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אתם נצבים היום כלכם לפני ד' אלקיכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5777

You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem, your G-d. (29:9)

We are standing motionless before Hashem. This does not seem right, because it is the time of the year when anxiety and tremors should accompany the chill creeping up our collective spines. Rosh Hashanah, accompanied by its ominous reminder that the future we hope for might, chas v’shalom, Heaven-forbid, be nothing more than hope, is quickly bearing down upon us. Is this a time simply to be “standing”? Regrettably, there are instances when the debit column of our spiritual spreadsheet is overwhelming. The credit column is embarrassing, paling in comparison with its counterpart. “We should be crying out,” declares Horav…

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Home -> 5777 -> Nitzavim

והשבת אל לבבך... ושבת עד ד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5777

And you will ponder in your heart… and you shall return unto Hashem your G-d. (30:1,2)

When things do not seem to go your way, you see more curse than blessing — and begin to become anxious. You finally start believing that Heaven might just be conveying a message to you – and you begin to think. Sforno explains the thought process and what should be coursing through your mind: “When you carefully examine and consider the conflicting aspects (of your concepts and actions) and call them all to mind, so as to distinguish truth from falsehood, then you will recognize (realize) how far you have distanced yourself from Hashem in your opinions and behavior which…

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Home -> 5777 -> Nitzavim

ראה נתתי לפניך היום את החיים ואת הטוב ואת המות ואת הרע... ובחרת בחיים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5777

See – that I have placed before you today the life and the good, and the death and the evil… and you shall choose life. (30:15,19)

Some of us think that once one is born into a frum, observant family and educated in a fine Torah-oriented and conducive environment, it is smooth sailing from there. Well – it is not. The choices exist on a daily –almost constant – basis, and one’s commitment must be made anew – everyday. So says Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, in his commentary to the above pasuk: “Hayom – today – each and every day of our lives, the yetzer hora, evil-inclination, attempts to lure us with his guile. Just because he was not successful ‘yesterday,’ it does not prevent him…

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Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

והיה בשמעו את דברי האלה הזאת והתברך בלבבו לאמר שלום יהיה לי כי בשררת לבי אלך... לא יאבה ד' סלח לו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5776

And it will be that when he hears the words of this imprecation, he will bless himself in his heart, saying, “Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit…” Hashem will not be willing to forgive him. (29:18, 19)

We hear it all of the time, “It is not me… True, bad things do happen, but – to others – not to me.” We have convinced ourselves that we are immune from punishment; disasters happen to others; tragedies are events that we read about – but they do not happen to us. It is almost as if we have sprayed ourselves with Teflon, preventing anything bad from happening directly to us. Ibn Ezra offers a rationale for this delusion: “Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit.” I will live in the merit of…

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Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

ואמרו כל הגוים... וישלכם אל ארץ אחרת כיום הזה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5776

And all the nations will say… and He cast them to another land, as this very day! (29:23,27)

Horav Chaim Shaul Kaufman, zl, Rosh Yeshivas Tiferes Yaakov (London) gleans from this statement the stark difference between the attitude of the gentile during a period of Heavenly concealment and the Jewish perspective on adversity. The gentile “believes” in G-d (according to his limited understanding of this term). When a moment of hester panim, Divine concealment, occurs in his life, he feels that G-d has forsaken him, cast him off (perhaps even deservedly) to the point that, whatever adversity and challenge he confronts, it will not provide a lesson for him from which he can learn and change. Whatever happens…

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Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

כי המצוה הזאת... לא נפלאת היא ממך ולא רחוקה היא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5776

For this mitzvah… it is not hidden from you and it is not distant. (30:11)

The Ramban writes that “this mitzvah” refers to the mitzvah of teshuvah, repentance. The sinner conjures up a wealth of lame excuses for not repenting. For the most part, the primary hurdle is believing that one can successfully navigate the teshuvah process and return to pre-sin status – both in the eyes of the community and in the eyes of the sinner. The offender has convinced himself that he has gone too far, offended too many, hurt so many close family and friends, so why bother? We are at the gates of Rosh Hashanah, and each and every one of…

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Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

ראה נתתי לפניך היום את החיים ואת הטוב ואת המות ואת הרע... ובחרת בחיים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5776

See – I have placed before you today the life and the good, and the death and the evil… and you shall choose life. (30:15,19)

The pasuk teaches us that Hashem wants us to choose life. By not choosing the path of life, we, by default, choose evil. This is something that everyone understands. When two options contrast one another, choosing one means negating the other. The pasuk, however, is teaching us something else. Horav Michel Feinstein, zl, understands that there exists the entity of good and the entity of evil. The fact that the Torah refers to each entity individually compels us to acknowledge that ra, evil, is much more than a lack of good. It is a separate free-standing entity which exists as…

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Home -> 5776 -> Nitzavim

כי הוא חייך ואורך ימיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5776

For He is your life and the length of your days. (30:20)

A Jew is defined by his relationship with Hashem. Nothing else is considered living. A person who truly cares about – and values – his life devotes his time to Torah study or to strengthening his relationship with Hashem. Some of us pass through time, not realizing that the greatest Heavenly gift is slipping by with each passing minute. The gift of life is immutable – once it is gone, it is gone forever. Thus, the defining outlook of a Jew is, “How do I value my spiritual life? Is it my primary objective, or does it place a far…

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Home -> 5775 -> Nitzavim

אתם נצבים היום... לפני ד' אלקיכם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5775

You are standing today… before Hashem, your G-d. (29:9)

Hayom, today, alludes to the special day, Rosh Hashanah, when we all stand in judgment before Hashem. This day is different, for on this day, as Horav Nosson Wachtfogel, zl, comments, we enter into the palace of the King. We have a private conference, during which we think of nothing else: not of the past; not of the future; just the present. Our conversation does not revolve around ourselves; it is not for our personal requests. Rather, on this day we coronate Hashem; we praise Him and pray that today will be the beginning when all creatures, all peoples, will…

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Home -> 5775 -> Nitzavim

הנסתרות לד' אלקינו והנגלות לנו ולבנינו עד עולם לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Nitzavim, 5775

The hidden (sins) are for Hashem, our G-d, but the revealed (sins) are for us and our children forever, to carry out all the words of the Torah. (29:28)

An abundance of commentary is available to explain the application of the nekudos, dots, above u’l’vaneinu, “And for our children.” We will address the commentary of the Chafetz Chaim, zl, because of its depth – despite its apparent simplicity. When a person writes a note, pens a statement, and he wants to make a point, underscore a certain idea, he will underline, bold, or highlight it in some noticeable manner. Hashem sought to teach Moshe Rabbeinu an important lesson, one that he should impart to the Jewish People, one that He wanted them to underscore in building their future: it…

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