Man's dual form: body and inner image

במד' אחור וקדם צרתני.

In the Midrash: "Back and front You have formed me (achor vakedem tzartani)" (Tehillim 139:5).

The verse describes man as fashioned with both a "back" and a "front" — two aspects — which the Midrash links to two acts of formation.

ובתנחומא באדם כתי' וייצר בב' יודין יצירה בעוה"ז ויצירה בעוה"ב.

And in the Tanchuma: regarding Adam it is written "vayyitzer" with two yuds (Bereishis 2:7) — a formation for this world and a formation for the World to Come.

The double yud in the word for man's creation signals that he was formed for two realms at once: olam hazeh and olam haba.

ובבהמה ויצר בי' אחת ע"ש.

But regarding an animal, "vayitzer" is written with a single yud; see there.

The animal, by contrast, is formed with only one yud — it belongs to one realm alone. Man's dual nature is unique.

הענין הוא כי האדם כולל כל מה שלמעלה ממנו וכל מה שלמטה ממנו.

The matter is that man encompasses everything above him and everything below him.

Man is a microcosm: he contains within himself both the higher, spiritual realms and the lower, physical ones.

כענין בעל הקורה נכנס בעובי הקורה.

This is like the matter of "the owner of the beam enters into the thickness of the beam."

Just as the one who carries a heavy beam must take hold of its full thickness, man, as the purpose of creation, must contain and bear within himself the entire span of existence from top to bottom.

שהאדם הוא היסוד שהכל נברא בעבורו לכן יש בו צורה מעליונים וצורה מתחתונים.

For man is the foundation, for whose sake everything was created; therefore he has a form (tzurah) from the upper beings and a form from the lower beings.

Because the whole world was created for man's sake, he bears within himself a higher, heavenly form and a lower, earthly form together.

וזו הצורה העליונה הוא לבנ"י בלבד כמ"ש אדם אתם אתם קרוין אדם.

And this upper form belongs to Bnei Yisrael alone, as it says: "'You are adam' — you [Israel] are called adam" (Yevamos 61a).

The higher, spiritual form — the full title of "adam" in its elevated sense — is the unique portion of Bnei Yisrael.

וכ' עם זו יצרתי.

And it is written: "This people I formed [for Myself]" (Yeshayahu 43:21).

Israel is the people that Hashem "formed" — formed specifically with that inner, supernal tzurah.

שלהם ניתן זו הצורה הפנימית.

For to them was given this inner form.

It is to Bnei Yisrael that the penimius — the inner, hidden form — was granted.

וכתיב עם זו שצורת פניהם מעיד עליהם כי הם זרע ברך ה' מכלל שלא הצורות הערלים צורות נפשות בנ"י.

And it is written "this people (am zu)" — that the form of their faces testifies about them that they are "the seed blessed by Hashem" (Yeshayahu 61:9); from which we learn that the forms of the uncircumcised are not the forms of the souls of Bnei Yisrael.

The very countenance of a Jew bears witness to his inner, blessed nature; this implies that the outward "forms" of the nations do not reflect the inner soul-form unique to Bnei Yisrael.

והטעם שבנ"י הם עדים על הבורא ית' כמ"ש אתה הראת לדעת בו'.

And the reason is that Bnei Yisrael are witnesses to the Creator, as it says: "You have been shown, to know [that Hashem is God]…" (Devarim 4:35).

Israel's role in creation is to be Hashem's witnesses — to testify, through their very being, that He is the one God.

לכן הם כוללים העליונים ותחתונים לידע ולהודיע כי ה' אחד הוא בשמים ובארץ כו'.

Therefore they encompass the upper and lower beings, to know and to make known that Hashem is One, in heaven and on earth.

Precisely because they bridge both realms, Bnei Yisrael can testify that the same one Hashem rules above and below — uniting heaven and earth under His Oneness.

ובחלק הגוף שכולל התחתונים מעיד על מה שבארץ.

And with the bodily part, which encompasses the lower beings, he testifies about what is on earth.

Through his physical body, which links him to the lower world, a Jew bears witness to Hashem's presence in the earthly realm.

ובחלק הנשמה מעיד על מה שבשמים.

And with the part of the neshamah, he testifies about what is in heaven.

Through his soul, which links him to the upper world, he bears witness to Hashem's presence in the heavenly realm.

לכן כ' ראי' וידיעה.

Therefore the verse writes both "seeing" and "knowing."

The verse "You have been shown (seeing), to know (knowing)" speaks of two faculties corresponding to the two realms man bridges.

מה שרואה בארץ ומה שלמעלה הוא בהשגת הדעת.

What he sees on earth, and what is above is grasped through the comprehension of da'as (knowledge).

The earthly realm is apprehended by sight, while the heavenly realm, beyond sight, is grasped through inner da'as — knowledge.

ואיתא במשנה חביב אדם שנברא בצלם חיבה יתירה נודעת לו כו'.

And it is taught in the Mishnah: "Beloved is man, for he was created in the image (tzelem); a greater love is made known to him…" (Avos 3:14).

Man was created in the Divine "image," and the Mishnah adds that an extra love was "made known" to him — that he is consciously aware of being formed in that image.

פי' שניתן לבנ"י ידיעה והתקשרות להשיג הצלם והציור הפנימי.

That is, Bnei Yisrael were given knowledge and connection to grasp the tzelem and the inner form (tziur penimi).

This "greater love made known" means Bnei Yisrael were granted the awareness and bond needed to actually perceive their own inner Divine image.

ובאמת לזה הצלם זוכין בנ"י בש"ק בכח הנשמה יתירה נודעת להם זה הצלם והציור כמ"ש ז"ל אין דומה מאור פניו של אדם בשבת כו'.

And in truth, Bnei Yisrael attain this tzelem on the holy Shabbos; through the power of the neshamah yeseirah (additional soul), this image and form become known to them, as the Sages said: "The radiance of a person's face on Shabbos is incomparable [to the rest of the week]."

On Shabbos the extra soul descends, illuminating the inner Divine image so that it shines even on a person's face — which is why one's countenance glows differently on Shabbos.

ולכן שבת יומא דסהדותא הוא כמ"ש יצרתי לי תהלתי יספרו.

And therefore Shabbos is "the day of testimony," as it says: "[This people] I formed for Myself; they shall recount My praise" (Yeshayahu 43:21).

Shabbos is the "day of testimony" precisely because on it the inner formed-image of Israel shines forth, and they fulfill their purpose of recounting Hashem's praise.

וכן הדעת ניתן בשבת לבנ"י כמ"ש לדעת כי אני ה' מקדישכם.

And likewise da'as is given to Bnei Yisrael on Shabbos, as it says: "to know that I am Hashem who sanctifies you" (Shemos 31:13).

The faculty of da'as — knowing Hashem — is especially bestowed on Shabbos, the day described as the sign by which we "know" that Hashem sanctifies us.

והמדרש בא לבאר ענין הפרשה כי תזריע וילדה כו' וטמאה.

And the Midrash comes to explain the matter of the parsha: "When a woman conceives and gives birth… she is tamei (ritually impure)."

The Sefas Emes now turns to apply this whole framework to the parsha's law that childbirth brings a state of tumah.

אח"כ ביום השמיני ימול.

Afterward, on the eighth day, he is circumcised.

The parsha continues that the newborn is given a bris milah on the eighth day, following the period of impurity.

היינו שבלידת הגוף יש טומאה מצד ציור התחתון.

That is, in the birth of the body there is tumah, on account of the lower form.

Physical birth, which expresses man's lower, earthly form, brings with it a measure of impurity — the "form from below."

ואח"כ במילה זוכה לציור העליון.

And afterward, through milah, he attains the upper form.

The bris milah then elevates the child to his higher, supernal form — the inner Divine image.

כמ"ש במד' לך על פסוק זרע יעבדנו יסופר לה' לדור שכשנימול ילד ישראל נגמר להיות נמנה בין בני עוה"ב ע"ש.

As the Midrash to "Lecha" expounds on the verse "Offspring shall serve Him; it shall be told of Hashem to the generation" (Tehillim 22:31) — that when a Jewish child is circumcised, he becomes complete, to be counted among the sons of Olam Haba; see there.

The Midrash teaches that milah finalizes the child's belonging to the World to Come — completing the "formation for olam haba" hinted at by the second yud.

והיינו שחל עליו ציור העליון ע"י המילה.

That is, the upper form rests upon him through the milah.

The bris draws the higher Divine form down to rest upon the child.

והש"י עשה כן להיות מקודם ערלה ואח"כ לימול ליכנס להקדושה.

And Hashem arranged it so — that there first be the orlah (foreskin), and afterward circumcision, to enter into holiness.

The Divine design is deliberate: the child first exists in a state of orlah and only then is brought, through milah, into kedushah.

כדי שיוכלל בהאדם התחתונים והעליונים כמ"ש במד' רבה תן חלק לשבעה כו'.

So that man should encompass both the lower and the upper beings, as the Midrash Rabbah says on "Give a portion to seven [and even to eight]" (Koheles 11:2).

This two-stage process ensures that man integrates both realms within himself — hinted at by the verse's "seven" and "eight."

היינו מצד הגוף שכולל הז' מדות.

That is, from the side of the body, which encompasses the seven middos (attributes).

The "seven" corresponds to the body and its seven emotional attributes — the lower, earthly dimension.

ומצד זה יש אחיזה גם לתחתונים.

And from this side there is a grasp even for the lower beings.

Through this bodily, seven-fold dimension, man is connected to and can elevate the lower world.

וגם לשמונה הוא הציור שלמעלה ע"י המילה כנ"ל:

And "even to eight" is the upper form, [attained] through the milah, as above.

The "eight" — the bris milah on the eighth day — corresponds to the higher form, transcending the natural seven and drawing down the supernal Divine image.

Summary: Man, unlike the animal, was "formed with two yuds" — for both this world and the next — encompassing the higher and lower realms within himself, and so Bnei Yisrael serve as Hashem's witnesses that He is One above and below. This dual nature plays out in the parsha: physical birth, expressing the lower form, brings tumah, while the bris milah on the eighth day draws down the upper, supernal Divine image — uniting the "seven" of the body with the "eight" that transcends nature, just as the neshamah yeseirah of Shabbos reveals that inner tzelem.