Adapted from a shiur given by the Tolner Rebbe shlita, Nitzavim 5778
לע"נ האשה החשובה מרת אסתר בת הרה"ח ר' זאב ע"ה נלב"ע י"ד סיון תשפ"ה נתרם ע"י בנה ידידינו הנגיד הנכבד רבי זאב מאשקאוויטש שליט"א
פֶּן יֵשׁ בָּכֶּם אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּה אוֹ מִשְׁׁפָּחָּה אוֹ שֵׁבֶּט אֲשֶּׁר לְׁבָּבוֹ פֹנֶּה הַיּוֹם מֵעִם ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ לָּלֶּכֶּת לַעֲבֹד אֶּת אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם הָּהֵם פֶּן יֵשׁ בָּכֶּם שֹׁרֶּשׁ פֹרֶּה רֹאשׁ וְׁלַעֲנָּה -- Pen there is among you a man or woman, or a family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from being with Hashem, our God, to go and serve gods of the nations; pen there is among you a root growing gall and horehound.
Rashi writes: Pen there is among you – perhaps there is among you. Now, this is not the first time that the word “pen” is used. So why does Rashi first explain the word here?
Q1 Besides, if all Rashi is coming to define is pen, then why did he add to the opening words “there is among you,” only to repeat it after defining pen?
Q2 Furthermore, Rashi continues: “Whose heart turns away today – from accepting the covenant upon himself.” Isn’t that obvious from the context? What is Rashi adding?
Q3
One Who Conceals His Sins Will Not Succeed
Let us turn to the great Day of Judgment that is but days away. The Midrash connects the possuk, One who conceals his sins will not succeed, but one who confesses and forsakes them will be granted mercy, to the first man, who blamed his sin on the woman whom You gave to be with me, rather than repent, as it says, And now, pen he put forth his hand. R’ Aba bar Kahana said: The Holy One, Blessed is He, told him to repent, and he says Pen? “And now” can only refer to repentance, as it says: And now, Israel, what does Hashem, your God, ask of you but to fear... -- This is the meaning of One who conceals his sins will not succeed. What can this Midrash possibly mean?
Q4
You Appeared Upon Them With the Sound of the Shofar
One of the central brachos of Rosh Hashannah Mussaf is the brachah of Shofros. In this brachah, the shofar blown on Har Sinai is mentioned several times. In addition, R’ Saadya Gaon, in the third reason of his well-known ten reasons for blowing Shofar on Rosh Hashanah says that it is to remind us of the giving of the Torah. So what actually is the connection between Rosh Hashanah and giving the Torah?
Q5
I Forge This Covenant
We can answer that the main purpose of our Parshah, Nitzavim, was to forge a covenant between Bnei Yisrael and the Creator – For you to pass into a covenant of Hashem, your God, and into His oath that Hashem, your God, forges with you today. The main point of the covenant was for Bnei Yisrael to accept upon themselves, unconditionally, to keep the promise they made, regardless of what the future may bring. For this reason, in the Holy Tongue, a covenant is nichras (translated here as forged), which literally means, completely cut away. Once something is completely cut away, there is no turning back.
And With Whoever Is Not Here With Us Today
We can now turn to the text of our Parshah. Bnei Yisrael were to enter a covenant. This required the participation of all, from the leaders to the simplest people of all ages, until the end of time: With whoever is here standing with us today before our God, and with whoever is not here with us today. It also requires the realization that entering a covenant is total and irreversible, with no reservations. Thus, Mosheh immediately said: Pen there is among you a man or woman, or a family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from being with Hashem, our God, to go and serve gods of the nations; pen there is among you a root growing gall and horehound. He was stressing that entering a covenant is final, without any “pen,” or second thoughts.
Pen There is Among You
This opens up a new understanding of the Possuk. It is not just saying, “Perhaps there is among you...” but actually saying, There is a pen among you. This is what Mosheh was telling them: It could be that there is a little pen among you, a doubt, a hint of a regret. And if there really is such a pen, you should know that that slight doubt is considered as if his heart turns away today. The doubt, small as it may be, will spread like the venom of a snake, until it brings you to go and serve gods of the nations. Accordingly, Rashi explicitly defines pen only here, and he repeats the words there is among you. In effect, he is explaining the nature of this covenant; it is a declaration of war against pen. There can be no pen, no doubt, no perhaps, among them.
From Accepting the Covenant Upon Himself
For this reason, Rashi continues, “Whose heart turns away today – from accepting the covenant upon himself.” He is not just stating the obvious, as we originally thought. Rather, he was stressing that when it comes to “accepting the covenant upon himself,” there can be no pen, no doubt, whatsoever.
Clear as Day
We can now understand the beginning of the Parshah: You are standing today. Day, refers to clarity, as Rashi explains regarding the Possuk, Yaakov said, “Sell, as this day, your birthright to me,” meaning that the sale should be as clear as this day, and irrevocable. Similarly, your standing should be as clear as day, irrevocable and without any pen or doubt.
You Are Standing Today Refers to Rosh Hashanah
My holy forebear, the Rebbe the Meor Einayim, cites a Midrash that says You are standing today refers to Rosh Hashanah. This reflects the essence of Rosh Hashanah, through which one forges an irrevocable covenant with Hashem – clear as day, with no doubt whatsoever.
And Now He Says Pen?
The Gemara says: Whose opinion do we follow today when we say [in Mussaf of Rosh Hashanah], “This is the day of the beginning of Your actions, in memory of the first day?” That of R’ Eliezer who says that the world was created in Tishrei. The Midrash explains that the world was created on the 25th of Ellul, and the first man was created on the first of Tishrei. On that very day, which subsequently became Rosh Hashanah, the first man sinned and fell from his exalted level. As cited above, Hashem said, And now, pen he put forth his hand. We explained: The Holy One, Blessed is He, told him to repent, and he says Pen? We now know that the first man could have returned to his former pristine level, but he says pen; he has a slight reservation, a slight doubt and, as a result, he was cast out of gan Eden, and dying was decreed on him and on all his descendants forever after – all because of that little pen doubt. Referring to the pen of his forefather, Mosheh asked them if there was still a remnant of pen in them. On this holy day we must stand up in this powerful principle, uprooting all remnants of pen, and declaring in the words of the davening, “His name is certainty, and so too, His praise.” Thus, parents or teachers who are in situations in which they indeed must use strict justice against their charges, have to do so for the sake of Hashem, and not because they are angry. Simultaneously, they must beseech the Source of Mercy that they not become cruel.
You Have Been Shown to Know That Hashem, He is God
Regarding the day that the Torah was given amidst thunder and lighting, with the strong sounding of a shofar, it says, “You have been shown to know that Hashem, He is God. Rashi there explains that the seven heavens were opened and they actually “saw” Hashem. These people had been enslaved in the defilement of Egypt, and had fallen to the lowest level possible. Presumably, many of them were filled with doubts – and even asked to return to Egypt. When they gathered together at the bottom of the mountain and actually “saw” Hashem and that there was none other, all doubts were removed. This doubt-free state was passed on to future generations – by means of the sound of the Shofar.
Recite Malchuyos to Accept Me As Your Sovereign
The Gemara says that Hashem said: Recite on Rosh Hashanah Malchuyos, Zichronos, and Shofaros; Malchuyos, to accept me as your sovereign, Zichronos that your remembrance should ascend to me favorably, and through what? Through the Shofar. “Accept Me as your sovereign” refers to complete acceptance, unconditional and without doubt. This kind of acceptance is achieved through the shofar blast – a reminder of the Shofar at Mount Sinai, when the unity of Hashem was shown beyond a doubt, a pen or a perhaps.
Shofar is an Abbreviation
So it is incumbent upon us to get rid of the doubts, the perhaps, the pen. The blast of the Shofar aids us in this task; it brings us back to the stage before the first Pen was recited. The Holy Sefarim teach us that פר ש (shofar) is an abbreviation for ]וְׁלַעֲנָּה[שֹׁרֶּשׁ פֹרֶּה רֹאשׁ. In other words, the shofar can purify a root growing gall and horehound – the doubts that stop a person from belief that Hashem is with him.
If I Am a King, Why Did You Not Come to Me?
It is known that the great R’ Aharon of Karlin went up to be the Chazan for Shacharis of Rosh Hashanah. The Chazan generally begins with a melodious chanting of Hamelech, the king. Rav Aharon cried out the word and loudly burst into tears. He later explained that he was reminded of the story of R’ Yochanan, who, upon calling Vespasian “king”, was told, “If I am king, why did you not come to me?” We can learn from this story, that we must be steadfast in believing that Hashem is, was and always will be king.
We Know That Hashem Performs Miracles for Us
Each year, we continue to call out Hamelech, despite the yetzer Hara’s non-stop attempts to sow doubt in our hearts. Of course there are times throughout the year when we fall in this matter. Yet every year we gather strength and banish our doubts, so that we can unequivocally declare Hashem our sovereign. If we strengthen our simple belief that Hashem is among us, and that he is near us whenever we cry out to him, with no doubts, no pen, and no perhaps, we will merit a good decree and He will inscribe us and seal us for good life on this day of Judgment. Amen, KY”R.
