Rashi cites Chazal (Tanchuma 1), who explain the juxtaposition of Nitzavim upon Parashas Ki Savo. When the people heard the frightening litany of the ninety-eight curses which comprised the (second) Tochachah, Admonition, they turned colors from fright at what appeared to them to be a limited likelihood of a positive future. Moshe Rabbeinu told them: You are all here today, despite having angered Hashem a number of times. Horav Yaakov Neiman, zl, explains that the Torah’s wording, nitzavim kulchem, standing/all of you, is deliberate and profound. It does not merely state that the Jewish people stood before Hashem – it underscores kulchem, all of you. We are all standing due to the inclusivity of everyone into the larger collective of Klal Yisrael. No hierarchy, no varied echelons, everyone as one: kulchem.
Horav Simcha Zissel Broide, zl, the Alter m’Kelm, notes that this parshah is read on the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah, the day on which we are all judged, the day Hashem decides our fate. The Torah reminds us that the power of the individual is magnified exponentially when he becomes part of the klal, greater collective. As individuals, we are vulnerable; as a nation, Klal Yisrael is indestructible.
This is the secret of our survival. Nitzavim implies permanence. Our nation endures when we are kulchem, together as one. As we approach the Yom HaDin, it is a time to draw closer to our fellow Jew – not just the ones who are like “us,” but even those who may be a little different, who are not on the same page as we are, who travel in different circles.
Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl (commentary to Vayikra 26:37), famously says, “The destiny of the individual is bound up in the destiny of the nation.” We rise and fall together. We are all united by the same cause: to serve Hashem and fulfill His ratzon, will. In times of joy and in times of adversity, we should remember that when we stand as one, joy echoes louder and sorrow softens sooner, for, in togetherness, every triumph is brighter and more meaningful and every tear finds comfort. May the coming year be one of joy and satisfaction for all of Klal Yisrael.
