The strength of the baal teshuvah

במד' גבורי כח כו'.

In the Midrash: "mighty in strength," etc. (Tehillim 103:20).

The Sefas Emes opens with the posuk describing the malachim as "mighty in strength," using it as a doorway into a discussion of the spiritual power of Moshe Rabbeinu and Bnei Yisrael.

דכתיב ולא יכול משה לבוא.

As it is written: "And Moshe was not able to enter" (the Ohel Moed).

Even Moshe Rabbeinu could not enter the Mishkan when the cloud of the Shechinah rested upon it, which seems to imply a limit to his power.

הגם כי כחו של מרע"ה מאוד נעלה.

Even though the power of Moshe Rabbeinu was exceedingly exalted.

The difficulty is sharpened: Moshe's spiritual stature was supremely lofty, so why could he not enter?

מ"מ אמרו בשבילכם הוא נדבר עמי.

Nevertheless they said: "For your sake (Bnei Yisrael) He spoke with me."

Chazal teach that Hashem's speaking with Moshe was for the sake of Bnei Yisrael — the channel of communication depended on their spiritual condition.

פרשנו כי מדריגת בנ"י עתה היו בעלי תשובות.

We have explained that the level of Bnei Yisrael at that time was that of baalei teshuvah (penitents).

After the sin of the Golden Calf, Bnei Yisrael stood as baalei teshuvah, and this defined the pathway through which Hashem's word came.

ובדרך ושביל הזה שהיו בנ"י מוכנים דיבר עמו.

And it was by this way and path, for which Bnei Yisrael were prepared, that He spoke with him.

Hashem spoke to Moshe specifically along the avenue of teshuvah that Bnei Yisrael had opened, since Moshe drew his prophecy through them.

וזה הדרך הוא שצריך קריאה והתקרבות.

And this is the path that requires a "calling" and a drawing-near.

The way of the baal teshuvah is one that needs an invitation — a "calling" from Hashem (as in "Vayikra") and an active reaching toward closeness (hiskarvus).

וי"ל פי' הפסוק כי שכן עליו הענן וכבוד ה' מלא.

One may explain the posuk: "for the cloud rested upon it, and the glory of Hashem filled (the Mishkan)."

The Sefas Emes reads the two phrases of the posuk — the resting cloud and the filling glory — as two distinct spiritual modes.

שהם ב' מדריגות של צדיק גמור ושל בעל תשובה.

For these are two levels: that of the complete tzaddik and that of the baal teshuvah.

The kavod that "fills" corresponds to the steady avodah of the perfect tzaddik, while the cloud that "rests upon" from above corresponds to the baal teshuvah.

ובנ"י תיקנו ב' הדרכים.

And Bnei Yisrael repaired (rectified) both of these paths.

Bnei Yisrael accomplished a tikkun that encompasses both modes of avodah — the tzaddik's and the baal teshuvah's.

תבחר ותקרב כמ"ש במ"א.

"You shall choose and bring near" — as it is written, "Fortunate is the one You choose and draw near" (Tehillim 65:5), as explained elsewhere.

He alludes to the posuk of being "chosen and drawn near," which he has discussed in another place, hinting at both the chosenness of the tzaddik and the drawing-near of the baal teshuvah.

ואז הם בחילא סגי יתיר.

And then they are with greatly increased strength.

When a person returns through teshuvah, he stands with even greater power (chayla sagi) than before — the strength of the baal teshuvah surpasses the ordinary.

שכן עליו הוא מדריגה הבאה בעזר עליון.

For "it rested upon it" is a level that comes through Heavenly assistance (ezer elyon).

The "resting from above" describes the baal teshuvah's avodah, which is completed only through a special help granted from Above.

וכן פרשנו הטעם שחטאת מתן דמו על הקרנות.

And so we explained the reason that the chatas (sin-offering) has its blood placed upon the corners (keranos) of the Altar.

The blood of the sin-offering is applied to the upper corners of the Mizbeach — a sign of elevation, corresponding to teshuvah.

ועולה למטה.

While the olah (elevation-offering) has its blood placed below.

By contrast, the blood of the olah, which represents the avodah of the straightforward tzaddik, is placed lower on the Altar.

משום שבע"ת הוא בחוזק ובמדריגה למעלה מצדיק גמור:

Because the baal teshuvah is in a position of strength, on a level higher than the complete tzaddik.

The placement of the chatas blood on the high corners reflects the teaching that "in the place where baalei teshuvah stand, even complete tzaddikim cannot stand" — the returnee reaches higher.

Summary: Drawing on the resting cloud and filling glory of the Mishkan, the Sefas Emes maps two avenues of avodah — the complete tzaddik and the baal teshuvah. Bnei Yisrael, who stood as baalei teshuvah after the Golden Calf, opened the very channel through which Hashem spoke to Moshe, and the higher placement of the sin-offering's blood teaches that teshuvah, accomplished with Heavenly help, reaches a level even above that of the perfect tzaddik.