5781 – Peninim on the Torah

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

Simply, we are not responsible for the hidden sinners, for those who conceal their evil. We will, however, be called to task for the actions of those who openly rebel. We are all responsible to maintain the integrity of Klal Yisrael. We suggest another interpretation of this pasuk. Those thoughts that are concealed within us, thoughts which we are astute enough not to express, belong to the Almighty. They exercise no influence on those around us, they hurt no one but ourselves. They are between us and G-d. Our revealed actions reflect the thoughts that we could not or did…

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Moshe Marcovich In Nitzavim, 5758

The later generation will say – your children who will arise after you and the foreigner who will come from a distant land. (29:21)

The Torah addresses the “later” generation, who will question the devastation that befell the Jewish People and their land. They will surmise that Klal Yisrael forsook Hashem for deities that were nothing more than figments of their imagination. This resulted in Hashem’s reciprocal response. The Bais Halevi approaches this pasuk homiletically, but practically. He observes that one day “your children will arise -who will know as much about Jewish tradition and its noble heritage as the nachri, stranger/non-Jew.” This, regrettably, is the gradual development of years of assimilation, years of lack of pride, years of attempting to fade into a…

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Moshe Marcovich In Nitzavim, 5758

For you pass into the covenant of Hashem, your G-d, and into his imprecation that Hashem, your G-d, seals with you today…Perhaps there is among you a man or woman, whose heart turns away today from being with Hashem. (29:11,17)

The parsha opens with everyone gathered together as Moshe initiates Klal Yisrael into the covenant for the final time. This may be the most idyllic moment in Jewish history. Everyone is together, unified in harmony one with another, about to be charged by Moshe at the closing scenes of his tenure as the quintessential leader of Klal Yisrael. It is a inspirational moment, marked by excitement about a job well done. This moment truly calls for the proverbial “pat on the back.” They have made it! We observe, however, a turn of events. During this exalted moment in time, Moshe…

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Moshe Marcovich In Nitzavim, 5758

You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem, your G-d, the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers…from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water. (29:9,10)

Since the Torah says “kulchem — all of you“, it obviously includes everyone from the “wood chopper” to the “water drawer.” Why is it necessary to reiterate the various classes or positions held by individual Jews? Horav Elyakim Schlesinger, Shlita, suggests that the covenant did not necessarily bind only the klal, the collective community of Klal Yisrael, but also each individual Jew, regardless of his station in life. If ever a breakdown in the spiritual fabric of Klal Yisrael would occur, if the leadership for some reason errs, the covenant would be sustained via the individual Jew. The Brisker Rav,…

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Moshe Marcovich In Nitzavim, 5758

You are standing today, all of you. (29:9)

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…

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

The later generation will say – your children who will arise after you and the foreigner who will come from a distant land. (29:21)

For you pass into the covenant of Hashem, your G-d, and into his imprecation that Hashem, your G-d, seals with you today…Perhaps there is among you a man or woman, whose heart turns away today from being with Hashem. (29:11,17)

You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem, your G-d, the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers…from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water. (29:9,10)

You are standing today, all of you. (29:9)

YEARS

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