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Cortesy of Partners-in-Torah Parshas Nitzavim teaches the crucial
concept that all souls, even those unborn, were present at the giving of the
Torah, establishing a permanent time-transcending link between the generations.
The way to redemption is detailed by way of Teshuvah total repentance. In Parshas Vayeilech, Moses speaks to the
nation, reassuring them of G-d's Providence, even when His presence is not
obvious in the world and warns of future temptations and tribulations. The
commandment to write down the whole of the Torah is given, which completes the
613 Mitzvos of the written Torah. The promise is made that the Torah will not
and cannot be forgotten and will stand as a witness to constantly return the
Children of Israel to their Divine mission. The entire congregation of Israel is
gathered together to be taught the final "poem" which is to guide them
throughout the ages. "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 this Torah." (29:28) In discussing the difference
between sins performed privately and those which are public knowledge, the Torah
writes the words lanu velevaneynu for us and for our
children with dots on top of each letter, something which is done quite
rarely. Although there are complex legal rules for interpreting the meaning of
these dots whenever they occur (see Rashi), the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisroel
Meir Kagan finds a beautiful symbolic message in this anomaly. The Chofetz Chaim notes that when writing a
book or a letter, an author who wants to stress or draw attention to a certain
phrase or point will draw attention to it by underlining the salient words.
Similarly, when discussing the importance of educating our children and raising
them with proper values and outlooks, the Torah saw no more fitting way to do so
than to place dots on the words referring to us and our children, essentially
"underlining" these words. Hashem did this to emphasize the unparalleled
significance in Judaism of teaching our children to be proper G-d-fearing Jews. The following story shows just how far this
lesson can be taken. One year on the night of Kol Nidrei, the most awe-inspiring
night in the Jewish calendar, the Jews of Grodna, a large community then part of
the Russian empire, were all assembled in the town's great synagogue, ready to
begin the solemn services. Only one critical element was conspicuously absent:
Rabbi Binyomin Diskin, renowned for his punctuality, was nowhere to be seen.
After waiting several tense minutes, a delegation was dispatched to his house to
find out what the delay was. Upon arriving at the house of their beloved
Rabbi fearing for the worst, they were shocked when they peered through the
window and observed him calmly seated by the table, studying together with his
young son, seemingly oblivious to the date and to the entire congregation that
was anxiously awaiting him in the synagogue. Seizing up his courage, one of the elders
of the community knocked and gently explained that the congregation was
concerned about his uncharacteristic delay. Understanding that they were seeking
an explanation for his behavior, the elderly Rabbi explained that with the
arrival of the day on which a person's fate for the upcoming year is sealed, he
found himself nervous about his lack of merits. Desperately seeking to accrue
mitzvos which could tip the scale in his favor, he could think of no greater
merit than teaching Torah to his young son, who (not surprisingly) grew up to
become the saintly Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin! The lesson for us is clear. Parshas
Nitzavim-Vayelech is read annually close to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. At the
time when the entire world passes before Hashem in judgment, the Torah goes out
of its way to uncharacteristically "underline" a phrase to emphasize to us the
importance of looking after our children and raising them properly. Indeed, our
Rabbis teach that a person is judged and held responsible not only for his own
actions, but also for those of his descendants (to the extent that he could have
influenced them to behave otherwise). At this critical time, let us remember the
Chofetz Chaim's message and the actions of Rabbi Diskin and accept upon
ourselves a recommitment to educating and influencing our families in a
direction which would make Hashem proud. "You are standing todaybefore Hashem your
G-dyour eldersyour small childrenfor you to pass into the covenant of Hashem"
29:9-11 A covenant
forged with adults alone, lacking a provision mandating that the children be
similarly educated, would be virtually meaningless, as recent history has so
vividly demonstrated. Sadly, this lesson has been lost on many in the Jewish
community who spend inordinate amounts of money constructing museums
commemorating the past, instead of supporting day schools to ensure the future.
There is no greater gift a parent can give a child than a meaningful Jewish
education. "If your dispersed will be at the ends of
heaven, from there, Hashem, your G-d, will gather you in and from there, He will
take you." 30:4 These
verses speak of the Messianic Era, and assure us that there is no Jew beyond
redemption. Even if one is at the "edges of the heaven", a metaphor for a
completely assimilated Jew, it is not beyond G-d's capacity to help this person
find the way back. We are fortunate to live in an era where anyone who desires
to return to a life of Torah can do so. Resources abound to assist him in his
journey and one can live as a Jew without fear, virtually anywhere Jews are
found today. All that's needed is for one to invest in the time needed to
explore, and he too, will merit the realization of this extraordinary prophecy.
There's no need to wait for Mashiach to arrive. Our birthright is waiting to be
claimed today. "I am one hundred and twenty years old today.
I can no longer go out and come inHashem, your G-d he will cross before you.
He will destroy these nations Yehoshuah he will cross over before you" 31:2,3 The people were about to lose Moshe and they feared
that minus his leadership they'd never succeed in conquering the powerful
nations that inhabited the Land of Israel at the time. Yehoshua was as yet, an
unproven leader, and they lacked confidence in his ability to lead them in war.
Moshe reassured them saying that all Jewish leaders are only as good as the
power vested in them by Hashem, Who is the true warrior as the verse says,
"Hashem is [the] Master of war[Shmos 15:3]." Without His assistance, no leader
will be powerful enough to lead you to victory. With His assistance, Yehoshua
can be no less successful than I. Dear Rabbi, Dear Glen, The truth is that Ramban does not directly
discuss this practice, but rather discusses other symbolic acts that we read
about in different areas in Scripture. For example, when Abraham traveled to the
Land of Israel at G-d's request, he first sojourned to the city of Shechem, in
order to presage that the first place in the Land which would be taken under
Jewish control will be the city of Shechem. Referring to the Kabbalistic literature,
Ramban explains that an event which is decreed in Heaven has no physical or
concrete substance. In order for it to take effect in the physical world, there
needs to be a linkage created between the spiritual and the material. By
performing a physical act which symbolically captures the essence of the
Heavenly decree, the spiritual decree can then attach itself to the physical.
Abraham first went to the city of Shechem in order to actualize the decree that
the Jews should first take possession of that city. Similarly, the Chayei Adam most probably
means that the symbolic foods that we eat and recite petitions over, are items
that symbolize Heavenly declarations that we hope will be made for us and the
Jewish people on Rosh HaShanah, which is the Day of Judgment. In effect, we are
saying to G-d,: If the only thing which is preventing Your declaration for good
from taking effect for us during this coming year is that it remains in the
realm of the spirit and cannot yet permeate the physical, then let this food,
which symbolizes the declaration we hope for, provide the means by which it can
take effect. So instead of being an act of
superstition, the symbolic foods are a way by which we can inject the physical
world with the decrees from the spiritual world. Glen, let me wish you and your
family a good and healthy New Year, filled with joy, prosperity, and Torah!
R' Yaakov Neiman (in Darkei Mussar) explains,
based on Midrash Tanchuma, that the word kulchem in the verse: atem
netzavim hayom kulchem - You are standing today, all of you - alludes to the
fact that only when the entire people are kulchem, together, can we
remain netzavim, standing, i.e., surviving. The punishment delineated in
the verses following can be avoided if the people would but remain united. This lesson is especially timely in these
days, as we approach Rosh Hashanah, The Day of Judgment. The Alter of Kelm used
to say that one of the most effective ways to be found worthy in this judgment
is for the individual to connect himself to the whole of the Jewish people. The
Alter based this on the Midrash cited in connection with the laws of preparation
for Rosh Hashanah (Tur Orach Chaim 581). As with any festival, we are to wash
and groom ourselves in preparation for Rosh Hashanah despite the fact that the
nature of the day is somber and the life of each individual is hanging in the
balance. The Midrash comments, "Which nation is as this one, who knows the ways
of its God? Ordinarily, when one faces a judgment he wears black and neglects
his own grooming, in his anxiety regarding the outcome. Israel, however, is not
that way. They groom, wear white (festive clothing), eat, drink, and rejoice on
Rosh Hashanah, for they know that Hashem will perform a miracle for them." Surely there is no guarantee that each
individual will pass his own personal judgment! What, then, is the miracle to
which the Midrash refers in which we can be so confident? The Alter explains
that this refers to the judgment of the Jewish people as a whole. The nation
collectively is guaranteed that they will survive and flourish. It follows, then, that one way of receiving
a favorable outcome for one's own personal judgment is to attach oneself to a
larger community of God-fearing people, who represent the collective of the
Jewish people. For example, if one is in a position where he, due to his public
service whether it be teaching Torah or taking charge of the community's
charities or institutions becomes a vital part of the community, he is seen in
Heaven in the same light as the community that he serves. And the community is
judged on an entirely different level than a lone individual. At the time of the Mirrer Yeshivah's
sojourn in Shanghai during the Second World War, the yeshivah merited to see the
hand of Providence clearly guiding their every step, protecting them from the
many dangers that constantly assailed them. During that period, R' Chaim
Shmulevitz (who was one of the roshei yeshivah) heard that some students were
not learning in the beis midrash (study hall) with the rest of the yeshivah, but
in the adjacent women's gallery. His reaction was sharp and swift. The following
message was sent to those students: "Know that each community is judged in
Heaven as a community, and that this judgment is conducted differently than that
of an individual. For us, as long as everyone is learning together in the same
place, each of us can be considered part of that community and merit that more
favorable judgment. However, those who abandon the community and go to learn by
themselves can be seen only as individuals. And who can say that as an
individual and standing by himself he has enough merits to be saved in such
dangerous times?" Q: As the Torah is the
blueprint for the entire Creation, our Sages teach that it inherently contains
within it hints and allusions to everything which will ever exist or occur in
the universe. How is this information stored, and what does it have to say about
recent and current events in Jewish history? A: The Vilna Gaon
explains that the Torah's recounting of the episode of Creation contains the
events which transpired in the first 1000 years of history, with the second 1000
years hidden in the remainder of the book of Genesis, the third 1000 years in
Exodus, the fourth 1000 years in Leviticus, the fifth 1000 years in Numbers, and
the final 1000 years in Deuteronomy. As Deuteronomy contains 10 portions
(counting Nitzavim and Vayeilech as one, as they are often read together as a
double portion), each portion hints to the events of one century of the 6th
millennium, beginning from Devarim and ending with V'Zos HaBeracha. Based on this explanation, it has been
noted that the early years of the Holocaust, the greatest national tragedy in
modern history, fall out in the century which is hinted to in Parsha Ki Savo,
which contains words of rebuke and hair-raising threats of terrible suffering
which will befall the Jewish nation. However, consolation may be found by
recognizing that we are currently living in the century which corresponds to
Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech, which is commonly referred to as the portion of
repentance, and not surprisingly the years since World War II have seen waves of
unaffiliated Jews returning to their roots at unprecedented rates, precisely as
predicted by the Torah. This should serve as an inspiration for all Jews to
examine and improve their ways as Rosh HaShana draws nearer with every passing
day. Q: The Talmud (Sotah 13b) derives from 31:2 that the
righteous die on the day on which they were born, as Hashem completes the years
of the righteous from day to day and from month to month. If Moses finished out
his years, shouldn't he have died on 6 Adar the last day of his 120th year
and not on 7 Adar, which was the first day of a new year which he didn't live to
complete? A: In his commentary
Chochmas Shlomo on the Choshen Mishpat section of Shulchan Aruch (35:1), Rabbi
Shlomo Kluger uses this very question as a novel support for an original
position. Most commentators assume that a child becomes a legal adult as a Bar
or Bas Mitzvah at sundown on the day of his or 13th or 12th birthdays,
respectively. Rabbi Kluger, however, maintains that this occurs not at sundown
but only at the time of day when the child was actually born. He suggests that
although Moses was born on 7 Adar, he couldn't die on 6 Adar, as this wouldn't
be considered a finished year. Rather, he died on 7 Adar just at the time he was
born, completing his 120th full year. It should be noted that while interesting,
for practical purposes the law is decided in accordance with the majority of
commentators who disagree with this opinion. Table Talk: For discussion around the
Shabbos TableParsha PartnerTM
Parshas NITZAVIM-VAYELECH
Parsha
At-a-Glance
By
Ozer Alport
Parsha
Perspectives
By
Ozer Alport
Talking
Points
Rabbi
Elazar Meisels
1. Don't Forget The Children
2. Return Tickets
3. The
Secret of Our Strength
Partners
Talk
Apples and Honey
In our preparations for Rosh HaShanah, my mentor told me about the practice
of eating symbolic foods on Rosh HaShanah eve as an omen for good things to
happen in the coming year. Is this really part of the Jewish religion?
Eagerly awaiting your response,
Glen D .
Torah Jews do not believe in superstition nor do we believe in the efficacy of a
rabbit's foot to bring good luck. Nevertheless, this practice that you refer to
has its origins in the Talmud and is a time-hallowed tradition among the Jewish
people. We dip our challah and an apple into honey to symbolize a sweet New
Year. During the meal, many eat small amounts of a number of foods, whose names
have some connection with good things that we are hoping for. For example,
carrots in Yiddish are called "merrin," which also means "more." We ask G-d that
we should be granted many more opportunities to serve Him and thereby amass
"more" reward. The author of the book Chayei Adam, which is a major halachic
work, refers us to Ramban in Bereishis as a way to explain this custom of eating
symbolic foods.
Rabbi Reuven Drucker
Soul
Talk
Hey,
I never knew that!
Amazing
Insights About the Weekly Parsha
By Ozer
Alport
a) Moses reminds the
people of the detestable and abominable idols which they saw in Egypt and other
lands through which they passed. Why was it necessary to warn them (29:17)
against worshipping these idols, if they themselves had witnessed how deplorable
they were? (Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik quoted in Nesivos Rabboseinu, Shiras
Dovid by Rabbi Dovid Goldberg)
b) Maimonides writes (Hilchos Chagiga 3:1) that
the purpose of gathering the people together to hear the reading of the book of
Deuteronomy (31:11) is to strengthen their religious commitment and fear of
Hashem. With such important objectives, why is this mitzvah performed only once
every seven years and not annually? (Even Yisroel by Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov
Fisher)
Torah Umesorah, the National
Society for Hebrew Day Schools
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