In the first of this week’s Torah readings, Nitzavim, Hashem tells the Jewish people, “You are all standing today before Hashem your G-d: the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel; your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp, your woodcutters and your water drawers, so that you may enter the covenant of Hashem your G-d. (Devarim 29: 9-11)
The purpose of this covenant was to enlist every Jew as a guarantor that his fellow Jews will observe the Torah. (see Ohr Hachaim; Rashi on 29:28) As our Sages taught, “All of Israel are guarantors for one another” (Talmud, Shevuot 39a); meaning, every Jew bears personal responsibility for his fellow.
A guarantor is presumably in a better position than the person he is backing, which is what makes him more dependable than the person whose commitment he is standing behind. For example, a wealthy person could serve as a guarantor for a poor person’s loan, but not vice versa.
Hence, if “all of Israel are guarantors for one another,” evidently, each and every Jew, from “the leaders of your tribes” down to “your water drawers,” has a unique strength that qualifies him as a guarantor for the others.
This can be understood in light of the Alter Rebbe’s teaching (Likutei Torah, Nitzavim 44a) that the Jewish nation is “one complete figure,” comparable to a human body in which every limb and organ completes and complements the other. The head and brain are ostensibly “superior” to the other parts of the body, yet the legs support and give mobility to the entire body, including the head.
Similarly, every single Jew has a quality with which he, and only he, can serve as the guarantor for the rest of the Jewish nation, due to his extraordinary strength in that particular area of observance.
The Pact
Every year we read Nitzavim on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana. Implied is that Nitzavim addresses the themes of Rosh Hashana, and reading it enables us to experience the holiday properly. In the first verses, we read that the entire Jewish nation assembled to enter a covenant with G-d. The Torah mentions specifically that from the leaders to the water-drawers, all of Israel stood united as one—“all of you.”
What is the purpose of a covenant? If two friends are concerned that their relationship might sour at some point, they may enter into a covenant—a pact to remain loyal to each other forever, even if future events or discoveries about one another cause them to lose favor in each other’s eyes.
This, essentially, is the theme of Rosh Hashana—a renewal of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people. On Rosh Hashana, when our love for G-d is strong, (after our heartfelt teshuvah during the month of Elul,) we commit ourselves to G-d unconditionally. We pray that G-d will enter this covenant with us, committing Himself to us unconditionally, even if later in the year our love may not be as obvious.
The covenant of Rosh Hashana requires, however, that all members of the Jewish nation unite as one, just as the Jewish people did—men, women and children, from the elders to the converts—in Nitzavim. For in order to evoke G-d’s unconditional commitment to us, we, too, must behave in a manner that transcends any reason or conditions.
We do this by showing our sincere love and respect for all of our fellow Jews, despite our understandable differences.
Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, reprinted from Ohr HaChassidus.
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children... (Deut. 31:12)
According to the Minchat Chinuch, the mitzva of Hakhel (the commandment for all Jews to assemble in Jerusalem on Sukkot following the Sabbatical year, to hear the king recite the Book of Deuteronomy) is incumbent on every Jew from birth. A child's Jewish education must likewise commence from birth. (the Rebbe)
And the L-rd your G-d will circumcise your heart (Deut. 30:6)
Elsewhere it states (Deut. 10:16), "and you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart," i.e., that the individual Jew must perform the "circumcision" himself. The first stage of the "circumcision," i.e., removing the "obstruction" that separates the Jew from G-d, must be initiated by the individual. The second stage of completely transforming the heart to good, can only be done with G-d's help. (the Kotzker Rebbe)
But the word is very near to you... (Deut. 30:14)
This teaches that it is in every Jew's power to bring the Torah closer to him. It is only dependent on our will, that we observe it with our "mouth" and "heart." (Sefat Emet)
But I will assuredly hide My face on that day (Deut. 31:18)
A person can only hide if the other person is unaware of his presence. It's not hiding if we know that someone is concealing himself in a certain spot, even if he is well hidden from view. This knowledge gives us a better grasp of the exile in which the Jews find themselves. We, having been forewarned, can better deal with the darkness because we know that G-d can be found even as He hides His face. (the Baal Shem Tov)
From our Sages reprinted from LchaimWeekly.org - LYO / NYC
