bittul, even chometz — which usually symbolizes the yetzer hara's "rising" — can be elevated, because all is ultimately from Hashem.

וכשהסט"א מתבטלת נתקדש שמו ית' מכל צד.

And when the sitra achra (the "other side," the forces of impurity) is nullified, His Name, may He be blessed, is sanctified from every side.

When the powers of impurity are subdued, Hashem's Name is sanctified even through what had been a vehicle for the yetzer hara.

והנה כתיב במזמור לתודה הוא עשנו ולו אנחנו.

Now it is written in Mizmor LeSodah, "It is He who made us, and we are His" (Tehillim 100:3).

The Sefas Emes turns to the psalm of thanksgiving to draw out a deeper point about Bnei Yisrael's relationship to Hashem.

וכתיב ולא והקרי ולו.

And it is written "v'lo" (with an aleph — "and not"), but it is read "v'lo" (with a vav — "and to Him").

The Sefas Emes builds on the dual reading: the written word means "not we ourselves," while the read word means "and we are His."

והם ב' בחי' כי הקב"ה עושה הכל.

And these are two aspects — for Hashem does everything.

The two spellings encode two truths about the human relationship to Hashem.

ובוודאי אין שום מציאות להיות חשוב לפניו ית"ש.

And surely there is no existence at all that should be considered significant before Him, may His Name be blessed.

The written "not we" expresses absolute bittul — before Hashem we have no independent importance whatsoever.

ולא אנחנו.

"And not we ourselves."

This is the ksiv (written form): we are nothing on our own.

אבל כפי רוב הביטול זוכין לבחי' ולו אנחנו.

But in accordance with the abundance of bittul, one merits the aspect of "and we are His."

Precisely through nullifying oneself, a person merits the read form — to truly belong to Hashem.

ובחי' זה מיוחד ד) לבנ"י והוא עיקר אמונתנו.

And this aspect is unique to Bnei Yisrael, and it is the essence of our emunah (faith).

Belonging to Hashem in this way is the special inheritance of Bnei Yisrael and the core of our belief.

כי מלבד שהקב"ה ברא הכל.

For aside from the fact that Hashem created everything.

Beyond the act of creation itself there is a further dimension of His involvement.

אך הוא מנהיג הכל בכל עת.

He also directs everything at every moment.

Hashem is not merely the Creator but the constant Conductor of all that happens, at every instant.

והנהגתו ית"ש הוא למעלה מהנהגת הטבע וזה ה) המבטלים כל הטבע בעבורו ית"ש זוכין להנהגה זו.

And His direction, may His Name be blessed, is above the conduct of nature; and so those who nullify all of nature for His sake, may His Name be blessed, merit this [higher] direction.

Hashem's hashgachah transcends the natural order. Those who set nature aside in bittul to Him are drawn into that supernatural governance.

ולכן הקרי ולו אנחנו שזה תלי' בעבודת האדם.

Therefore the read form is "and we are His," for this depends on the avodah of a person.

The "to Him" reading is not automatic; it is earned through one's avodah.

ואם זוכה יכול לקרות ולו בוא"ו.

And if one merits, he can read "v'lo" with a vav.

Through avodah a person transforms "not we" into "we are His."

והוא בחי' השבת שיש בו ביטול כל המעשים ומתגלה בו ההנהגה העליונה.

And this is the aspect of Shabbos, in which there is a nullification of all activities, and the supernal direction is revealed within it.

Shabbos embodies this avodah: by ceasing all melachah, we nullify the natural order and reveal Hashem's higher governance.

ובזה יש להבין שם שבת הגדול דהנה כתיב כי ששת ימים עשה כו'.

And with this we can understand the name "Shabbos HaGadol," for it is written, "For in six days [Hashem] made [the heavens and the earth]" (Shemos 20:11).

The Sefas Emes now turns to explain the title "Shabbos HaGadol," the great Shabbos before Pesach.

ובמשנה תורה כתיב טעם השבת וזכרת כי עבד היית כו'.

And in Mishneh Torah (Devarim) the reason given for Shabbos is "And you shall remember that you were a slave [in Mitzrayim]" (Devarim 5:15).

The Torah gives two reasons for Shabbos: in Shemos, creation; in Devarim, the Exodus. The Sefas Emes will reconcile them.

והוא כי שבת בראשית הי' תיכף בשעת הבריאה בחי' השביתה והביטול של הנהגת הטבע.

And the explanation is that the Shabbos of Bereishis was, immediately at the time of creation, the aspect of cessation and nullification of the conduct of nature.

The original Shabbos already contained the resting and nullification of nature from the very start of creation.

אבל המכוון הי' כדי שיתגלה הנהגה עליונה שלמעלה מן הטבע.

But the intent was that the supernal direction, which is above nature, should be revealed.

The purpose of that cessation was to allow Hashem's above-nature governance to come to light.

ובחי' זו נתגלה רק לבנ"י אחר יציאת מצרים שיצאו מהנהגת הטבע להיות נמשך אחר הנהגה עליונה וזה מדריגה פנימיות של השבת וזה שבת הגדול:

And this aspect was revealed only to Bnei Yisrael after Yetzias Mitzrayim, when they left the conduct of nature to be drawn after the supernal direction — and this is the penimiyus (inner dimension) level of Shabbos, and this is "Shabbos HaGadol."

Only at the Exodus did Bnei Yisrael step out of the natural order into Hashem's higher governance. That inner dimension of Shabbos is what makes this Shabbos "the Great Shabbos."

Summary: The korban todah teaches that thanksgiving flows from hachna'ah and bittul — recognizing that all is from Hashem at every moment. Through such self-nullification Bnei Yisrael transform "not we ourselves" into "we are His," meriting Hashem's supernal governance that transcends nature. Shabbos embodies this nullification of the natural order, and the inner dimension revealed at Yetzias Mitzrayim is precisely what makes it "Shabbos HaGadol."