אתם ניצבים היום כולכם לפני ה' אלהכם ראשיכם שבטיכם זקניכם ושוטריכם על איש ישראל
You are standing today, all of you, before HaShem, your G-d: Your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers – all the men of Israel.
Rabbeinu BaChayei explains that the Jews all gathered together for the second time, just as they gathered together the first time at Mount Sina: because they nullified the first covenant, and because they served idols. That's why for a second they gathered together, but this time under an oath. And also this time, they had a sense of responsibility to each other because if one would commit a sin, it would be as if they all had commit a sin. This is why we mention all the different statuses of Bnai Yisrael, and in order. Each one is responsible for the next listed.
Another way of understanding the way this Parsha opens is through the Midrash. When Am Yisrael heard the 98 curses they would face if they disobeyed Hashem, Moshe called together the Jewish people and said, “You are standing here today.” The reason why he called them together, their faces turned green. Therefore, Moshe called them together to ease them, telling them for 40 turbulent years in the desert, you angered Hashem with the golden calf, the spies, and the complaints, yet you are all still here today. Hashem has not destroyed you, and there is no reason to despair.
Rabbi Frand says that the commentators are puzzled. Moshe seems to be taking the wind out of his own sails. First he reads off all of the horrible curses, and then he tells them it’s not so bad, and they don’t have to be so worried. The answer is that there is a vast difference between healthy fear and hopelessness. It is a good thing to be realistically apprehensive about the future. It is unhealthy to live in a fool’s paradise, believing you can do as you please, without suffering any consequences. However, hopelessness is destructive. It demoralizes a person. Moshe saw that the Jewish people had gone beyond fear when they heard the curses. They lost hope. Therefore, he had to calm them down until they recovered their hope and all they felt was a healthy fear.
אתם נצבים היום וכו'
You are all standing here today…
Rabi Eliyau Bloch wonders, why was it necessary to make it a standing ceremony? What was Moshe trying to accomplish by having this speech in a standing format? Rabbi Bloch answers that the word stand in this instance is not referring to the act of standing on ones feet, rather to the concept of remaining in one place, to stand still. If you want to succeed in life, we need to have directions. We must know what we are trying to achieve in life, and come up with a plan to reach those goals. This is what Moshe, Yehoshua, and Shmuel had in mind in bringing Am Yisrael to a standstill when it comes to hand the reins to his respective heir. Nitzavim means it’s time to stand still. It’s time to think about your goals. One could just keep running without thinking about where he came, where he is trying to go, and how he is going to get there. Nitzavim always is the Shabbat before Rosh HaShana, and is the opening of the four shortest Parshiot in the Torah. Rosh HaShana is a time to stand still. It is time to think, to review the past, and use it as a vehicle to improve the future.
אתם נצבים היום
You all are standing today.
That was the day that moshe passed away. Rav Eliyahu Mizrachi explains that we learn that he passed away on that day from a different passuke that says im one hundred and twenty years today and theres a link of היום Today.
The word today also implies that its Rosh Hashanah (Zohar) the day that Hashem see everyone going at once but also judge them separately and the question is why does he have to judge them twice, collectively and individually? The answer is that the first time since Hashem loves us so he judges the entire world and when the jew is doing a sin its considered like a small sin compared to the rest of the world that among them there are killers and thieves. And he is donig that because he is seeking to judge us faborly. But at the same time he is expecting from us to be a distinguished nation and ignore what others are doing. And thats why the verse says הן עם לבדד ישכון ובגוים לא יתחשב.
טפחם נשיכם וגרך אשר בקרב מחניך מחוטב עציץ עד שאב מימיך (כט פסוק י)
Your small children, your women, and your convert, who is in the midst of your camp…
Baal HaTurim points out that the reason why the children are right after the word “Every single jew” is to teach you that Yisrael needs to be treated like children in the eyes of the heads. If a leader doesn’t treat his students or his community as his own children, he fails.
למען הקים אתך היום לן לעם והוא יהיה לך לאלהים כאשר דיבר לך וכאשר נשבע לאבתיך לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב (פסוק י"ב)
In order to establish you today as a people to Him and that He be a G-d to you, as He spoke of you and as He swore to your forefathers, to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov.
The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains that the reason why Hashem is adding so many punishments and oaths is because He needs to protect the nation of Am Yisrael, and not to deny Hashem. Furthermore he explains, that if he would not protect the nation, it would be a slippery slope, because the first day few will do small sins. But then, day by day, it would get worse and worse, until the name of Israel would not exist. So this establishment is to protect us. Many times, people say, why do you act in the way of the dark ages? Why can’t you be more modern? The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh teaches us here that it’s not about if we fit the current standards. But a person needs to find a balance between fitting the generation that he lives in, and not forgetting his establishment between his nation, and G-d.
There was a story about a Rabbi, that was sitting in a train, and a certain jew came up to him. He asked him, why do you have a long beard and a long jacket? We thought that you belong to our times based on your books, but now we see that you belong to the past. He responded, I belong to the present, and you belong to the past, because it says that in the beginning, our fathers where idol worshipers.
Rashi points out another reason: That Hashem made this promise to our fathers, and he needs to follow the promise to our forefathers. That’s why Hashem cannot, so to speak, forsake Am Yisrael, even if he wants to. Hashem made this promise to our forefathers. In order to keep this covenant, he needs to make safeguards. That’s why he makes all these punishments and oaths.
ולא אתכם לבדכם אנכי כרת את הברית הזאת ואת האלה וכו'
Not with you alone do I forge this covenant and this oath…
Kli Yakar has a question: How could this covenant apply for those who are not born yet? The answer is that although they are not physically standing there, the souls of these people in later generations were there. Many learn it from the verses: Just as they were standing at Mount Sinai. Yet we can still ask, how can a soul that doesn’t have free choice be able to be part of the covenant? The answer is that at that time they were at such a level, that there bodies were subordinate to there souls. They were all considered souls, even the body. That’s why they were considered equal with the later generations’ souls.
כי אתם ידעתם את אשר ישבנו בארץ מצרים ואת אשר עברנו בקרב הגוים אשר עברתם
For you know how we dwelled in the land of Egypt and how we passed through the midst of the nations through whom you passed.
This Aliyah is describing to us what happens if we will not listen to G-d. The first pasuk is saying, “You are aware that we were sitting in Egypt, and you saw the idols they were serving. Perhaps maybe one of you would want to follow them. That’s why I need you to swear on the covenant. And if he would ignore this oath, and he would say I can do whatever I want, I would not forgive him, and I would take revenge on him, and all the curses in this book will be put upon him, and I will erase his name from heaven. Just as he wants to separate himself from the Torah and Mitzvot, I will separate him from all the other tribes. Your children and other nations from different countries will see all the punishments and the sickness that HaShem brought on you. They will all say, ‘This is happening to him because he forsaked the covenant between him and HaShem that took him out from Egypt.’”
There are a few things to ponder on this Aliyah: When the pasuk is saying, “Perhaps there will be among you a man or woman,” the Ramban says that He doesn’t include all Am Yisrael, placesbecause the Torah knows that only a few people will serve Avodah Zarah, and not all of Am Yisrael. The Natziv explains that when the Torah is saying that, “perhaps there is amongst you a rotten bitter root,” it doesn’t mean that this person worships idols, rather it means he cannot accept authority. This is even worse than a person that worships idols, because someone who does idol worship is doing for his desires. But one that doesn’t accept authority, it is an intellectual decision, and he tries to spread his thoughts to others. So the Torah will punish them, and add punishments for that which he had done until know, even for unintentional sins, for know G-d will combine those sins with intentional sins. This is how Rashi explains the punishment. The Ramban explains that למען ספות הרוה את הצמאה means that when a person starts with a small sin, he will want continue with it, and he will want to add to it. That’s what happens when he follows his heart’s desires.
ותראו את שיקוציהם ואת גלליהם עץ ואבן כסף וזהב אשר עמהם (פסוק
And you saw their abominations and their detestable Idols of wood and stone and silver and gold that where with them.
This pasuk is teaching us that even things that do not look good can eventually look good for us. In other words, it’s teaching us how moral erosion works. Matters and situations that don't make sense are slowly being digested. At the very beginning, we look at it like an abomination, and then slowly it becomes something that we can accept like, wood and stones. The more we practice negativity, the more it turns to be better and precious in our eye like gold and silver. This pasuk is teaching us a powerful lesson: The turnout should never be treated what it seems like on the surface. Bylooking at the root of the problem, we can see where it starts.
והיה בשמעו את דברי האלה הזאת והתברך בלבבו לאמר שלום יהיה לי וכו'
And it will be that when he hears the words of this oath, he will bless himself in his heart saying: I will have peace though as I go as my heart sees fit.
There are six ways to understand how could a person ignore all of those curses and the oath, and say that it will not effect him. And he will live peacefully with this.
Ktav Sofer explains: One can comfort himself, saying that he is following his desires, but not because he is removing the yoke of heaven, he follows the commandments that are easy and comfortable for him. He thinks he can live peacefully with that. Therefore the pasuk says that HaShem will not forgive him for this.
The Chida explains: The evil inclination convinces a person that believing HaShem created the world, and there is a purpose to creation is sufficient to fulfill there duty as a jew, but there is no need to put any action and do mitzvot, only the ones that are easy for him.
The Chida adds another explanation: The evil inclination tells a person to do as many sins as he wants, and simply do Teshuva later. Therefore, HaShem says, I will not accept this type of Teshuva.
The book Ach Pri Ha’Adama explains: Many times the evil inclination causes a person to be in despair, and give up on repenting. He thinks he cannot handle all the punishments and curses, so that’s why HaShem tells him that I will not forgive you, if you think that I can’t forgive you.
The book Gan Raveh quotes the pasuk that says, “גם כל חולי וכל מכה אשר לא כתוב בספר התורה הזה יעלה ה’ עליך.” “Even any illness and any blow that is not written in the Book of this Torah, HaShem will bring them upon you, until you are destroyed.” Chazal teach us that this illness that is not mentioned in the Torah means that the righteous people that protect the city will die. And the individual that we are talking about in this Parsha thinks that the death of these righteous people will atone for his sins and he will be fine.
Maharal Tzintz says that some may think that HaShem is creating this Covenant, and will be angry with those who don’t keep this covenant. But they think this will only apply when HaSHem is angry, so to speak, and then he will forgive us afterwards.