ספר דברים - פרשת נצבים - כט:ט-יא - ראשון

"You are all standing this day before Hashem, your God: your leaders of the tribes, your elders, your officers, every man of Israel." The teacher explains that when the Torah says "you are standing" and "today," it refers to the last day of Moshe Rabbeinu's life. This teaches us that Moshe gathered all the Jewish people before Hashem on the day of his death to bring them into a covenant. The verse lists the leaders of the tribes, elders, officers, and every man of Israel, showing that everyone was present for this important event.

On the words "Atem nitzavim" (you are standing), Rashi teaches that this means Moshe gathered the Jewish people before Hashem on the day of his death, to bring them into the covenant. The teacher elaborates that this was a special gathering, where Moshe made sure to bring everyone together for this purpose.

On the words "Roshaychem shivteychem" (your leaders, your tribes), Rashi explains that these are not two separate categories. Rather, it means "your leaders for your tribes"—the heads of the tribes. The teacher points out that these two terms go together, indicating that the leaders are the heads of each tribe.

On the words "Zikneychem v'shotreychem" (your elders and your officers), Rashi says that the more important person is mentioned first. So, the elders are listed before the officers. The teacher adds that after listing these leaders, the verse then mentions "kol ish Yisrael"—all the people of Israel—showing the order of importance in how the groups are listed.

"Your small children, your wives, and your convert who is among your camp, from the woodchopper to the water drawer." The teacher explains that the verse continues to include everyone, even the children, wives, and converts. It specifically mentions the woodchopper and the water drawer, which Rashi will explain further. The teacher notes that these groups are separated out for a reason, which will be discussed in the next Rashi.

On the words "Mechotev eitsecha" (from the woodchopper), Rashi teaches that this shows that some of the Canaanites came to convert in the days of Moshe, similar to what happened with the Givonim in the days of Yehoshua. The teacher explains that just as the Givonim deceived Yehoshua by pretending to come from a far place and converted through trickery, so too, in the days of Moshe, some Canaanites tried to join the Jewish people. Moshe did not allow them to become full members of the Jewish community; instead, he made them woodchoppers and water drawers, meaning they served as slaves to the Jewish community. That is why they are mentioned separately in the verse.

"To make you pass through in the covenant of Hashem, your God, and in His oath, which Hashem, your God, is cutting with you today." The teacher explains that the purpose of gathering everyone was to bring them into a covenant with Hashem. The phrase "le'aveircha" means to make you go through the covenant, and the verse emphasizes that this is happening today, on the last day of Moshe's life.

On the word "le'aveircha" (to make you pass through), Rashi explains that it means "so that you go through in the covenant." The teacher clarifies that it does not mean "to make you pass through" in a physical sense, but rather, like in the previous verse "la'asoschem osam"—to do them. Rashi further explains that the way they would make a covenant was to set up a wall on one side and a wall on the other, and the people would walk through in between, as described in the book of Yirmiyahu, where they cut a calf in two and passed between the pieces. This was the traditional way of making a covenant.

Rashi explains the phrase le'aveircha b'bris—to make you pass through the covenant—as referring to the way a covenant was enacted in those days. The process involved making a partition on one side and a partition on the other side, and then passing through in between them. Rashi brings a proof from the verse in Yirmiyahu, which describes how they would cut a calf into two pieces and pass between its parts. This was the established method for making a covenant, and that's what is meant here by passing through the covenant. The teacher emphasizes that this is not simply about Hashem making you pass through, but rather that you, the people, are actively going through the process of entering the covenant, following this traditional ritual of passing between the divided pieces.