When the people heard the frightening klalos, curses, of Parashas Ki Savo, they despaired. They felt they had no opportunity for survival; Hashem no longer cared for them. Hashem responded with the comforting words, “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem. — You are standing today, all of you.” Hashem had sustained them in the past despite their iniquities; He would continue to maintain them in the future. The Midrash Tanchuma advances this thought with the comment, “Fallen nations never rise to stand again. (Klal) Yisrael falls, but rises to stand once more.” Jewish resilience is integral to our heritage. Indeed, tenacity is part of the Jewish psyche. Moshe Rabbeinu articulated the most frightening curses. Yet, he emphasized our permanence by using the word “nitzavim” in place of the usual “omdim“, a reference to a firm position.
We may add that “omedim” infers standing erect while nitzavim implies standing firm. The following message may be suggested: How straight or tall one stands is not important; rather, one’s endurance is of consequence. While some may erect impressive, stately edifices, – presumably to serve their spiritual needs, – they are of no value if they have no lasting effect. Judaism can just as well be served by the quaint shtiebel if it is characterized by sincerity and conviction. The important concept is permanence, a phenomenon which can only be manifest by our capacity to transmit our heritage from one generation to the next.
