Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

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Eternal Covenant

On the day of his death, Moshe brought the entire nation together in the presence of G-d to enter them into a covenant with Him. The text details the various factions of the nation he gathered in descending order of importance: The leader of the tribes, the elders, the officers, the other men, the young children, the women, the converts and finally the woodcutters and water drawers. These woodcutters and water drawers are listed at the end and separately as these were the Canaanites who pretended that they wanted to convert to Judaism during Moshe's time however Moshe was on to them so in failing to trust them, he made them into woodcutters and water drawers. The same thing happened later in Joshua's time with the Gibeonites who similarly pretended to want to convert to Judaism though Joshua didn't trust them and similarly made them into woodcutters and water drawers.

Moshe made the nation stand in ranks, as a way to encourage them in transitioning from him to another leader (Yehoshua). Yehoshua acted similarly before his death as did Shmuel the prophet when his leadership was about to be passed to Saul.

The way covenants were set up is that there would be demarcations set up on two sides and those parties to the covenant would pass through it.

In exchange for G-d going to the trouble of being so exclusionary about Israel, vowing to the patriarchs that He would not exchange them with another nation, He expected them to be faithful to Him in kind.

Rashi explains here that this Parsha of Nitzavim comes right after that of Ki Tavo as when the Israelites heard the 98 curses written in Ki Tavo, they feared it would be too much for them to handle. Thus Moshe calmed them down with what is written here in Nitzavim that in spite of having angered G-d many times, He has not destroyed them and that in fact the curses and suffering are what allow them to stay standing before Him. The curses do so by deterring them from sinning and the suffering by cleansing them of sins.

Moshe tells them that G-d is saying that He is including all future generations of Jews in the covenant, not only those who were physically there that day.

G-d says that they must vow not to practice idolatry since they may feel tempted to after living in Egypt and having seen other nations do so. Whether they were idols of wood and stone which they kept out in public as they did not fear that anyone would steal them, or of gold and silver which they kept hidden away for fear that these would be stolen.

Moshe now warns that if there is someone among them who practices idolatry or makes or adds evil, who upon hearing G-d's vow to them, thinks to himself that he can still have peace even if he continues to do what he wants and disregards G-d's Will, such a person will not be forgiven by G-d. Rather G-d's anger will cause his body to flame up and have fumes come out of his nose and will be subject to all of the curses mentioned earlier and G-d will delete his name from the world.

And in the future, their progeny as well as future converts will see the plagues in the land and diseases and liken it to the downfall of Sodom, Gemorrah, Admah and Zeboiim which G-d upended out of His anger. And this later generation will understand that this is an expression of G-d's anger for abandoning their covenant with Him by serving other gods that G-d did not designate for them. And out of anger G-d threw them out from the Land.

These punishments that Moshe warns will be inflicted upon the entire nation is only for the sin of a few.

Rashi comments upon how this teaches that the entire nation is responsible for the sins of even a few people. However this only became so after they crossed the Jordan River after having accepted the oath at Mount Gerizin and Mount Ebal where they accepted this collective responsibility.

The Torah as a Witness

When Moshe completed writing the Torah down until the end, he told the Levites to take the Torah and place it next to* the Aron HaKodesh and that the Torah will serve as a witness.

*There are two opinions brought in Bava Basra (14b) as to what is meant by “next to” the Aron. According to one opinion, there was a board protruding from the Aron and this is where the Torah was placed. According to the second opinion, the Torah was placed inside of the Aron against the inside wall, next to the two tablets.

Moshe says this witness is necessary as he knows about the rebellious tendencies of the Israelites – they have rebelled against G-d while Moshe was alive so he knows they will continue to do so after he passes away.

Moshe asks for all of the tribe elders and officers to be brought to him so he can tell them all of this and that he will call upon heaven and earth as a witness.

Usually trumpets would be blown for such an assembly however Moshe was the one who made the trumpets and he did not give Yehoshua the authority to use them while Moshe was alive, and G-d hid them on that day as it was the day before Moshe was to pass away, fulfilling what is stated in Eicha 8:8, that “there is no ruling on the day of death”.

Earlier (see yesterday’s portion), G-d had told the Israelites that he would call upon the heavens and the earth to bear witness to this song. Now G-d calls out to the heavens and earth for this purpose.

Moshe says that he knows that after he passes away*, the Israelites will go against the ways he had commanded them, resulting in bad things happening to them because their actions will provoke G-d’s anger.

*In fact, the Jews did not rebel during the times of Yehoshua after Moshe had passed away. It was only after Yehoshua passed away that they began rebelling. Thus when Moshe spoke about his own passing, he really meant the passing of Yehoshua, teaching us that one’s student is as dear to him as his own self.

Moshe then proceeded to recite the song to the entire congregation of Israel (see next week’s parsha).

The Israelites Will Rebel. Moshe’s Message to Yehusohua. Moshe Completes Writing Down the Torah

The Israelites Will Rebel

G-d predicts that after He brings the Israelites to the Land of Israel and they live off of the land’s produce, the Jews will worship other gods and provoke G-d to anger for violating His covenant.

G-d goes on to say that when the Israelites experience bad things, the song which Moshe will sing to them will serve as a reminder to them that they had been warned that this would happen if they were to transgress His covenant. In saying that it will serve as a reminder, this is also a promise that the Torah will never be totally forgotten by their descendants.

Moshe wrote this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.

Moshe’s Message to Yehoshua

Moshe tells Yehoshua to be strong and courageous as he is to take the Israelites into the land which Moshe swore to them and Moshe will be with him.

Moshe Completes Writing Down the Torah

G-d Message During Moshe’s Final Days

G-d tells Moshe that his final days are approaching and that he should call upon Yehoshua to stand in the Ohel Moed and He will urge him on.

So Moshe and Yehoshua stand in the Ohel Moed and G-d appears in a pillar of cloud at the entrance of the tent.

G-d tells Moshe that he is about to die and warns that the Israelites will worship the false deities of the other nations within the land of Israel, thereby forsaking G-d.

G-d continues on to say that he will be angry with them at that time and will abandon the nation and hide His face (as though He isn’t aware of their suffering) on account of their idolatrous behavior and they will fall upon much misfortune and will feel as though G-d is no longer with them.

G-d then tells Moshe to write the song הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם (Begins on Devarim 32:1) and to place it in the mouths of the nation for it to bear witness to them.

Every Seven Years

After discussing how we should not fear nor be discouraged, Moshe wrote down the Torah and upon completion, he gave it to the tribe of Levi (his tribe) and told them that every seven years on Sukkos (i.e at the start of the eighth year following the end of the Shmitta (seventh) year, at the end of every Shmitta cycle (i.e. seven years) on Sukkos, the king of Israel would sit up on a wooden platform in the courtyard of the Temple and read the book of Devarim to the nation.

Everyone is to congregate for this. The men to learn the Torah being read, the women to be there and listen, the children (to reward those who brought them) and converts so that they come to fear G-d and keep His Torah.

And the children of this nation will hear and will learn to fear G-d during the time they reside in the land of Israel.

Be Strong and Courageous

Moshe tells them that G-d will destroy the other nations like he did the Amorite kings Sichon and Og and that when He does so, they are to act towards the nations in the way which G-d had commanded.

Moshe concludes this aliya telling them to be strong and courageous. To not fear the other nations because G-d will go with them and will not fail nor abandon them.

Do Not Fear

In the presence of the nation of Israel, Moshe told Yehoshua to “be strong and courageous” as he is responsible for bringing the Israelites into the Land, even if it’s against their will and he is to portion out the land to them in accordance with their inheritance.

Moshe continues by saying that G-d goes before him and will be with him. He will not fail nor leave him so he should not fear nor be discouraged.

Moshe’s Last Day

Moshe passed away on the seventh of Adar, which was also his birthday, alluding to him having had a complete life.

On the day of Moshe’s passing, his powers were just as strong as before, however his authority was taken away from him and his powers of transmission closed off from him.

Moshe told them on that day that he was 120 years old and not permitted to continue into the land with them.

He reassures them that G-d and Yehoshua will cross the Jordan river before them to lead them there and that G-d will destroy the nations they are to encounter in the land so the Israelites can take possession of it.

Choose Life

Moshe relays that he has today set before them “life and good” and “death and evil”. Juxtaposing these things is in order to illustrate that doing good grants one life, while doing evil grants one death. This works as follows:

The “good” refers to loving G-d, walking in His ways and observing His commandments, statues and ordinances. Doing so will cause them to “live and increase” and G-d will bless them in the land of Israel.

The “evil” refers to them not listening and bowing down to and serving other gods. If they do this, they will not live long in Israel.

Moshe says that he calls upon the heaven and earth that day as witnesses to all of this, as they are eternal and thus will bear witness when evil comes upon them. An alternate explanation to Moshe calling upon the heaven and earth as witnesses, is to demonstrate that the heaven and earth obediently act as G-d wills them to despite not receiving reward or punishment for this, so all the more so should the Israelites who do receive reward and punishment obey G-d.

Moshe beseeches them that in spite of the fact that they have free choice, they are to choose life. Rashi explains that this is like a man who tells his son to choose a nice portion of his estate and then shows him the best portion and tells him to choose that one.

Living in the land that G-d promised to their forefathers is their life, which they are choosing when they obey G-d.

Curses on Israel’s Enemies. Return to G-d.

Moshe prophecies that G-d will put all of the curses on the Israelites’ enemies and those who chase after them, that the Israelites will return to listening and obeying G-d’s commandments and that G-d will make their work produce abundance for them.

When they obey G-d and return to Him with their full heart and soul, G-d will celebrate over them the way he did over their ancestors, Moshe says.