Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Nitzavim begins with Hashem entering into a bris/covenant with all of Bnei Yisroel who are now standing before Him. Our medrash asks what is the connection between the curses that end the previous parshah, Parshat Ki Tavo, and standing here before Hashem, and the medrash answers the question rather simply. When Bnei Yisroel heard the extent of these curses, they turned pale and weak in fright. Moshe's very first words of this parshah are the reassurance to Bnei Yisroel: Although you have sinned, the fact that you are standing here today before Hashem is proof that Hashem has not [and will not] annihilate you in spite of these curses.
What then was the purpose of these curses if not to punish Bnei Yisroel? Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l answers that these curses were meant to act as preventive measures, warning Bnei Yisroel of the danger of sinning, much as a doctor would warn his patients of the dangerous effects of certain behaviors or foods.
Nevertheless, mitzvoth are not optional. The reality of sin will engender consequences and punishment, writes Rav Goldstein in Shaarei Chaim. What is punishment about?
The Sifsei Chaim assures us that punishment from Hashem is not vindictive, but is meant to be corrective and curative. It is part of the foundation of the spiritual covenant Hashem entered into with our forefathers that continues to this day, and manifests itself through the physical. Therefore, we are present, standing before Hashem on this day and every day. These corrective measures are not necessarily overwhelming and traumatic. They may arise as simple frustrations, like pulling a nickel instead of a quarter out of your purse [or misplacing your keys, glasses, etc. CKS].
Every challenge is tailor made for each of us individually, and is limited by what Hashem deems necessary. The most obvious example, cited by Rashi, is Yosef's being sold into slavery and descending to Egypt. While the sale and the descent were mandated, Hashem orchestrated the event so that Yosef would not further suffer by traveling with the foul smells of the goods the Ishmaelites usually transported. Rather, in this particular caravan, the Ishmaelite merchants were carrying sweet smelling spices.
It is up to us to discern Hashem's message to us in each challenge, whether it is a small frustration or a heavy trauma, Heaven forbid. Further, we are all standing here together before Hashem. It is possible that with that revived spirit, there may be those among Bnei Yisroel who have within them a touch of bitterness, who will claim, "Peace will be with me... I will do as I see fit." This is a common blindness, that whatever was done, and whatever happened as a result, cannot happen to me, only to the other. It's not my problem. Therefore, I can continue to sin, if I so choose. Personal desire can thus reconcile all contradictions.
Suffering in Bnei Yisroel is not capricious, writes Rav Dunner zt”l. It is meant to be corrective, not punitive. That is the basic difference between the plagues and drowning Hashem brought to Mitzrayim and the suffering of Bnei Yisroel. The plagues of the Egyptians were indeed punitive [Hashem judged them, as He had promised Avraham Avinu in the Covenant between the Halves - דן אנכי. CKS] rather than corrective [although they were also meant to teach Pharaoh and the Egyptians that there is one God Who rules over all the earth. CKS]. Therefore, Hashem will not visit these plagues on Bnei Yisroel; the purpose of the suffering of Bnei Yisroel is to heal them, for, "I am Hashem, your Healer." The suffering of Bnei Yisroel is meant to be cathartic, to bring out the best in us.
Much as raw metal ore is put through a crucible to purify the precious metal within, so is Bnei Yisroel put through its own fires and challenges, sometimes small and sometimes large, to expose the inner, pure core at our center, writes Rabbi Pincus zt”l in Tiferes Shimshon. When we are challenged, we increase our mitzvah observance and our prayers, in contrast to the other nations. When Balak, King of Midyan, felt threatened, instead of turning to good, perhaps peaceful solutions or prayer, he turned evil and cruel, "Curse this nation for me," and the king of Moav sacrificed his son.
Yes, the Jew sacrifices. He sacrifices his physical, personal desire to create a closer bond with Hakodosh Boruch Hu, for only through the suffering can that bond be forged and strengthened. As Rabbi Kluger notes in My Sole Desire, when the winter rains fall, everything is still barren, but once the winter is over, we can experience the beauty and the blessings of the flowering fields and fruit filled trees. [Constant fair weather does not prove true friendship. The true friend is the one who stays by your side during the difficult, stormy times. CKS] It is in our loyalty to Hashem through the challenges that we seal the covenant, a covenant imprinted on every Jewish baby boy from birth. Through all the persecution and suffering throughout our history, we have never abandoned Your Torah.
Why would Hashem want us to suffer so, the pogroms and the Holocaust, asks Rabbi Kahane in A Fire in the Darkness, a book based on the Holocaust writings of the martyred Aish Kodesh? Hashem chose us for the mission of making this world holy and revealing His presence in the world. Perhaps we were failing, perhaps ignoring this mission. But Hashem is committed to helping us reach our potential. Sometimes we can achieve that goal through tranquility, and sometimes it takes suffering. Being chosen means being willing to suffer to be worthy of that sacred mission. [In simple, human terms, a husband and wife choose each other for the purpose of building a family together. They struggle through their difficulties together to earn the joy of achieving their goal. CKS]
When a person does not wake up through experiencing these challenges and punishments, he is missing the point, writes Rabbi Grosbard zt”l. However, when Bnei Yisroel heard these consequences, they turned white with fear. Their awe of Heaven increased. The warning had achieved its goal, and there was no need now to experience the suffering itself, adds Omek Haparshah, citing the Gr"a. For Bnei Yisroel now comes to Hashem with a broken heart, the "soil" upon which the seeds of yeshuah/salvation can grow. And Moshe reassures Bnei Yisroel so that they don't despair at these prophecies.
Hashem wants us to come closer to Him. Perhaps one positive point we can derive from the suffering of our brethren throughout Eretz Yisroel in these trying times, suggests Rebbetzin Smiles, is that we have not turned a blind eye. Jews throughout the world have indeed seen the suffering, have volunteered in many capacities, have donated, and have prayed. In this merit, may the suffering cease.
Let us now move on to the purpose of the shofar. The Shvilei Pinchas cites the verse in Tehillim, "Elokhim [Hashem's Name denoting judgment] has ascended with the sound of teruah, Havaya [Hashem's Name denoting mercy] with the sound of the shofar." Through the sounding of the shofar, Hashem has "moved" from the throne of judgment to the throne of mercy. How has this transformation happened? Citing the Maor Einayim, Rabbi Friedlander explains the verse Kohelet 3:14, "And Elokhim has acted so that man should revere Him." Since Hashem created the name Elokhim and the trait of judgment so that people should fear Him, the fear would then keep Bnei Yisroel from sinning, and punishment itself would be unnecessary. By fearing God, Man sweetens the judgment itself.
Just as Moshe is here emphasizing that Bnei Yisroel is standing lifnei Hashem, before Hashem, so must we always be aware that we are lefonecha, before You, always in Hashem's presence. Living with that awareness would be a constant preventive to sinning, as Hashem sees all, writes Rabbi Mordechai Kukis in Siach Mordechai. In that case, punishment would be unnecessary.
In Outlook and Insight, Rabbi Leff brings a second dimension of Moshe's words into focus. As you are all here, kulchem, together before Hashem, so are these curses meant to ensure the survival of the klal, the Nation. Even as individuals died in the desert, you are standing here today still as the Nation of Israel, and so you will continue to exist as a People forever, even though individuals will die. Therefore, no one can say I am unaffected by the other, for each of us is part of the whole, and each of us survives through the survival of Knesset Yisroel. As the Netivot Shalom explains, these curses are meant to apply to the individual, not to the totality of the Nation. Therefore, one who embeds himself as a member of the Nation, tempers the judgment he may deserve as an individual. Involving yourself in the needs of the Nation offers some protection and mitigates the judgment.
In proof, Rabbi Tuvyah Weiss zt”l cites the Chad Gadya, the one kid that symbolizes Bnei Yisroel. All the nations have tried to destroy us, yet they are themselves destroyed while we continue to survive.
But there may be times when we do not deserve to survive. For these time, writes the Ohel Moshe, citing Rav Elchonon Wasserman Hy"d, we may indeed be punished. But Hashem always comes to defend the underdog. When another nation pursues us, we become the pursued, and Hashem's quality of mercy is awakened in our defense even though we have sinned.
When each carries his individual sins, he can be judged as an individual. What Moshe was teaching Bnei Yisroel was ערבות, the inter-connectedness of each individual to the klal. But as we are responsible for each other when one sins, so are we all affected when one person does teshuvah. We are mutually responsible both in regard to our misdeeds as well as to our mitzvoth and teshuvah, writes Rabbi Bick zt”l in Chayei Moshe.
While majority rules, any individual can tip the scales for the whole world, writes Rabbi Weissblum shlit"a in Heoras Derech. What each of us does affects the whole. We are all passengers in the same boat. If one passenger decides to drill a hole, even though it is in his personal space, all the passengers are in danger, not just the one who drills. It is our responsibility to keep everyone safe.
Just as one sinner endangers the whole world, so does one mitzvah earn merit for the world. Part of our responsibility to each other is to feel their pain, to see their challenges and try our best to help. At the very least, if we cannot help in any material way, we can at least take to heart the teaching of Rabbi Hutner zt”l, we can cry for them, we can daven for them. There is nothing more beloved to Hashem than our concern for others.
We are one nation, unique in the world, we trust in Hashem, and we hope that the merits of the klal will tip the scales in our favor and bring the salvation we so fervently pray for.