Nitzavim-VaYeilech 5770 Stephen Rabinowitz, MD

August 31, 2010

B”H

Our parsha begins with Devarim chapter 29, verse 9 (translation adapted from Rabbi Chaim Miller based on Rashi):

ט אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם, לִפְנֵי יְקוָק אֱלֹקֵיכֶם: רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם, כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל.	9 You stand firmly today (on the plains of Moav), all of you together, before HaShem your G-d: the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officials, and every Jewish man,
י טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם–וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ: מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ, עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ.	10 your male children, your women, and the converts within your camp (who were assigned positions ranging) from your (somewhat skilled) woodcutters to your (unskilled) water-drawers,
יא לְעָבְרְךָ בִּבְרִית יְקוָק אֱלֹקֶיךָ–וּבְאָלָתוֹ: אֲשֶׁר יְקוָק אֱלֹקֶיךָ כֹּרֵת עִמְּךָ הַיּוֹם.	11 in order to bring you into the covenant of HaShem your G-d, and into His oath, which HaShem your G-d is making with you today.
יב לְמַעַן הָקִים-אֹתְךָ הַיּוֹם לוֹ לְעָם, וְהוּא יִהְיֶה-לְּךָ לֵאלֹקִים–כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר-לָךְ; וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ, לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב.	12 (This is) in order today to permanently establish you as His people, that He will be your G-d, as He told you, and as He swore to your forefathers, to Avrohom, to Yitzchok, and to Ya’akov (that he would never exchange you for another nation).

Rashi (1040-1105) says that this event occurred on the last day of Moshe’s life. The people stood in an orderly manner, arranged with the most prominent in the front of the assembly, in contrast to the disorderly way they mobbed Moshe when they asked him to send spies into Israel. The least prominent were Canaanites who came to convert out of fear of the impending conquest. Because their motive for conversion was tainted, Moshe accepted them as menial laborers, without full privileges. All the people stood before Moshe, pale with trepidation, having just heard in the previous parsha of the dire consequences that would result from a failure to follow HaShem’s laws. Moshe consoled them by saying, in effect, “You are still standing today after all of your misdeeds that provoked so much of HaShem’s anger. He didn’t totally destroy you. Just as every day contains darkness and light, you can rely in every dark period that His light will return. Just as you survived with me as your leader, you can rely on the nation surviving with Yehoshua and future leaders.”

Kli Yakar (1550-1619) says that the people turned pale after hearing the curses that the midrash enumerates as “100 less 2,” rather than as simply 98. The reason for this odd way of counting is that 98 curses were explicitly stated, followed by the vague verse (28:61) “G-d will also bring upon you every disease and plague that is not written in this Torah scroll, to destroy you.” The people thought that they could deal with the specifically mentioned curses, but were unable to anticipate any way to cure these two vague illnesses. Talelei Oros says the reference is to the death of tzaddikim, whose passing is far more catastrophic to the nation than the 98 named curses.

The Zohar (said to have been edited by R. Shimon ben Yochai in the second century C.E.) says that “today” refers to Rosh HaShanah when all stand in judgment and that HaShem’s very naming of the 98 specific curses tends to blunt His wrath. Rabbi Hoffman, quoted by Rabbi Munk, points out that the number of sheep offered as sacrifices during Sukkos is exactly 98.

Ramban (1194-1270) says that “standing before HaShem” means that they were standing before the Holy Ark.

Rabbeinu Bachya (1255-1340) takes a lesson from King Solomon’s Proverbs 27:5, that life itself is closely linked to rebukes and the ability to accept them, whereas death is inextricably involved with people who resent being rebuked and are unwilling to accept rebukes. He relates this to the statement in Midrash Tanchuma (material compiled mostly in the years 400-600) that gentile nations reached their demise after experiencing a single series of afflictions, but Israel experienced many devastations, only to flourish again. Moshe Rabbeinu used this occasion to assure Bnei Yisroel that they would survive as a people; however, in contrast to the assembly at Har Sinai 40 years before, when they accepted the Torah without an explicit oath, today an oath is required, with a curse for whoever abused HaShem’s irrevocable commitment. All of the people were gathered together because the sin of one person, such as Achan ben Carmi (Yehoshua 7:11) could be counted against the entire nation, and the clean hands of one person beyond reproach such as Eyov (Eyov 22:30) could be the instrument through which impending doom might be postponed for many. This introduces the concept of collective responsibility, a key aspect of unity.

Baal haTurim (1269-1343) says the juxtaposition of the words “your G-d” with the words “your leaders” informs us that our reverence for our Torah teachers should resemble our reverence for G-d. The connection of the words “every Jewish man” with “your children” teaches that the leaders should regard the people of Israel as their own children.

Alshich (1508-1600) says this was the first occasion when Moshe did not honor the leaders by addressing them before he spoke to the whole nation. The words “all of you together” should obviate the need to specify those in his audience; but, Moshe was addressing all the Jewish souls who had died since the beginning of history, and all those who were not yet born. “All of you” standing before G-d shows that the ranking of those standing in front and those in back is not necessarily accurate. Only He knows who is superior and who is inferior. Each individual is a necessary part of the whole.

Or haChaim (1696-1742) declares that this covenant was intended to make each individual Jew responsible for all the others to the extent that he could enforce his will. Each of the levels of society specified by Moshe has a different level of responsibility, commensurate with his/her authority.

Sforno (1470-1550) says that we always stand before HaShem. The meaning here is that G-d knows the thoughts of man, so that one cannot have any mental reservations while taking the vow.

Mateh Moshe by Rabbi Moshe ben Avrohom of Przemysl (about 1550-1606) notes that Ashkenazim begin to say Selichos on the evening after Shabbos Parshas Netzavim, so long as this provides at least four days of Selichos before Rosh HaShanah. The Torah hints at this in the numerical value of the words “atem nitzavim hayom,” 694, the same value as “la’amod l’selichos (to rise for Selichos).”

The Malbim (1809-1879) says that one who is in the process of spiritual growth is said to be “one who is walking,” while one who has achieved a high level such as Moshe on Mt. Sinai, is described as one who “stands with Me.” Moshe described the nation as standing to mean it had achieved a high level.

May we all stand together on Rosh HaShanah, blessed with HaShem’s Mercy, to renew our commitments to do His mitzvos.

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