From: office@etzion.org.il
To: yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject: INTPARSHA61 -46: Parashat Nitzavim
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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PARASHAT NITZAVIM
Return and Restoration
By Rabbi Michael Hattin
Introduction
As the year, with its triumphs and unspeakable
tragedies, draws to its close, our attention once again
turns to the concluding sections of the Torah. But with the
hindsight afforded by the readings of the entire year, we
are now in a better position to discern a broad pattern in
time that underlies them all. Based upon a remarkable
understanding of the fundamental cycles that govern human
existence and that drive human history, Jewish tradition
formulated a particularly meaningful division of the Torah's
sections into Books of weekly parashiyot, especially for
those communities that share the same hemisphere as the Land
of Israel.
With the dying rays of Summer sinking faster and faster
in the western sky, the promise of Fall, with its
fructifying and cleansing rains, ushers in the Book of
Bereishit, the story of Creation and of man's inherent
potential. Those rains, however, soon give way to the cold
and dreary Winter. Its icy winds rob the vegetation of its
vitality and vigor, and in their wake, herald the story of
the enslavement and oppression in Egypt. That momentous
struggle culminates with the Exodus and the march to Sinai,
as the first beams of Spring's healing sunlight begin to
warm the black earth. The full blossom of that season's
hope occurs during the reading of Sefer Vayikra, a Book
laden with the multitude of commandments and observances,
ritual as well as ethical, that are its lifeblood. Spring
meshes seamlessly with Summer's inexorable approach and
arrival. This season of auric fields full of bountiful and
hard-earned harvest, the aim and objective of the entire
agricultural sequence, is paralleled by the reading of
Bemidbar, the account of the journey towards the land.
As Summer's golden glow begins its poignant retreat,
and the cool winds of Fall rustle ominously through the
treetops, our attentions once again turn to the faded dreams
that have inescapably drifted beyond our reach, and to the
eventual mortality that awaits us all. The Book of Devarim,
auspicious but stern, hopeful but uncompromisingly harsh,
locks us in its unsettling embrace of sublime reward and
dire punishment, and by its conclusion we are stricken
breathless. As the Book draws to its close while human
history continues to relentlessly unfold, its recurring
predictions of 'Blessings' and 'Curses' stand revealed for
all to see as the inevitable convergence of God's
unfathomable plan and man's only too discernible choice. We
reel and stagger from Moshe's dreadful warnings of 'smoking
anger,' 'fire and brimstone,' and 'burning rage.' We grasp
for a tatter of comfort, a shred of hope by which to be
plucked from among the smoldering ruins, and we are not
disappointed.
The Passage of 'Return'
"When all of these things concerning you shall come to
pass, the Blessing and the Curse that I have placed
before you, then you shall take matters ('vahaSheVota')
to heart among all of the nations into which God your
Lord has driven you. You shall return ('veShaVta') to
God and hearken to His voice, according to all that I
command you this day, both you and your children with
all of your heart and with all of your soul."
"God in turn shall return ('veShaV') your captivity
('SheVutcha') and have compassion upon you. He will
once again ('veShaV') gather you from among all of the
nations into which He scattered you. Though your
expulsion may be at the ends of the heavens, from there
God shall gather you and from there He shall take you.
God your Lord will bring you into the land that your
ancestors once possessed, and you shall possess it, and
you shall enjoy more goodness and increase than those
ancestors. God your Lord will circumcise your heart
and the heart of your descendants, so that you love God
your Lord with all of your heart and with all of your
soul, so that you may live."
"God your Lord will place all of these curses upon your
enemies and foes that pursued you. You will return
('taShuV') and hearken to God's voice, to fulfill all
of His commandments that I command you this day. God
your Lord will grant you increase in all of your
endeavors, your children, animals and harvests, all for
the good. God will again ('yaShuV') rejoice over you
for the good just as He rejoiced over your ancestors.
When you hearken to the voice of God your Lord, to
observe His commandments and decrees that are written
in this Book of the Torah, when you return ('taShuV')
to God your Lord with all of your heart and with all of
your soul" (Devarim 30:1-10).
Individuals and the Nation
This powerful passage, infused with the rousing vision
of restoration, is directed towards the entire people of
Israel. Its emotive verses do not speak to the individual
and do not address his existential plight. The man who is
estranged from God is free to return to Him and will find
Him receptive, but his story is not to be found in our
verses. It is the nation that is the subject of these
charged phrases, a nation exiled from its land and scattered
to the four corners of the globe like so much chaff. The
Torah indicates that the interminably long exile will one
day come to an end, the people will return to their land,
and God will return to them.
There is a single word that echoes throughout these
verses and across the generations, and that word is
'TESHUVA' or 'RETURN.' It occurs in the various forms of
the verb 'ShUV' (return), that are mentioned eight times in
the course of these ten verses, and it is the vision that
animates them all. The restoration after the longest night
of exile, the 'return' to the land of Israel of Israel's
indestructible remnant, represents the physical
manifestation of this process, but the soul that is its
engine is a different form of return entirely.
Parenthetically, we will endeavor to use the Hebrew
word 'teshuva' to describe this progression, rather than the
more commonly used 'repentance.' This latter word is from
an old French or Latin root signifying remorse, contrition
or regret. Although those elements may indeed be included
in 'teshuva,' the Hebrew term transcends them all, for it
speaks of an all-encompassing and transformative experience
in which the person is restored to God and to the deepest
truth of their innermost being in the most comprehensive
way, and after which life cannot be the same.
An Ancient Dispute
"Rav said: all of the appointed times (for redemption)
have already passed, for the matter depends entirely
upon 'teshuva' and good deeds. Shemuel demurred,
saying: the mourner is sufficiently sustained by his
mourning (the suffering endured by Israel in exile has
provided sufficient merit for them to be restored, even
in the absence of their repentance - Rashi). This
disagreement is similar to the following dispute among
authorities of the Mishna. Rabbi Eliezer says: if the
people of Israel return then they will be redeemed, but
if not, then they will not be redeemed. Rabbi Yehoshua
says: Will they not be redeemed if they fail to do
'teshuva?' Rather, God will establish a king whose
decrees will be as harsh as those of Haman, and then
Israel will return and be restored to the good.[does
not the verse state that] '.when the time has passed
and the holy nation suffer utter degradation, then all
these things will be realized' (Daniel 12:7)? Rabbi
Eliezer fell silent (Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 97b-
98a).
In this famous quarrel, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi
Eliezer disagree concerning the role of sincere 'teshuva' in
the redemptive process. According to the view of Rabbi
Eliezer, unless the Jewish people sincerely return to God
and embrace the observance of His Torah, then redemption
will remain a distant and unrealized chimera. The event of
redemption is entirely a function of free human choice and
intense human longing for God's word. As long as the people
of Israel remain deaf to the siren call of teshuva, then
their tragic exile will be prolonged endless Rabbi
Yehoshua, however, disagrees. Redemption will follow the
bitterness of exile, as surely as the aurora follows the
night's darkest gloom. In the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua, if
the people of Israel do not return of their own volition,
then God will assist the process with the appointment of a
tyrannical king who will 'encourage' them.
Ultimately, both authorities agree that teshuva is
central to the redemptive process. They part ways, however,
concerning the necessity for SINCERE repentance, the type of
return that can only be the exclusive consequence of
autonomous choice. For Rabbi Eliezer, in its absence,
redemption is impossible. Rabbi Yehoshua, on the other
hand, argues that there is another form of return, one that
is precipitated not by genuine and heartfelt feelings of
longing, but by the cruel necessity of insufferable
distress. If the people abjure God's patient and beckoning
call, refusing to embrace the holy destiny that has set them
apart from every other nation since time immemorial, then
redemption can still dawn. But in this less meaningful
variation, it will unfold as the only response remaining
after every other attempt to overcome oppression and
adversity has been exhausted. In this model, teshuva is a
last resort, a mechanistic reaction to trials too difficult
to bear. But as certainly as Rabbi Eliezer falls silent in
the end and cannot refute Rabbi Yehoshua's proof text,
REDEMPTION STILL COMES IN ITS WAKE!
Considering the Process of Return
Our passage from Parashat Nitzavim sheds much light on
this issue. Ostensibly, it describes the very process of
return that is the subject of our discussion, and indeed
intimates that national restoration is a consequence of
teshuva. Does it not seem to explicitly support the view of
Rabbi Eliezer who demands sincere return as a prerequisite
for restoration? Nevertheless, the verses are puzzlingly
repetitive, for they seem to describe the same event no less
than three times! On three occasions, we are told that the
people will return with 'all of their heart and with all of
their soul.' On two occasions we are told that God will
restore them to their land and rejoice over them, bringing
them increase and success. In fact, from Rabbi Eliezer's
perspective, the story could have been told in its entirety
utilizing half of the verses!
In fact, a closer reading of the passage reveals a
different possibility. There is a reciprocal dynamic at
work, signified by the recurring usage of the verb 'ShuV':
(1) The people return to God - "When all of these things
concerning you shall come to pass, the Blessing and the
Curse that I have placed before you, then you shall take
matters ('vahaSheVota') to heart among all of the nations
into which God your Lord has driven you. You shall return
('veShaVta') to God and hearken to His voice, according to
all that I command you this day, both you and your children
with all of your heart and with all of your soul" (Devarim
30:1-2).
(2) He responds by returning their captivity - "God in turn
shall return ('veShaV') your captivity ('SheVutcha') and
have compassion upon you. He will once again ('veShaV')
gather you from among all of the nations into which He
scattered you. Though your expulsion may be at the ends of
the heavens, from there God shall gather you and from there
He shall take you. God your Lord will bring you into the
land that your ancestors once possessed, and you shall
possess it, and you shall enjoy more goodness and increase
than those ancestors" (Devarim 30:3-5).
(3) The people return to Him again - "God your Lord will
circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so
that you love God your Lord with all of your heart and with
all of your soul, so that you may live. God your Lord will
place all of these curses upon your enemies and foes that
pursued you. You will return ('taShuV') and hearken to
God's voice, to fulfill all of His commandments that I
command you this day. " (Devarim 30:6-7).
(4) God responds by proceeding to rejoice over them - "God
your Lord will grant you increase in all of your endeavors,
your children, animals and harvests, all for the good. God
will again ('yaShuV') rejoice over you for the good just as
He rejoiced over your ancestors" (Devarim 30:8-9).
(5) Finally, they return to Him again - "When you hearken
to the voice of God your Lord, to observe His commandments
and decrees that are written in this Book of the Torah, when
you return ('taShuV') to God your Lord with all of your
heart and with all of your soul" (Devarim 30:10
Event vs. Process
In other words, the event of national return so
eloquently sketched out by our passage is a LENGTHY PROCESS
OVER TIME, during which the people of Israel must make the
first tentative, halting step. They are then encouraged by
God's magnanimous response, for He sees in their difficult
and uncertain move a glimmer of teshuva, and responds by
initiating the PHYSICAL ingathering of their exiles. Of
course, as we now know, this ingathering, the concrete
manifestation of the process of restoration unfolding, is
not at all the culmination of the process. The nation must
still overcome many challenges in order to achieve their
independence and secure their sovereignty. Additionally,
they must not only obtain physical self-government, but
spiritual sensitivity as well. They must therefore return
'again,' not in a repetitive act but in a progressive one,
for the quality of this second return must begin to
incorporate that essential spiritual component. God again
responds, showering them with His bounty and illuminating
them with His radiance. Finally, the people of Israel are
ready to initiate the final act of return, the
comprehensive, transformative, transcendent teshuva that
must follow.
In this reading, teshuva is exactly what we know it
intuitively to be: a gradual awakening of the mind and soul
to God's call, a measured but steady process of self-
evaluation, re-evaluation, and redirection, a plodding and
sometimes faltering series of steps great and small that
include dead ends, blind alleys, and even devastating
retreats. But the process is inexorable and its momentum
cannot be stayed. In effect, it could be that Rabbi
Yehoshua and Rabbi Eliezer concur, as long as they are
discussing the totality of the teshuva process and not
simply its starting point! There is a spectrum of teshuva:
on one extreme, there is a teshuva that is entirely imposed
by external forces; on the other, a teshuva that is entirely
self-inspired and sincere. The teshuva of Parashat Nitzavim
incorporates both elements, and traces the twisted thread
that links the two to describe a single continuum.
Returning to the Text
A number of textual anomalies are resolved by this
approach. The first mention of 'return,' the blessed
teshuva that should have heralded a glorious reconciliation,
is here curiously described as a 'taking to heart' rather
than a return to God: "When all of these things concerning
you shall come to pass, the Blessing and the Curse that I
have placed before you, then you shall take matters
('vahaSheVota') to heart among all of the nations into which
God your Lord has driven you." This indicates that the
first, halting step of which we spoke need not even
incorporate a conscious awareness of God and a desire to
embrace His word. Here, in the national return of the
people of Israel, it is simply a 'taking to heart,' a
questioning of the meaning of exile and of the riddle of
Jewish suffering. The second stage of this return is in
fact 'God directed' but nevertheless deficient: "You shall
return ('veShaVta') to God and hearken to His voice,
according to all that I command you this day." In the
original Hebrew, the verse states that "you shall return
'ad' God", which is here translated as 'to God' but is more
accurately rendered as 'up to God,' implying a distance that
remains to be bridged between the Deity and the people of
Israel. They return, but having reached the threshold, they
can advance no further. The reconciliation at this point is
incomplete.
The Divine response is, in fact, an initiation ofthat
very return and ingathering of which our ancestors dreamt,
but one that is correspondingly devoid of any spiritual
content. It is a physical restoration of Israel to its
ancient land, but at this stage in the process, Israel,
though committed to the endeavor of nation building with
'heart and soul,' is still painfully unaware that it remains
shorn of its spiritual patrimony. Only with the next
teshuva is this additional dimension awakened: "God your
Lord will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
descendants, so that you love God your Lord with all of your
heart and with all of your soul, so that you may live."
This 'circumcision of the heart' is understood by the
commentaries to be a reference to some sort of stirring of
the spirit, in which the insensitivity and callousness of
the heart is shed, to be replaced by a more profound
awareness of the Divine and a more pronounced commitment to
the Torah. Thus, "you will return ('taShuV') and hearken to
God's voice, to fulfill all of His commandments that I
command you this day."
This next stage is again reciprocated by God with a
still greater response: "God your Lord will grant you
increase in all of your endeavors, your children, animals
and harvests, all for the good. God will again ('yaShuV')
rejoice over you for the good just as He rejoiced over your
ancestors." The Divine rejoicing, coupled with a fond
reminisce of the people's ancestors, the devoted and
steadfast Patriarchs and Matriarchs, signals the people's
return to their former status of favor in God's eyes, to
their unblemished past. That ideal state had been
characterized by a harmony between God and man, between man
and the cosmos, between man and himself, and is here
reconstituted under the unfurled banner of God's love.
The next stage is the last, the final act of teshuva
that completes the people's transformation: "When you
hearken to the voice of God your Lord, to observe His
commandments and decrees that are written in this Book of
the Torah, when you return ('taShuV') to God your Lord with
all of your heart and with all of your soul." Significantly
and in contrast to the above, the 'return to God' here
enunciated is described in the original Hebrew as 'return
'el' God,' a complete return to God's waiting embrace as all
distance evaporates and complete resolution is achieved.
Conclusion
We live in confusing and unsettling times, especially
as regards the Jewish state. Our world seems to be in a
constant state of flux and upheaval, and to predict the next
day's events seems the height of recklessness. Some of us
look at the Jewish state and can see nothing remarkable, as
if the foretold return of the Jews was an event like any
other, as if the resurrection of a people and a language all
but given up for dead is as mundane as the weather. Others
look at the Jewish state with studied alarm, as if a
cherished and flawless image of the Redemption has been
monstrously twisted out of shape by a secular vision of
material excess.
In order to truly appreciate the magnitude of our
times, one must maintain as broad a perspective as possible.
And from that perspective one fundamental principle emerges:
the teshuva of the nation is a process in time. As a
process, it must include various stages that address many
aspects in the national life of the Jews, some of which have
not been seriously considered for two millennia: self-
government, self-defense, leadership, et al. As a process,
teshuva can be incremental at times and may even appear to
be static. But it is not. Human history marches on, the
Jewish people advance forward, and God continues to wait for
our next move.
Let us hope and pray that as we begin yet another
chapter colored with terrible uncertainty and frequently
underscored with dread, we are able to maintain our tight
clasp on Moshe's portentous words:
"God your Lord will place all of these curses upon your
enemies and foes that pursued you. You will return and
hearken to God's voice, to fulfill all of His
commandments that I command you this day. God your
Lord will grant you increase in all of your endeavors,
your children, animals and harvests, all for the good.
God will again rejoice over you for the good just as He
rejoiced over your ancestors. When you hearken to the
voice of God your Lord, to observe His commandments and
decrees that are written in this Book of the Torah,
when you return to God your Lord with all of your heart
and with all of your soul" (Devarim 30:1-10).
Shabbat Shalom
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