Nitzavim – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

You are all standing today. (29:9)

Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, posits that nitzavim, standing, has a deeper meaning, beyond describing Klal Yisrael’s vertical position as Moshe Rabbeinu delivered his last homily to the nation he had shepherded for the last forty years. Nitzavim has a much more powerful connotation than standing. It is derived from – or closely related to – the word matzeivah, a pillar, a monument. In his last oration to the people, Moshe tells them, “You are the matzeivah, the foundation, the pillar, the force – the very future – and eternal carriers of the flame of Torah. You perpetuate the banner of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5771

You are all standing today… for you to pass into a covenant of Hashem, your G-d, and into His oath, that Hashem, your G-d, forges with you today. (29:9,11)

Chazal teach that when Klal Yisrael accepted the oath at Har Gerizim and Har Eival – naasu areivim zeh la’zeh, “They became guarantors one for another.” The principle, Kol Yisrael areivim zeh la’zeh, “All Jews are guarantors for one another,” is the foundation for many halachos, laws, which relate to Torah observance for the individual and the community. We must care for one another, because we are responsible for each other. This is the novel idea that was declared at Arvos Moav, the Plains of Moav. We wonder what is so novel about this idea that had not been indicated previously by…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5771

And He cast them to another land. (29:27)

It is obvious that the entire lamed of va’yashlicheim, “And He cast them,” is enlarged. Nothing is happenstance in the Torah. Every letter, spelling, nuance, is the foundation for many halachos and Torah lessons. Clearly, a lesson can be derived from the shape of the lamed. The Ridvaz, zl, quotes the Tur in his commentary to the Shulchan Aruch, who says that if someone were to throw his wallet into the reshus ha’rabim, public domain, it becomes hefker, ownerless. Whoever finds it is free to take it. However, if a string is attached to it, then regardless of the distance…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5771

The hidden things (sins) are for Hashem, our G-d, but the revealed things (sins) are for us. (29:28)

If ever there has been a pasuk that addresses the ills of contemporary society, it is this one. On all levels of exegesis, it speaks to us and the issues which plague many of us. Simply, the Torah is addressing those who contend that they cannot be held responsible for those Jews who sin covertly, who conceal their miscreancy, often under a façade of righteousness. Not only are they not sinners – they are righteous! How dare anyone impugn their spiritual integrity? Hashem’s response is quite forward: Do not worry about them. The hidden sin(s) are in My domain. I…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5771

It will be when all these things come upon you – the blessing and the curse… Then you will take it to your heart. (30:1)

While no one can actually pinpoint the corollary that exists between our rebellious behavior and the curses which follow, a definite pattern in history demonstrates that allegiance to Hashem is followed by blessing and sinful behavior precedes punishment. There are those who vehemently deny this verity, and have chosen to ignore what is plain to see. They continue to remain indifferent to what even a simpleton can deduce. Hashem has been very upfront with us. In Parashas Ki Savo, the Torah outlines the wonderful blessings that will be showered upon us for complying with the Torah. There is also a…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5771

And you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and listen to His voice, according to everything that I command you today. (30:2)

Ideal repentance is not motivated by fear, but by love, preceded by an intellectual appreciation of what a Torah way of life revolving around a profound belief in Hashem can do for a person. Unquestionably, Teshuvah, return/repentance, is a major step for anyone to undertake. This is, of course, especially true when one returns from a life of total assimilation and alienation. A word of warning, however, is in order: Teshuvah is much more than a step. It is a lifelong process that must continually grow as one’s commitment becomes stronger and more concrete. All too often, people begin the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5770

“From the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water.” (29:10)

Everybody was present that day, from the woodcutter to the water carrier. Is this the correct sequence? Should it not be worded, “From your leadership all the way down to your woodchoppers” or “From your goldsmiths to your woodchoppers”? One would think that the woodchopper and water carrier are basically on an equal level. Shivim Panim LaTorah suggests the following idea: When the ax is raised up over the head of the woodchopper, the “ax” would never consider that it is higher or more distinguished than the woodchopper, because the woodchopper is the one who is raising it up. Likewise,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5770

“Perhaps there is among you a root flourishing with gall and wormwood.” (29:17)

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5770

“And you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and listen to His voice.” (30:2)

There is a remarkable contrast between two types of people: one defies rebuke, laughing it off with disdain and derision; and the baal teshuvah, penitent, who hears Hashem’s call, responds to His voice and returns wholeheartedly. Two people – or could it be one person, one individual in different stages of his spiritual development? Is it possible for the hard-core sinner, the individual who mocks Hashem and His followers bitterly, to return and be accepted? It is certainly possible for him to be accepted: Hashem is a loving Father Who waits patiently for His errant child. How does one…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Nitzavim, 5770

“The hidden (sins) are for Hashem, our G-d, but the revealed (sins) are for us and for our children forever.” (29:28)

Simply, we are not held responsible for those sinners who hide their evil. The hidden sinners are in Hashem’s province. Our focus must be on those whose evil is blatant, who have no shame and no fear. Our lack of response to those sins and sinners – and in some cases, our open acceptance of their evil – impugns the integrity of Klal Yisrael. In an alternative exegesis, the Belzer Rebbe, z.l., suggests that nistaros and niglos, “hidden” and “revealed,” refer to mitzvos and good deeds, but not to sins. His pshat, rendering of the pasuk, is better understood in…

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You are all standing today. (29:9)

You are all standing today… for you to pass into a covenant of Hashem, your G-d, and into His oath, that Hashem, your G-d, forges with you today. (29:9,11)

And He cast them to another land. (29:27)

The hidden things (sins) are for Hashem, our G-d, but the revealed things (sins) are for us. (29:28)

It will be when all these things come upon you – the blessing and the curse… Then you will take it to your heart. (30:1)

And you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and listen to His voice, according to everything that I command you today. (30:2)

“From the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water.” (29:10)

“Perhaps there is among you a root flourishing with gall and wormwood.” (29:17)

“And you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and listen to His voice.” (30:2)

“The hidden (sins) are for Hashem, our G-d, but the revealed (sins) are for us and for our children forever.” (29:28)

YEARS

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