Man elevates creation by revealing glory

במד' אחור וקדם כו' זכה א"ל אתה קדמת לא זכה א"ל יתוש קדמך.

In the Midrash, on "Back and front You have formed me" (Tehillim 139:5): if one is worthy, they say to him, "You preceded [all of creation]"; if one is unworthy, they say to him, "Even the gnat preceded you."

The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash on "back and front": man can be the pinnacle of creation, formed first in thought, or the lowest, beneath even a gnat — depending on whether he proves worthy.

פי' כי הוא הפלא באדם שכולל נשמת אלקי בגשמיות הגוף כמ"ש הרמ"א בא"ח סי' ו' פי' ומפליא לעשות שקשר הנשמה הרוחניות במעשה גשמיי.

The explanation: that the wonder in man is that he combines a divine soul within the physicality of the body, as the Rema writes in Orach Chaim (siman 6), explaining "[He] does wonders" — that He bound the spiritual neshamah within a physical act.

Man's marvel is the union of opposites: a Godly soul housed within a material body. The Rema, on the bracha of Asher Yatzar, sees the very "wonder" in this binding of pure spirit to physical function.

וע"ז נאמר עושה נפלאות.

And concerning this it is said, "Who does wonders (nifla'os)" (Tehillim 136:4).

This fusion of soul and body is the supreme "wonder" of Hashem's creation.

ובבחי' הנשמה קדם אדם לכל מ"ב כמ"ש חז"ל בראשית בשביל ישראל שנק' ראשית.

And in the aspect of the neshamah, man preceded all of the works of Creation (ma'aseh bereishis), as Chazal said: "Bereishis" — for the sake of Yisrael, who are called "reishis" (the first).

On the level of the soul, man — and especially Yisrael — comes first. The Torah's opening word "Bereishis" hints that the world was created for the sake of Yisrael, called "reishis," the purpose for which everything else exists.

ורוח אלקים מרחפת דרשו על מלך המשיח שהוא הנשמה כללית של בנ"י.

"And the spirit of God hovered" (Bereishis 1:2) — they expounded this concerning Melech HaMashiach, who is the collective soul of Bnei Yisrael.

The "spirit of God" present at the very start of Creation is identified with Mashiach, who embodies the unified neshamah of all Israel — the soul-root that precedes the physical world.

ולכן כפי הזדככות החומר לבטלו אל הנשמה שתהי' הנשמה מאירה בגוף.

Therefore, in accordance with the refining of the matter, to nullify it to the soul so that the neshamah shines within the body —

Man's task is to purify and refine his physical "matter" and subordinate it to the soul, so that the neshamah's light radiates through the body rather than being dimmed by it.

אז א"ל אתה קדמת כו'.

then they say to him, "You preceded [all]…"

When body is nullified to soul, man realizes his highest identity — "you preceded all of creation" — the worthy one for whom everything was made.

ואם ח"ו להיפוך נקרא רק ע"ש הגוף.

And if, God forbid, the reverse, he is called only by the name of the body.

But if a person lets the body dominate the soul, he is defined merely by his physical self — and on that level he ranks lowest.

והגוף של האדם למטה מכולם.

And the body of man is lower than all.

Considered purely as a body, man is the lowest of creatures — hence "even the gnat preceded you."

והטעם מאחר שהאדם הוא הכלי שיעלו כל הברואים על ידו לכן הוכרח להיות נכלל מכל מיני חומריות שבעולם.

And the reason is that since man is the vessel through which all creatures are elevated, he therefore had to be composed of every kind of physicality in the world.

Man's lowliness has a purpose: because he is meant to be the instrument that raises up all of creation, he must contain within himself a portion of every type of physical matter, so that he can lift it all.

ולא עוד שהאדם א"י לתקן עצמו בשלימות עד שיתקן מקודם כל החומריים התלוים בו.

And moreover, a person cannot perfect himself completely until he first rectifies all the physical elements that depend upon him.

Because man is bound up with all of physical creation, his own perfection is tied to it: he cannot fully complete his own tikkun until he has rectified all the material things connected to him.

והכל כדי שיהי' מוכרח האדם לתקנם.

And all this is so that man should be compelled to rectify them.

This dependence is by design: it forces man to take responsibility for elevating and repairing the physical world around him.

לכן גם בכלל לא יכלו בנ"י לתקן עצמם בשלימות עד לעתיד שיהיו מתוקנים כל הברואים בכח בנ"י.

Therefore, on the collective level too, Bnei Yisrael cannot perfect themselves completely until the future, when all creatures will be rectified through the power of Bnei Yisrael.

The same principle holds for the nation as a whole: the complete perfection of Bnei Yisrael awaits the future redemption, when, through their power, the entire creation will finally be brought to its tikkun.

וזה ענין אמרם אף תורתו נתפרשה אחר תורת בהמה כו'.

And this is the meaning of their statement that even the Torah concerning man (his laws of purity) was set forth after the Torah concerning the beast.

Just as Tazria's laws of human purity come in the Torah after the laws of animals (Shemini), so man — though highest in soul — is placed "after" the beast, because he must first deal with and elevate the lower creation.

וכמ"ש במ"א מזה.

And as we have written elsewhere concerning this.

The Sefas Emes notes he has treated this idea in another place.

וגם קילוסו אחר קילוס כל הבריאה.

And also, his praise [of Hashem] comes after the praise of all creation.

Likewise, man's song of praise to Hashem comes last, after all of creation has offered its praise — because his role is to gather and complete it.

פי' שהאדם הוא המברר כבוד שמו ית' בעולם.

The meaning is that man is the one who clarifies (mevarer) the glory of His Name in the world.

Man's mission is to "extract" and reveal the kvod Hashem hidden throughout creation — to be the one who brings Hashem's glory to light in the world.

והוא צריך לעורר כל הבריאה.

And he must arouse all of creation.

It falls to man to awaken the entire creation to give praise — he is the conductor who draws the song out of everything else.

וע"ז נאמר ע"ז יצרתי לי שהם עיקר הצורה להעולם.

And concerning this it is said, "This nation I formed for Myself" (Yeshayahu 43:21) — for they are the essential form (tzurah) of the world.

Bnei Yisrael, "the nation I formed for Myself," are the inner "form" that gives the world its meaning and purpose — the soul, as it were, of all creation.

תהלתי הוא כלל הבריאה כמ"ש ולכבודי בראתיו וזה הם מבררים.

"My praise" refers to all of creation, as it is written, "and for My glory I created it" (Yeshayahu 43:7) — and this [glory] is what they clarify.

"My praise" (tehillasi) is the kvod Hashem latent in the whole of creation, which was created for His glory. The task of Bnei Yisrael is to draw out and make manifest that hidden glory.

וז"ש תהלתי יספרו.

And this is the meaning of "they shall tell My praise" (Yeshayahu 43:21).

"They shall tell My praise" means Bnei Yisrael give voice to and reveal the praise embedded throughout creation.

ואמת כי אין להשיג גדולת הבורא ית' כמ"ש לגדולתו אין חקר.

And it is true that one cannot [directly] grasp the greatness of the Creator, may He be blessed, as it is written, "His greatness is unsearchable" (Tehillim 145:3).

Hashem's essential greatness is utterly beyond human comprehension — "there is no searching it out."

רק כפי מה שמבררין כבודו ית' הנמצא בכלל הבריאה של מעשה בראשית כך זוכין אח"כ להשיג גם מה שלמעלה.

Rather, in accordance with how much one clarifies His glory as it is found within all the creation of ma'aseh bereishis, so does one afterward merit to grasp even that which is Above.

The path to perceiving the Divine is indirect: by uncovering Hashem's glory within the created world, a person earns a measure of access to what lies beyond creation. Working through the world below opens the gate to what is above.

וז"ש קילוסו עולה באחרונה.

And this is the meaning of "his praise ascends last."

Man's praise comes last not because it is least but because it is the culmination — it rises highest after gathering up the praise of all creation, ascending to grasp what is Above.

וזה ענין ב' הברכות של קודם ק"ש.

And this is the matter of the two berachos that precede Krias Shema.

The Sefas Emes now connects all this to the two blessings recited before the morning Shema — one on creation (Yotzer Ohr) and one on Torah (Ahavah Rabbah).

על מ"ב ועל קדושת התורה שניתן רק לבנ"י כמ"ש במ"א באורך.

One over ma'aseh bereishis (the work of Creation), and one over the holiness of the Torah, which was given only to Bnei Yisrael, as we have written elsewhere at length.

The first beracha praises Hashem for the daily renewal of creation; the second, for the gift of Torah given uniquely to Bnei Yisrael. Together they correspond to the two dimensions — clarifying glory within creation, and the special light of Torah above it.

וב' מיני התחדשות אלו מתחדשין בכל יום כמ"ש מחדש בטובו כו' ובנ"י צריכין לברר זאת בכל יום:

And these two kinds of renewal are renewed every day, as it is written, "He renews in His goodness, each day, [the work of Creation]" — and Bnei Yisrael must clarify this every day.

Both renewals — of creation and of Torah — happen anew each day. It is the daily avodah of Bnei Yisrael to extract and reveal Hashem's glory afresh, drawing out the praise hidden in the renewed creation each morning.

Summary: Man's wonder is the union of a divine soul with a physical body. On the level of the neshamah he precedes all creation (Yisrael as "reishis," Mashiach as the spirit hovering at the start), yet as mere body he is lowest — beneath even the gnat. This is by design: because man is the vessel meant to elevate and rectify all of creation, he is composed of every kind of matter and cannot perfect himself until he refines the physical bound up with him. His role is to be the mevarer — to draw out and reveal Hashem's glory hidden throughout creation; and by clarifying that glory below, he merits to grasp what is Above. This daily avodah corresponds to the two morning berachos before Shema — over the renewed work of Creation and over the Torah — both of which Bnei Yisrael must reveal anew each day.