Parashat
Nitzavim may be subtitled “The Hebrew People - A Testimony of the Covenant and
of the Promises.” Although Nitzavim is translated "You
stand…" - it actually means "standing in position, standing
firmly, or taking a stand," the root being y.tz.v (yod,
tzadi, bet/vet) and the definition is “set, establish or take a stand.”[1]
According to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh, however, the root is tz.v.v (tzadi,
vet, vet), and means “cover while moving.” [2] Embodied in these two Parashot
is the definition of the nation as well as the ultimate promise of grace.
Interestingly, about the “nations” which “rage” and “the peoples” who
“contemplate a vain thing”, with their “kings and rulers” (mentioned in Psalm
2:1-2), it is said that they “take their stand together against YHVH and His
Anointed…” (v.2). In Hebrew “take their stand” is, again, “yit’ya’tzvu,” which
places the latter in a parallel position to those who stood at the foot
of Mount Horeb
The familiar
verb "avor" which means “to pass, go through, go over, enter,”
and the noun and verb forms of "witness or testimony”
("ed"), show up more than once. The Hebrew people, YHVH’s
witnesses, are characterized, as we know, by ‘crossing’ or ‘passing over,’
hence different aspects of this action are presented in the text.
But why are the
“passers over” standing “in position” or “formation”? “That you may enter ("avor")
the covenant with YHVH your Elohim, and enter("avor")
into His oath [alah – an oath that if broken incurs a curse; in
30:7 it is used as “curse”] which YHVH your Elohim is making with you today, in
order that He may establish you today as His people and that He may be your
Elohim, just as He spoke to you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this
oath, but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of YHVH
our Elohim and with those who are not with us here today" (29:12-15). ).
With all the crossing over of the Hebrews, the passing/crossing over
into the covenant is of prime importance. Notice also the far reaching
aspect of the covenant, to those “not with us today,” thus pointing to the
continuity of the people of Yisrael and to generational unity within the
boundaries of the covenant. Moreover, in 29:10-11 the text stresses the
all-inclusiveness of the covenant by addressing “all of you,” as well as by
enumerating the entire social structure of the nation: “your leaders and your
tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little
ones and your wives -- also the stranger who is in your camp, from
the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water.”
“Covenant”
– “brit” – is of the root b.r.t (bet, resh, tav), meaning to “cut."
“Making a covenant” – “karot”- is another verb for “cut”
(or fell, a tree, for example). Consequently, in making the covenant there is a
double cutting as it were, which points emphatically to separation from one’s
former situation, both naturally and spiritually (and is signified by the
cutting entailed in the physical circumcision). By the same token, by
transgression one may experience a “cutting (again, k.r.t, e.g. Lev. 7:20)…
away” from the boundaries prescribed by the covenant.
This covenant,
being two-sided, is therefore like a two-edged sword. Abba laid down the
conditions, but knowing the infidelity which is characteristic of His
children’s heart, He also built into the covenant the promise of grace. In
other words, ultimately it will be Him only who will make possible its
fulfillment, as is seen so vividly in 30:3-10. In verse 6 He promises that
at a latter time He will “circumcise the heart” of His people. “Circumcise”
is designated by the root m.u.l (mem, vav, lamed), meaning… “to cut”,
once again. In between this promise of grace and the warnings of transgressing
His commandments (29:16-28), we read in 29:29: “The things hidden are to
YHVH our Elohim, and the things revealed are to us and to our sons
-- that wemay do all the words of this Torah” (literal translation,
italics added). Disobedience cannot be excused by claiming that the Torah is
mystical and concealed, and as if this is not enough it says in
30:11-14: "For this commandment which I command you today is not too
mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you
should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us that, we may
hear it and do it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who
will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do
it?' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that
you may do it.” The word for “mysterious” here is different from the one
employed in 29:29 for “hidden.” The present term (v. 14) is “niflet,” rooted in
p.l.a (pey, lamed, alef. See Shoftim - Judges 13:18 and Tehilim - Psalm 139:6,
in both this word is translated “wonderful”). However, having said all of the
above, in the next Parasha (chapter 31) there is warning that could result in
situations where YHVH will hide His face from His people (v.
17).
Repentance and
turning to YHVH will bring a restoration which is expressed in the 30:3-10
passage where all the verbs are in the ‘active causative form,’ denoting that
He is both the initiator and the ‘enactor.’ Not only does He take it upon
Himself to enable the fulfillment of the covenant, and at a latter date sends
Yeshua to carry all of our afflictions and sufferings, in 31:13 it also says
that, "YHVH your Elohim [is He] who will cross (“avor”)
ahead of you" (italics added). YHVH is truly the Elohim of the Hebrews! He
goes ahead of them by "crossing over" Himself! At the same time,
together with the “crossing” or “passing over” we have here one of those
Hebraic dichotomies indicated by “standing firmly.” The blend of both is the
desired condition and status designated for the People of Yisrael. And indeed,
we see Yeshua crossing - “over”* – ahead of us,
entering within the veil giving us a hope which is sure and steadfast –
“yatziv” (ref. Heb. 6:19, 20, Hebrew translation of the Greek, being
also of the root y.tz.v). Thus, with a “yatziv” (sure) hope, we are enabled to
be steadfast and stand firmly in our crossing over journey.
In the
meantime, this drama of the covenant nation, its unfaithfulness and the grace
granted it, is to unfold in front of the entire universe and creation. The
testimony – witness -“ed” – is being established by calling upon heaven and
earth (ref. 30:19). The Song of Moses (referred to in Parashat Va’yelech 31:21
and presented in chapter 32) is the written record that serves as a witness, as
does the Torah too, which is to be kept in the ark in the Holy of Holies
(31:26). The desolate land (29:23-28) will also bear witness to the
unfaithfulness of the people, both before their own sons' eyes, and in front of
the foreigners (v. 22), as will their banishment from it (i.e. the land). All
this is with view toward the end that, the Hebrew people themselves will become
a witness and a testimony nation. "You are my witness, declares YHVH"
(Is. 43:10), to the fact that He is the Elohim of Yisrael, the Elohim of
creation, and the Elohim of the universe.
As we have
already seen, the covenant pertains to this preset day generation (see
29:14-15), just as much as it was to those who lived back then. Therefore we
too are to "stand firm in position," standing our ground today, to be
a covenant people and a witness to the Elohim of the covenant, the Elohim of
Yisrael, the Elohim of the Hebrews - the Elohim of grace.
While Parashat
Nitzavim (“standing” as compared to “and he went/walked”)
focuses on the “crossing over” of the Hebrew people, Parashat “Va’yelech”
starts with… the “going” of Moshe: “va’yelech Moshe,” that is
“and Moses went,” and continues with: “and
spoke these words to all Israel” (31:1). These words of introduction, “Moses
went,” regarding the statements that the elderly leader was about to make to
his compatriots is quite curious. Was it a hint of his impending departure, and that he was
ready to proclaim this fact to all Yisrael? Indeed Moshe continues: “I am a
hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come
in. Also YHVH has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan
But whereas
Moshe will not be accompanying the people, he consoles them saying that “YHVH
your Elohim will cross before you” – which is once more the familiar “over”
(a.v.r – the root of “Hebrew”).* “He will destroy these
nations before you,” and in addition Yehoshua will also “go – pass, cross - “over”
- before you” (v. 3). Verses 6, 7 and 8, spoken to Yisrael and to Yehoshua
summarize all of the above: "’Be strong and of good courage, do
not fear nor be afraid of them [the people of the land]; for YHVH your Elohim
is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake
you.’ Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel
The third
expression which is repeated in the above passage: “He will not fail you
nor forsake you” is, “lo yar’pecha, ve-lo ya’azovcha.”
“Yar’peh” – translated “fail” - is rooted in r. p/f. h (resh,
pey/fey, hey), meaning to “become weak, let go, be
negligent, or remove.” In Tehilim (Psalms) 46:10 it says, “Be
still and know that I am YHVH.” However, in Hebrew the rendering is “harpu,”
literally “let go,” or “become weak.” Because YHVH will not “let
go” of His people, they are the ones who must do the “letting go” and become
“weak” before Him, and in so doing they will know that He is the Elohim who
alone can give them strength. Shaul (Paul) echoes this when he says: “And He
said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect
in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weakness,
that the power of Messiah may overshadow me” (2nd Corinthians
12:9 italics added). The next verb (of the above-mentioned expression, “lo
yar’pecha ve-lo ya’az’vecha”) is azav (ayin, zayin, bet/vet),
and means, “leave, abandon or forsake.” It
is also used elsewhere in our Parasha, although in a different connotation, as
we shall see at once.
Thus verses 16
and 17 of Dvarim 31 record: “And YHVH said to Moses, ‘Behold, you shall sleep
with your fathers. And this people shall rise up and go lusting after the gods
of the strangers of the land into which they are going, into their midst. And
they will forsake Me – ve’azavani - and break My
covenant which I made with them. Then My anger shall be kindled against them in
that day, and I will forsake them - ve’azavtim…’”
(Italics added). Verse 5 reveals to us that there is a condition for being
preserved by YHVH: “…do to them [the nations in Cna’an - Canaan )
according to all the commandments which I have commanded you,” to not “go
lusting after [their] gods,” thereby forsaking the true One. Nevertheless, in
verse 16 we read that, “This people shall rise up…” which is “ve’kam.”
In Parashat Nitzavim, above (Det. 29:13) it said: “…that He may establish
you today for a people to Himself…” which is literally “that He may raise you up…
- hakim.” Hence, it is the very people, whom YHVH was raising
up – establishing - who “shallrise up and go lusting after
the gods of the strangers…” (italics added).
In the two
examples above (and in many similar ones throughout the Tanach, some of which
we examined very recently), we see the usage of identical words, or derivatives
of the same root for the purpose of conveying contrasting messages. This method
highlights or enhances an idea, and at times adds a touch of irony and a moral
to the story or the description at hand.
YHVH is
commanding Moshe to call on Yehoshua in order for both to “present”
themselves in the Tent of Meeting (31:14); a command which is designated by the
imperative “(ve-hit)yatzvu,” of the root y.tz.v that we just encountered
in Parashat “Nitzavim” above. In presenting himself,
therefore, Yehoshua is to make a “firm stand” and a commitment.
Further
connection to Parashat Nitzavim is evident in the concept of “witness” –
testimony “ – “ed,” masculine, and “eda,” feminine. In the previous Parasha
heaven and earth were mentioned as witnesses (30:19). Now the “Song” (which
constitutes the following Parasha), the book of the Torah, and heaven and earth
(again) are singled out as witnesses. The “Song,” in particular, is to “testify
as a witness” against the people, “when many evils and troubles have found
them” (31:21). “Testifying” in this particular case is “an’ta”
(of the root a.n.h – ayin, noon, hey), meaning to “respond or answer,”
as according to verse 19 the “Song” will be “in the mouths of the Children of
Israel.” Therefore when they recite this Song, their own words shall “respond”
to, or echo, their evil actions and become a testimony against them. This
brings to mind Parashat Nitzavim’s: “the word is very near you, in your
mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it” (30:14
italics added), which is the other side of the same proverbial coin. Another
usage of “ta’aneh,” “respond,” in relationship to “witness” is found in Sh’mot
(Exodus) 20:16 and Dvarim (Deuteronomy) 5:20, where it says: “You shall not
bear – “ta’aneh”- respond” - a false witness against your neighbor.” In view of
this, we may ask: are the things that we say and do but mere responses, or
answers bearing testimony to a ‘Primary Moving Cause’ (be it YHVH or the
adversary)?
In 31:10-11 we
read: “And Moses commanded them, saying, ‘at the end of seven years, at the set
time of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel has
come to appear before YHVH your Elohim in the place which He shall choose, you
shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.’” The word for “read”
is “kara” (k.r.a, kof, resh, alef), meaning to "read, recite, call.”
At the end of the Parasha, in verse 29, it says: “For I know that after my
death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have
commanded you. And evil will happen to you in the latter end of the
days…” Moshe predicts that “evil” will “happen to you,” which
is rendered here ve’karat, and shares the same root as the
aforementioned “kara” (“read”). However, as a rule the spelling for “happen”
(albeit of the same sound as “read” or “recite”), is different and therefore
has another root. Thus, the special rendering and spelling of “happen”
in this particular case incorporates, as it were, the verb for “reading.”
Hearing the Torah read, while turning away from it and from its
Giver will result in evil befalling or happening to
those who know better yet choose to rebel against its Giver (and against their
own better judgment).
Finally, the ironic vein
makes its appearance in verses 28, 29 if compared to verse 12, doing so by the
usage of the verb “gather” in its imperative form. In the first instance
it is the command to gather all the “people, men and women, and little ones,
and the stranger… that they may hear and that they may learn to fear YHVH your
Elohim and carefully observe the words of this Torah” (that is in the 7th
year gathering at Succot). In the second instance, “all the elders of your
tribes, and your officers” are to be gathered “that I may speak these words in
their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them”. The object of
this present gathering is in order to predict that after Moshe’s death “You
will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded
you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in
the sight of YHVH, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands"
(verse 29).
* “Over” is pronounced like
“overt,” minus the “t” sound.
Hebrew Tools
for Everyday Use
Parashat
Nitzavim makes reference several times to the witness of “earth”, and even more
so to the “heavens”. It also makes reference to “land”, to its demise but also
to its restoration, being a reflection of the people of Israel
In the
heaven/sky there are stars
Ba’sha’ma’yim
yesh kochavim (kochav – star; kochavim – stars)
The Land of Israel
Eretz Yisrael –
eretz ahu’va (lit. land beloved)
I have love in
my heart
Yesh li ahava
ba’lev (lir. There is to me love in the heart)
You (m.) have –
yesh le’cha
You (f.) have –
yesh lach
He has – yesh
lo
She has – yesh
la
From Parashat
Va’yelech we will glean several useful verbs. “Going”
(or “walking”)
and “leaving” are the first obvious ones, being used
in the Parasha
in the same way. From the unique usage above of the verb
“to testify” we
will ‘borrow’ its other meaning, as we saw above, which is
“to answer”. In
the same way, we will ‘take advantage’ of the unusual
spelling of
“happen” with its connection to “read” or “call”.
He called:
“Don’t go!”
Hu kara: “Al
tel’chi!” (feminine, i.e. he is addressing a female)
She called:
”Don’t go!”
He kar’a: ”Al
telech!” (masculine, i.e. she is addressing a male)
We (masculine)
are reading Hebrew
Anach’nu
kor’eem Ivrit
We (feminine)
are reading Hebrew
Anach’nu kor’ot
Ivrit
There are
Israelis that leave the land
Yesh Yisre’elim
sheh’ozvim et ha’a’retz
(“sheh” – that
– is part of the word. Ha – the – is part of the word)
Leave
(singular)
ozev (m.)
ozevet
(feminine)
Leave (plural)
ozveem (m.)
ozvot (f.)
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