לקוטי שיחות חלק י״ט - נצבים א

Likkutei Sichos Vol. 19 – Nitzavim 1

1. On the verse "You are standing (today)" Rashi comments: "This teaches that Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, blessed be He, on the day of his death to bring them into the covenant."

This raises a question: What is Rashi adding with "This teaches that Moshe gathered them... to bring them into the covenant," since it is explicitly stated "You are standing today... to enter into the covenant of the L‑rd your G‑d"?

Commentators explain that Rashi's novelty with "This teaches..." is not in the "to bring them into the covenant," which is explicitly stated in the verse, but in "Moshe gathered them...": The verse only states "You are standing," which could imply that Moshe did not gather them, but rather they remained standing in their places (as they were encamped around the Ark). Rashi says, "This teaches that Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, blessed be He... to bring them into the covenant," and his proof that "he gathered them" is from "to bring them into the covenant" — entering into a covenant requires a prior gathering.

However, it is difficult to interpret Rashi this way, because according to this: a) Rashi should have included in the opening words of his commentary the further words "to enter into the covenant," from which his necessity is derived. b) He should have said not "to bring them" but (in the manner of the verse) "to pass them into the covenant," which would be the proof that "he gathered them." c) From Rashi's wording "This teaches that Moshe gathered them... to bring them into the covenant," it implies that Rashi's novelty lies in "to bring them into the covenant" (not in the very matter of "he gathered them," and "to bring them into the covenant" should only be the proof for this).

2. After Rashi explains the verses up to "that He may establish you today as His people and He will be your G‑d," he provides two more interpretations on our verse: "And another interpretation: Why is the section of 'You are standing' juxtaposed to the curses? Because when Israel heard the hundred curses... Moshe began to console them: 'You are standing today...' and behold, you are standing before Him"; and then he explains the word "today" (according to this interpretation) "like this day which is enduring..." and continues, "Another interpretation: 'You are standing' because Israel was transitioning from one leader to another, from Moshe to Yehoshua, therefore he made them a monument to encourage them..."

We need to understand:

a) What is difficult in the first interpretation that necessitates Rashi to resort to a second interpretation, and furthermore — from "Midrash Aggadah"; and also the second interpretation is not sufficient, and he needs to resort to a third interpretation "Another interpretation: 'You are standing...'".

2. On the other hand, as has been discussed many times, the first interpretation is the primary one, and the second interpretation is closer to the simple meaning of the verse than the third interpretation. Based on this, we need to understand: in what way is the third interpretation further from the simple meaning of the verse than the second interpretation?

Furthermore, from the fact that Rashi brings the interpretation from "Midrash Aggadah" and also the third interpretation "Another interpretation" only at the verse "in order to establish you...", and not immediately at the beginning of the section with the first verse "You are standing today," it is evident that these two other interpretations in Rashi are related not only to the words "You are standing today," but also to all the verses up to the verse "in order to establish you...". As Rashi's wording in that verse indicates, "Therefore I explained according to the simple meaning of the section and Midrash Aggadah, etc.," meaning that the "Midrash Aggadah" is another interpretation also for the other verses up to here. Nevertheless, Rashi does not explain in detail the interpretation of all these verses according to the "Midrash Aggadah" and "Another interpretation".

This is not understood: since the interpretation of all these verses changes, why does Rashi interpret only the word "today, like this day which is enduring, etc."?

3. The explanation is as follows: From the fact that Rashi uses the phrase "teaches us that Moshe gathered them in order to bring them into the covenant," and does not use the wording of the verse "to bring them into the covenant," it is understood that he is not coming to explain Moshe's words "You are standing today, all of you... to pass into the covenant" (since this is explicit in the verse), but Rashi is introducing a new concept that we learn from the words "You are standing today."

Simply, the section "You are standing today, all of you" follows the end of the previous section "And Moshe called all of Israel and said to them, 'You have seen, etc.'" [because if it were a separate call and a separate gathering, then at the beginning of our section it would again need to state "And Moshe called all of Israel," and so on].

Simply, we should learn that the "And Moshe called all of Israel," the gathering of all the Jews at the end of Tavo, was with the purpose of telling them what is stated immediately afterward in the section — "And he said to them, 'You have seen, etc., the great trials, etc., and you shall keep the words of this covenant and do them, etc.'" This was the purpose of the gathering, and only as a continuation does "You are standing today, etc." come.

And in this, Rashi introduces "teaches us": from the words "You are standing today," we learn that Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, blessed be He, in order to bring them into the covenant. The purpose of the gathering was not to deliver his words (at the end of Tavo), but Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, blessed be He, etc., to bring them into the covenant.

The necessity for this is:

1. The words "You are standing" — which seem out of place, since it already states earlier "And Moshe called all of Israel," meaning all the Jews were present at that assembly — should have begun with "And you are standing," with a connecting 'vav' to indicate continuity from "You have seen, etc." Therefore, we must say that this language teaches us something specific.

2. The continuation "You are standing today, all of you, before the L‑rd" — it would seem they were standing before Moshe to hear what he was conveying to them.

3. The term "today" — which means on the day of his death [because at the end of Parshas Tavo, it states "And the L‑rd has not given you a heart to know... until this day," and Rashi explains there that this is when Moshe gave the Torah scroll to the sons of Levi, as recounted in Parshas Vayelech, which occurred on the day of his death, and Parshas Vayelech follows in time immediately after Parshas Nitzavim] — if we were to learn that the gathering was to tell them "You have seen all that the L‑rd did, etc., the great trials, etc., and you shall keep, etc." — a strengthening in the observance of the Torah and mitzvos — why did he wait until the day of his death and not say it earlier?

All this necessitates that the purpose of the gathering (at the end of Tavo) "And Moshe called all of Israel" was to bring them into the covenant (as in our parsha), which was primarily relevant after they crossed the Jordan, and therefore he postponed it until "the day of his death," which was closer to the time when the Israelites would cross the Jordan.

4. According to the above, that "You are standing today, etc." follows the previous call of Moshe to "all of Israel," and on the other hand, the purpose of the gathering was "before the L‑rd to bring them into the covenant," and the words at the end of Tavo are like a parenthetical statement, merely an introduction and preparation for it — two more details in the simple meaning of the text become clear, on which Rashi does not comment:

(a) The Torah mentions here "your children," and seemingly, in the Torah, we do not find that Moshe Rabbeinu would call even "your children" when gathering all the Jews (for whatever purpose it may be). Furthermore: later in Parshas Vayelech, where it states "Assemble the people, the men, the women, and the children," Rashi comments on this and emphasizes "Why did they come? To give reward to those who bring them".

5. Although in our parsha, the children needed to be present to be included in the covenant, which was for everyone, since "You are standing today" is the gathering from the end of Parshas Tavo, it turns out that the children were present from the beginning of the gathering when Moshe said, "You have seen, etc., the great trials, etc., and you shall keep the words of this covenant and do them" — to which they were not relevant, as they are not obligated in mitzvos.

However, according to the above explanation in Rashi, that "Moshe called" was "before the Holy One... to bring them into the covenant," it is understood why children were brought at the very beginning of the call, because the purpose of the gathering was to bring them into the covenant, and the words "You have seen, etc." were merely an introduction to this.

6. Before imposing a certain obligation on someone, especially an oath or the like, explanations and introductions must be provided. One does not approach someone immediately with the obligation, oath, etc.

In our case, "You are standing" was for "to enter into the covenant of the L‑rd and His oath, etc.," a covenant and an oath for every Jew — from various types of the Jewish community. How is it that Moshe did not first provide some introduction to such a significant and serious matter? [This question is relevant whether "Moshe called all of Israel" was to tell them "You have seen, etc." and consequently was for "to enter into the covenant of the L‑rd your G‑d and His oath," and certainly — if we were to learn that "You are standing" in our parsha was a separate gathering].

According to Rashi, however, that "Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, etc., to bring them into the covenant," this was the purpose, the matter is understood, because "You have seen, etc., the great trials, etc." was indeed the explanation and introduction to (the purpose) "to enter into the covenant of the L‑rd your G‑d."

7. According to this explanation, however, the unusual term "standing" is not clarified. According to the above, since the term indicates that "Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, etc., to bring them into the covenant," why does it say "standing" — an unusual term — and not the term "standing," which is common in the Torah, as he also says in our context (later in the parsha) "standing with us today"?

Moreover, not only is this not a common term, but it seemingly does not fit here in the verse in terms of content. "Standing" is, as Rashi explains, "with an upright posture," unlike the term "standing." And since "he gathered them before the Holy One, etc."

8. Since the purpose was "to bring them into the covenant," it is understandable that they stood with submission and humility. Why then does it use the term "nitzavim," which indicates strength and greatness?

Therefore, Rashi brings another interpretation, "a Midrashic explanation," that this follows the curses, and "Moshe began to console them: 'You are standing today' (despite the fact that) you have angered the Omnipresent many times, and He has not destroyed you, and behold, you are standing before Him." The emphasis here is on the word "nitzavim," which indicates a strong stance, etc.

According to this interpretation, not only is the meaning and translation of the word "nitzavim" expressed, but also the meaning of "today":

Since these are words of consolation following the curses, it must be said simply that this was close in time to the rebuke. Therefore, it is not plausible that this occurred on the day of his death, because: a) The purpose of the rebuke was to urge them to fulfill the Torah and mitzvos, and he certainly would not have waited until the day of his death for this. b) It is not plausible that on the day of his death, Moshe would tell them curses (on the contrary, on the day of his death, close to his passing, he blessed them).

5. Therefore, Rashi also needs to explain that the word "today" has another meaning, which follows the interpretation of "atem nitzavim." Since "atem nitzavim" means "behold, you are standing before Him, etc., and the curses and afflictions uphold you and set you before Him," the meaning of "today" is also "like this day which is enduring, etc." And since these words of consolation must be close to the rebuke, Rashi adds that the verses closest to this, the "section above this one, are words of consolation: 'You have seen, etc.'"

6. However, this interpretation is also difficult, because: a) According to this, it should have stated "atem nitzavim" first and then the section "You have seen, etc.," which is the main expression of consolation: "He did not make you into nothingness, and behold, you are standing before Him, etc., and the curses and afflictions uphold you and set you, etc."

b) If the section is words of consolation from Moshe, how do "your children" fit in, since they do not understand the rebuke, and therefore do not need the words of consolation?

Therefore, Rashi brings a third interpretation: "Since the Israelites were transitioning from one leader to another, from Moshe to Yehoshua, therefore he made them a monument to encourage them, etc." According to this, the term "nitzavim" (not "standing") is understood, because the term also indicates encouragement.

And according to this interpretation: a) The meaning of "today" is "on the day of his death" (as in the first interpretation) — this is obvious, since it is connected with the transition from one leader to another. b) It is understood why Moshe first said "You have seen, etc." and only afterward "You are standing today," because this needed to be as close as possible to his death, when they were transitioning from one leader to another. c) It is understood why the children are mentioned, because they too are transitioning from one leader to another.

7. The difficulty with this interpretation, however, is: Since it is connected with the transition from one leader to another, Moshe should have said this at the very end, after Parshas Vayeilech, right before his death — why is it stated earlier?

[It is understandable according to the first interpretation that "he gathered them, etc., on the day of his death to bring them into the covenant," since this was relevant after they crossed the Jordan, it does not have to be right before his death (since it cannot be close to the event anyway), but according to the third interpretation, since it is connected with the transition from one leader to another, it should have been right before the transition itself.]

And although the second interpretation is "a Midrashic explanation," it is closer to the simple meaning of the text than the third interpretation, because according to the third interpretation, "atem nitzavim" is a separate matter that has no connection to "And Moshe called all of Israel" from the end of Parshas Ki Tavo. In contrast, according to the second interpretation, not only is "atem nitzavim" a continuation of Moshe's words "You have seen, etc." from the end of Parshas Ki Tavo, but it was also the purpose and goal of the gathering to console them, with the main consolation being in "atem nitzavim," as mentioned above. In this, it is closer and similar to the first interpretation that the purpose of Moshe's gathering is explained in our Parsha to bring them into the covenant.

8. From the "wine of Torah" in this Rashi: Parshas Nitzavim is always read before Rosh Hashanah, and this is hinted at in the word "today," which refers to Rosh Hashanah.

In this context, Rashi explains, "Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, blessed be He, on the day of his death to bring them into the covenant." Although earlier, at the end of Parshas Ki Tavo, it is already stated what Moshe said to the Jews, "You have seen, etc., the great trials, etc., and you shall observe the words of this covenant and do them" — the observance of Torah and mitzvos — the purpose of the gathering on the day of his death, a day of judgment, was to bring them into the covenant. A covenant is beyond understanding and comprehension. On Rosh Hashanah, the essential bond of the Jews with the Almighty is revealed, which is the gathering before the Holy One, blessed be He, a unique unity and inclusion with the Almighty Himself, even beyond Torah and mitzvos.

Nevertheless, as a prelude to this, there was the speech that would lead to "and you shall observe the words of this covenant and do them," because this essential connection, where Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one, is revealed through the Torah. For the Torah is the intermediary that connects the Jews with the Almighty.

As the expression (which is brought several times) of the Zohar states, "Three knots are tied to one another: Israel is tied to the Torah, and the Torah to the Holy One, blessed be He." At first glance, among the three things that are connected to each other, there are only two connections. However, after the Jews are connected to the Almighty through the Torah, they are also connected to the Almighty in essence, a connection that is beyond the connection through the Torah. Consequently, there are three connections (Israel, Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, Israel — similar to a circle).

Therefore, there must be the prelude of "and you shall observe, etc.," but the purpose and goal of the gathering on Rosh Hashanah is the essential connection of the Jews with the Almighty.

However, this is not enough: the covenant, the essential bond, must come into revelation, both spiritually and (also) materially, receiving material goodness from the Almighty in a visible and revealed good.

[Just as the Almighty desires from the Jews that there should be the observance of the Torah (a good teaching) and the mitzvos in actual practice, for the deed is the main thing; so too, the Jews request and receive from the Almighty all the influences, and they come down materially in a visible and revealed good — in actual practice],

To this comes the second interpretation, that "Moshe began to console them," Moshe,

8. The intermediary that connects the Almighty with the Jews causes them to "stand before Him" in a manner of "standing upright" in the physical sense. Furthermore, "the curses and afflictions uphold you and set you before Him" — the undesirable events of the past are transformed into blessings in a revealed manner, in visible and manifest good.

(From the talk of Shabbat Parshat Nitzavim, 5725)