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(ט) אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤יםהַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יהוה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃(י) טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃
(9) You stand this day, all of you, before your God יהוה —your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials, every householder in Israel,(10) your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to waterdrawer—
“The people of Sinai affirm their ability to stand face to face with God. But what seems a static position is exposed, in a midrash quoted by Rashi, as a fulcrum of desire and fear, a point of equilibrium in the eye of the storm: ‘And all the people saw the voices…and they moved backwards and they stood at a distance (Exodus 20:15): they were rebelled to the rear a distance of twelve miles – that is the whole length of the camp. Then the angels came and helped them forward again.’ If this happened at each of the Ten Commandments, the people are imagined as traveling 240 miles in order to stand in place! The ebb and flow, the awe and the passion, are contained within a human ‘stance,’ that allows them to hold ground… the people stand as human beings do, aware of tensions and countertensions. And, of course, they ‘fall’ very soon after…The Talmud makes an extraordinary observation about the paradoxes of ‘standing’: No man stands on the words of Torah, unless he has stumbled over them. To discover firm standing ground, it is necessary to explore, to stumble, even to fall, certainly to survive the chaotic vibrations of a world that refuses to be. For how can one stand at all, if one does not know the tremor? … To stand in the presence of God is not, then, to be static: it is a kind of dance, invisible to the naked eye. Neither rigidity nor chaos is God’s desire of man.”
Imagine that moment. In fact, we are called upon to do more than imagine. We are called upon to experience that moment; to be present for it. We, too, stood with Moses on the banks of the Jordan River, each and every one of us, ready to enter into the covenant with God.
Our parashah opens with, ‘You are standing this day, nitzavim [inclusive plural, ‘all of you’], before the Lord your God (29: 9)’ What clues does the word nitzavim give us about the essence of the people’s attitude as they stood in preparation to hear Moses’ parting words? An intratextual answer (from elsewhere within the Torah) proves fascinating. When Miriam stood by the river to see what would become of her baby brother, Moses, the Torah says, “vatetatzav Miriam” (Ex 2:4). J.H. Hertz comments that this means Miriam not just “stood by” but “took her stand.” Vatetatzav and nitzavim share the root y-tz-v, meaning “firmly planted, unshakeable, committed.
This weeks parashah is Nitzavim (standing). Before we start walking, we have to know where we are standing. When we do not take note of where we are standing, what is going on around us, and what the appropriate response to our current situation is, we can easily walk/go to a place that is not ours. In order to reach a destination, we have to know where we are starting from; to reach our proper place, we have to see where we are standing right now. Without knowing where we are standing and what we are standing for, each experience will produce a reaction rather than a response. A reaction is just that—acting in the same manner. A response is taking a breath and making an informed decision to do things differently and use our past learning/experience to have a new response this time.
(א)רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמִּנִּיתִי לָכֶם רָאשִׁים זְקֵנִים וְשׁוֹטְרִים, כֻּלְּכֶם שָׁוִין לְפָנַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְכָל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל. דָּבָר אַחֵר, כֻּלְּכֶם עֲרֵבִים זֶה בָּזֶה. אֲפִלּוּ צַדִּיק אֶחָד בֵּינֵיכֶם, כֻּלְּכֶם עוֹמְדִים בִּזְכוּתוֹ. וְלֹא אַתֶּם בִּלְבַד, אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ צַדִּיק אֶחָד בֵּינֵיכֶם, כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ בִּזְכוּתוֹ עוֹמֵד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם (משלי י, כה).
(1) (Deut. 29:9:) “Your tribal leaders, [your elders, and your law officers].” Although I have appointed for you heads, judges, elders, and law officers, you shall all be equal before me, since it is stated (ibid., cont.), “every person in Israel.” Another interpretation (of Deut. 29:9): All of you are responsible for each other. Even though there is [only] one righteous person among you, you all shall survive (literally, stand) through his merit; and not only you, but the whole world in toto, as stated (in Prov. 10:25), “but a righteous person is the foundation for the world.”
"all of you" - The whole of the community is greater than the sum of its parts. Each individual Israelite may be flawed and imperfect, but when all of them join together, the strengths and good qualities of each are reinforced and magnified. This also teaches that no one should say, 'It is not my responsibility.' Everyone must do his or her share.
(יג) וְלֹ֥א אִתְּכֶ֖ם לְבַדְּכֶ֑ם אָנֹכִ֗י כֹּרֵת֙ אֶת־הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶת־הָאָלָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת׃(יד) כִּי֩ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֶשְׁנ֜וֹ פֹּ֗ה עִמָּ֙נוּ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד הַיּ֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֖י יהוה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה עִמָּ֥נוּ הַיּֽוֹם׃
(13) I make this covenant, with its sanctions, not with you alone,(14) but both with those who are standing here with us this day before our God יהוה and with those who are not with us here this day.
(יח) וְהָיָ֡ה בְּשׇׁמְעוֹ֩ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֨י הָאָלָ֜ה הַזֹּ֗את וְהִתְבָּרֵ֨ךְ בִּלְבָב֤וֹ לֵאמֹר֙ שָׁל֣וֹם יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֔י כִּ֛י בִּשְׁרִר֥וּת לִבִּ֖י אֵלֵ֑ךְ לְמַ֛עַן סְפ֥וֹת הָרָוָ֖ה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָֽה׃
(18) When hearing the words of these sanctions, they may imagine a special immunity, thinking, “I shall be safe, though I follow my own willful heart”—to the utter ruin of moist and dry alike.
This verse is so important to our growth in recovery. Too often we follow our willful heart and believe we are going to be able to deceive everyone around us that we are sober while we continue to use and/or cheat. Some people look good from the outside, like they are living decently, when all the while they are leading a double life. This particular verse seems like God knows that alcoholics and addicts need to be reminded that they can try to fool some people but that is not a good long-term strategy for living. I have watched many people try to live like this and then become surprised when their duplicitous nature defeats them. I have seen the pain that people living this type of double life have caused to their families and friends. I have also experienced the chaos that living a double life has on community. Living a double life is not relegated to alcoholics and addicts, however. We see this behavior in people from all walks of life: doctors, lawyers, politicians, clergy, employers, employees, and so on. With this verse, Moses and God remind us that being part of the covenant is making a commitment to living transparently. Too many of us are still trying to hide from ourselves. Doing this does not allow us to fulfill or find our true place in the world.
(כח) הַנִּ֨סְתָּרֹ֔ת לַיהוה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹ֞ת לָ֤ׄנׄוּׄ וּׄלְׄבָׄנֵ֙ׄיׄנׄוּ֙ׄ עַׄד־עוֹלָ֔ם לַעֲשׂ֕וֹת אֶת־כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ {ס}
(28) Concealed acts concern our God יהוה; but with overt acts, it is for us and our children ever to apply all the provisions of this Teaching.
External behavior is the limit of what human beings can see, measure, and judge. But that which underlies the behavior and is ultimately hidden from our view belongs to God. A person can keep kosher and still treat others with cruelty. Someone can pray three times a day and still feel angry and bitter. Conversely, someone can never pray at all and focus all of his or her attention on good deed, but perform these deeds to feed an insatiable ego. The meaning of behavior is invisible to any outsider. And it is the meaning of the act - not just the act itself - that makes a 'pleasing odor before the Lord.'
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי אוֹמֵר: בּוֹא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה חֲבִיבִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁבְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁגָּלוּ — שְׁכִינָה עִמָּהֶן. גָּלוּ לְמִצְרַיִם — שְׁכִינָה עִמָּהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הַנִּגְלֹה נִגְלֵיתִי לְבֵית אָבִיךָ בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּמִצְרַיִם וְגוֹ׳״. גָּלוּ לְבָבֶל — שְׁכִינָה עִמָּהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לְמַעַנְכֶם שֻׁלַּחְתִּי בָבֶלָה״. וְאַף כְּשֶׁהֵן עֲתִידִין לִיגָּאֵל — שְׁכִינָה עִמָּהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְשָׁב יהוה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ״. ״וְהֵשִׁיב״ לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא ״וְשָׁב״. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שָׁב עִמָּהֶן מִבֵּין הַגָּלִיּוֹת.
§ It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: Come and see how beloved the Jewish people are before the Holy One, Blessed be He. As every place they were exiled, the Divine Presence went with them. They were exiled to Egypt, and the Divine Presence went with them, as it is stated: “Did I reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt?” (I Samuel 2:27). They were exiled to Babylonia, and the Divine Presence went with them, as it is stated: “For your sake I have sent to Babylonia” (Isaiah 43:14). So too, when, in the future, they will be redeemed, the Divine Presence will be with them, as it is stated: “Then the Lord your God will return with your captivity” (Deuteronomy 30:3). It does not state: He will bring back, i.e., He will cause the Jewish people to return, but rather it says: “He will return,” which teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will return together with them from among the various exiles.
(א) וְהָיָה֩ כִֽי־יָבֹ֨אוּ עָלֶ֜יךָ כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הַבְּרָכָה֙ וְהַקְּלָלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ֙ אֶל־לְבָבֶ֔ךָ בְּכׇ֨ל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר הִדִּיחֲךָ֛ יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ שָֽׁמָּה׃(ב)וְשַׁבְתָּ֞ עַד־יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֣ בְקֹל֔וֹ כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם אַתָּ֣ה וּבָנֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃(ג) וְשָׁ֨ב יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ אֶת־שְׁבוּתְךָ֖ וְרִחֲמֶ֑ךָ וְשָׁ֗ב וְקִבֶּצְךָ֙ מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר הֱפִֽיצְךָ֛ יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ שָֽׁמָּה׃
(1) When all these things befall you—the blessing and the curse that I have set before you—and you take them to heart amidst the various nations to which your God יהוה has banished you,(2) and you return to your God יהוה, and you and your children heed God’s command with all your heart and soul, just as I enjoin upon you this day,(3) then your God יהוה will restore your fortunes and take you back in love. [God] will bring you together again from all the peoples where your God יהוה has scattered you.
(ח) וְאַתָּ֣ה תָשׁ֔וּב וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֖ בְּק֣וֹל יהוה וְעָשִׂ֙יתָ֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם׃(ט) וְהוֹתִֽירְךָ֩ יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ בְּכֹ֣ל ׀ מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֶ֗ךָ בִּפְרִ֨י בִטְנְךָ֜ וּבִפְרִ֧י בְהֶמְתְּךָ֛ וּבִפְרִ֥י אַדְמָתְךָ֖ לְטֹבָ֑ה כִּ֣י ׀ יָשׁ֣וּב יהוה לָשׂ֤וּשׂ עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ לְט֔וֹב כַּאֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֖שׂ עַל־אֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃(י) כִּ֣י תִשְׁמַ֗ע בְּקוֹל֙ יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר מִצְוֺתָיו֙ וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו הַכְּתוּבָ֕ה בְּסֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י תָשׁוּב֙ אֶל־יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ {ס}
(8) You, however, will again heed יהוה and obey all the divine commandments that I enjoin upon you this day.(9) And your God יהוה will grant you abounding prosperity in all your undertakings, in your issue from the womb, the offspring of your cattle, and your produce from the soil. For יהוה will again delight in your well-being as in that of your ancestors,(10) since you will be heeding your God יהוה and keeping the divine commandments and laws that are recorded in this book of the Teaching—once you return to your God יהוה with all your heart and soul.
"The word 'return' [שׁ֣וּב] in various forms occurs seven times in the first paragraph of Chapter 30...The word that continually recurs in our chapter, with various connotations, constitutes, indeed, the keyword of the passage underlining the theme of Teshuvah - Repentance [Return]...Just as the key word of the first ten verses of the chapter was shuv 'return,' we find that the word hayyim 'life' constitutes the motif of the six last verses.
(1) ואתה תשוב, not from the root שוב to return, but from the root ישב, i.e. you will sit at ease, undisturbed.
(ו)וּמָ֨ל יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ֖ וְאֶת־לְבַ֣ב זַרְעֶ֑ךָ לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ לְמַ֥עַן חַיֶּֽיךָ׃
(6) Then your God יהוה will open up [lit, circumcise] your heart and the hearts of your offspring—to love your God יהוה with all your heart and soul, in order that you may live.
(כו) וְנָתַתִּ֤י לָכֶם֙ לֵ֣ב חָדָ֔שׁ וְר֥וּחַ חֲדָשָׁ֖ה אֶתֵּ֣ן בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וַהֲסִ֨רֹתִ֜י אֶת־לֵ֤ב הָאֶ֙בֶן֙ מִבְּשַׂרְכֶ֔ם וְנָתַתִּ֥י לָכֶ֖ם לֵ֥ב בָּשָֽׂר׃(כז) וְאֶת־רוּחִ֖י אֶתֵּ֣ן בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וְעָשִׂ֗יתִי אֵ֤ת אֲשֶׁר־בְּחֻקַּי֙ תֵּלֵ֔כוּ וּמִשְׁפָּטַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃
(26) And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you: I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh;(27) and I will put My spirit into you. Thus I will cause you to follow My laws and faithfully to observe My rules.
Earlier, Moses directs the people to circumcise their hearts themselves, but now he speaks of God circumcising their hearts for them. The difference is that now he is speaking of a future condition: the people will have violated the covenant, suffered the curses, and turned their back to God; and God, in response, will bring them back and then will circumcise their hearts. This in turn will enable them to love the deity with all their hearts and souls – which Moses had commanded them to do earlier as well. The divine-human relationship is pictured as mutual. Humans require the experience of being away from their God, on their own. And then, more experienced, more understanding, having suffered and grown, humans look to God anew. And then the new encounter with the divine transforms them. (emphasis mine)
The metaphor of the circumcised heart exemplifies the profound internal transformation of each and every person. God needs to act upon the heart, where recognition of the sin develops and where full obedience and devotion reside, in a circumcision-like procedure to ensure the permanency of this change…[it is a] divine action of grace, or maybe of compulsion.
Every year, just before Yom Kippur, I make a concerted effort to speak out the shadowy contents of my heart to another human being…I know these things as well as I know the back of my hand. I have thought these thoughts a thousand times before. Still, to get them out makes a tremendous difference.
For hearing is a function of the heart, as in Solomon’s prayer: “Give your servant a hearing heart.”
(יב)לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֙יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃(יג) וְלֹא־מֵעֵ֥בֶר לַיָּ֖ם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲבׇר־לָ֜נוּ אֶל־עֵ֤בֶר הַיָּם֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃(יד) כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃ {ס}
(12)It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?”(13) Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?”(14) No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.
'It is not in heaven' emphasises the facility and feasibility of Torah affording therefore no excuse for neglect. It also implies the heavy responsibility devolving on the students and scholars of the Torah. Since it is not in heaven, man can no longer rely on heavenly guidance but must interpret it and it it himself with his own resources. The Torah is not the property of a privileged cast of priests and initiates. It is not in heaven but in our midst. It is the duty of all to study, teach, and practice its tenets.
Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai said to [his disciples]: Go into the world and observe the right course a man should steadfastly follow. R. Eliezer came back and said: Be generous with your means. R. Joshua said: Be a good friend. R. Yose said: Be a good neighbor. R. Simeon said: Consider the consequences of your actions. R. Eleazar said: Cultivate an unselfish heart. Rabban Yohanan said to them: I prefer what Eleazar said to what you have said, because his definition includes all of yours.
Something that is in the mouth but not the heart is meaningless, and something that is in the heart but does not prompt speech or action is not worth that much.
There is a story about some jealous angels who are asked to hide the spark of the Divine in the world. ‘Let’s put it atop the highest mountain,’ offers one. ‘No,’ says another. “The Human is very ambitious; he will find it there.’ ‘Well then, let bury it beneath the deepest sea.’ ‘That won’t work either,’ another chimes in. ‘The Human is very resourceful. She will even find it there.’ After a moment’s thought the wisest angel says, ‘I know. Put it inside the human heart. They will never look there.’ And so the spark of God is hidden in the heart of the Pharaoh where we are kept out by the heaviness that has accumulated, by the hardness that we meant for our protection.
A parable of an old man seated on a highway from which there branched two roads, [one full of thorns at the beginning but level at the end], and the other level at the beginning but full of thorns at the end. So he sat at the fork of the road and cautioned passersby, saying, 'Even though the beginning of this road is full of thorns, follow it, for it will turn level in the end.' Whoever sensibly heeded the old man and followed that road did get a bit weary at first, to be sure, but went on in peace and arrived in peace. Those who did not heed the old man set out on the other road and stumbled in the end. Sot it was with Moses, who explicitly said to Israel, 'Behold the way of life and the way of death, the blessing and the curse. 'Therefor choose life, that thou mayest live...'' (Deut. 30: 19)
Sages of the school of Rabbi Ishmael taught: 'Choose life' (Deut 30:19) means: choose a craft.
If we are fearful when we sit and study the Torah, of which it is written, 'For that is thy life and the length of thy days' (Deut. 30:20), how much more fearful ought we be should we cease the study of words of Torah!
תַּנְיָא לְאַהֲבָה אֶת יהוה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמוֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ וּלְדׇבְקָה בוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר אָדָם אֶקְרָא שֶׁיִּקְרָאוּנִי חָכָם אֶשְׁנֶה שֶׁיִּקְרָאוּנִי רַבִּי אֲשַׁנֵּן שֶׁאֶהְיֶה זָקֵן וְאֵשֵׁב בִּישִׁיבָהאֶלָּא לְמַד מֵאַהֲבָה וְסוֹף הַכָּבוֹד לָבֹא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר קׇשְׁרֵם עַל אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ כׇּתְבֵם עַל לוּחַ לִבֶּךָ וְאוֹמֵר דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נוֹעַם וְאוֹמֵר עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר
Apropos the story of Rabbi Tarfon’s regret for gaining personal benefit from his status as a Torah scholar, the Gemara cites similar teachings. It is taught in a baraita: The verse states: “To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 30:20). This verse indicates that a person should not say: I will read the written Torah so that they will call me a Sage; I will study Mishna so that they will call me Rabbi; I will review my studies so that I will be an Elder and will sit in the academy.Rather, learn out of love, as the verse states: “To love the Lord your God.” And the honor will eventually come of its own accord, as it is stated: “Bind them upon your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 7:3), and it states: “Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace” (Proverbs 3:17), and it states: “It is a tree of life to those who grasp it; happy is everyone who holds it fast” (Proverbs 3:17). Consequently, one who studies in order to master Torah for its own sake, as reflected in the verse “bind them upon your fingers,” will eventually merit pleasantness, peace, and happiness.