Parshat Nitzavim
Rabbi Bernard Fox
“The hidden things are the concern of Hashem your
G-d. Regarding the revealed things, it
is ours and our children’s responsibility forever to observe the words of this
Torah.” (Devarim 29:28)
The meaning of the above pasuk is not very
clear. It tells us that those things
that are hidden are the responsibility of Hashem but that we and our children
are responsible for those things that are revealed. However, what are the things – revealed or hidden – to which the pasuk
refers? Rashi explains that the pasuk
can only be understood if it is analyzed within its context.
“Perhaps there is among you a man or a woman, or a
family or Shevet, whose heart turns away today from being with Hashem our G-d,
to go and serve the gods of those nations.
Perhaps there is among you a root flourishing with gall and
wormwood. And it will be that when he
hears the words of this curse, he will bless himself in his heart saying,
“Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit.” – thereby adding
the watered upon the thirsty.” (Devarim
29:17-18)
This is a difficult pasuk to completely understand
but its basic meaning is clear. Moshe
has described to Bnai Yisrael the blessing that will be bestowed upon them if
they are faithful to the Torah and the curses that will befall them if they
abandon the Torah. In the above pasuk,
Moshe describes a possible reaction to his admonition to observe the
Torah. It is possible that some person,
family or Shevet will not take his warning seriously. This person or group will imagine that it is possible to do as
one pleases and yet avoid the punishments that Moshe has described. Moshe continues and explains that this
person or group makes a serious mistake in believing that our actions have no
consequences.
“The later generation will say – your children that
arise after you and the foreigner who will come from a distant land – when they
will see the plagues of the land and its illnesses which Hashem has afflicted
upon it.” (Devarim 29:21)
Moshe explains that if we abandon the Torah and
imagine that there are no consequences for our actions that land of Israel and
its people will be struck with terrible plagues. The suffering that we will experience will be so terrible that it
will evoke a response of awe and wonderment among those who observe the
absolute destruction.
Rashi explains that this is the context of the first
pasuk. Moshe warns the individual or
group against imagining that our actions do not have consequences. He asserts that if we are unfaithful to the
Torah and imagine that Hashem will not take notice, we will experience severe
and terrible punishments. However, it
must be noted that Moshe indicates that the land and its entire people will be
punished for the sins of even an individual, family or single Shevet. In other words, we have a shared
responsibility for the observance of every person, family and Shevet. The entire nation will be punished for the
sins of even a single person. Moshe’s
assertion of collective responsibility invites a powerful objection. How can we be responsible for the sins of
every individual?
Moshe responds to this objection in the first pasuk. We are not responsible for the hidden
sins. Sins that take place in an
individual’s heart are Hashem’s to judge and punish. However, those sins that are open and revealed to us do require
our response. In other words, the
hidden and revealed “things” in the first pasuk are sins that are hidden or
revealed. The basic message of our pasuk
is that we do have a collective responsibility for all members of Bnai
Yisrael. However, this responsibility
has its limits. It extends to
observable sins. To these we can and
must respond. However, we are not
required to monitor or respond to inappropriate thoughts. This is Hashem’s domain and He will judge
and deal with these inappropriate attitudes.[1]
Rashi explains that the above pasuk contains a
second qualification of our collective responsibility. In the Torah, there is a series of dots
above the letters in the pasuk. These
dots are used in various places in the Torah.
They indicate that the words above which they appear must be
qualified. In our case, this means that
even our collective responsibility for revealed and observable sins is not
absolute. It is limited in some way. What is the limitation?
Rashi explains that our collective responsibility
did not emerge until the nation crossed the Jordan and entered the land of
Israel. Once the nation entered the
land, the blessings bestowed for observance of the Torah and the curses that
befall us for its abandonment were to be repeated. The people would acknowledge the blessings and curses. With the acknowledgement of these blessings and
curses, collective responsibility will emerge.[2]
Why does the collective responsibility not emerge
until the nation enters the land of Israel and accepts the blessings and
curses? There seems to be two factors
that combine to explain this delay.
First, the blessings and curses predominantly relate to the welfare of
Bnai Yisrael in the land of Israel. If
we are faithful to Hashem and His Torah, we will enjoy the bounty of the
land. If we abandon the Torah, we will
be deprived of the bounty and eventually we will be exiled from the land. For this reason, when the nation entered
that land and began the process of possessing it, they were required to
acknowledge the blessings and curses.
This acknowledgement expressed an affirmation of the relationship
between the nation and the land of Israel.
The land of Israel is a blessing bestowed upon the faithful. But the
land can also be a curse for those who are unfaithful.
Second, our collective responsibility cannot be
separated from the blessings and curses.
These are not two separate phenomena.
Our collective responsibility is not merely a moral abstraction. It is intrinsically related to our
fate. We are a single nation and
people. Our identity as a single nation and people is the basis of our
collective responsibility. We are
judged as a nation and people. If we
neglect our collective responsibility, we will be judged and punished
collectively.
“They will stumble one over his brother as if in
flight from the sword. But there is no
pursuer. You will not have the power to
withstand your enemy.” (VaYikra 26:37)
There is a second passage in the Torah that
expresses the concept of collective responsibility. This passage is found in Sefer VaYikra. The context of this second passage is similar to the context of the
passage in our parasha. The Torah
describes the blessings and punishments that Moshe has reiterated. In the description of the curses, the Torah
tells us that we will be so fearful that we will flee without even being
pursued. In our flight, one man will
stumble over his brother. Rashi – based
on a discussion in the Talmud – explains that the image of one man stumbling
over his brother is intended to communicate a message. One man will stumble on the sins of his
brother. In other words, we are collectively
responsible for one another. When my
brother sins, I am responsible. Not
only will he fall – be punished – but I will stumble – be punished – as well.[3]
The commentaries are bothered by this interpretation
of the pasuk. Where is the allusion to
the concept of collective responsibility to be found in the pasuk? Gur Aryeh suggests an important
response. He explains that the wording
of the passage is unusual. The pasuk
describes a man stumbling over his brother.
The use of the term “brother” in this context is odd. It would have been more appropriate for the
passage to have said, "they will stumble one over another.” Why is the term brother used? Gur Aryeh explains that the term “brother”
is used to allude to the nature of the stumbling that the pasuk is
describing. The pasuk is describing a
person stumbling because of or on account of the actions of his brother. How do we stumble on account of the actions
of a brother? We neglect our
responsibility for the actions of our brother.
Therefore, the pasuk clearly implies collective responsibility.[4]
These two sources for collective responsibility have
similar contexts. Both sources occur in
the context of a discussion of punishments for abandonment of the Torah. However, there is subtle but important
difference between the two sources.
According to Gur Aryeh, the second reference indicates that our
collective responsibility stems from the fact that all members of Bnai Yisrael
are brothers. We are responsible for
each other because of our brotherhood.
Each of us is responsible for the spiritual and religious development of
our brother. We must relate to each
other with kindness and compassion. Our
compassion for our brother demands that we accept responsibility not only for
his material wellbeing but also for his spiritual development.
This is very different from the message in our parasha. Our parasha describes our collective
responsibility as an aspect of our commitment to Hashem and the Torah. We are not only responsible to be personally
faithful. We are responsible for the
observance and commitment of Bnai Yisrael.
Rashi stresses this point in his comments on the pasuk in our parasha. He explains that our collective
responsibility stems from the duty to remove evil from among us.[5]
These two messages are not contradictory. Instead, they express two factors that serve
as the basis for our collective responsibility. Our parasha, tells us that we are responsible to be faithful to
Hashem. This requires that we not only
personally observe the Torah but that we also accept responsibility for
communal observance. The passage in
Sefer VaYikra indicates that there is an additional and complementary basis for
our collective responsibility. All
members of Bnai Yisrael are brothers.
We must have compassion and love for one another. This compassion and love means that we must
work for the spiritual advancement of every Jew.
How does our collective responsibility express
itself in halacha? The most obvious
expression is discussed by the Talmud in Tractate Sanhedrin.[6] The Talmud explains that we are obligated to
respond to evil. It seems from the
discussion in the Talmud that our obligation is to react. When we observe wickedness, we cannot be
passive. We are obligated to
respond. However, the Talmud explains
in Tractate Rosh HaShanna, that the concept of collective responsibility is the
foundation of another halacha.
We are obligated to make a blessing before the
performance of most mitzvot. In order
for a person to recite a blessing prior to the performance of a mitzvah, the
person must be obligated in the performance.
However, there is an exception to this rule. If a person has performed a mitzvah and executed his obligation,
he is permitted to recite the blessing on behalf of some other person who has
not yet performed the commandment. In
other words, even though the first person has performed his obligation and is
not longer obligated in the mitzvah, he may recite the blessing on someone
else’s behalf.
Why does halacha make this exception? Why in this case is a person who has already
performed his obligation permitted to recite the blessing? The Talmud explains that this is because of
our collective responsibility. By
reciting the blessing for this other person, one is assuring that the person
performs the mitzvah properly. Our
collective responsibility demands that one provide this assistance.[7]
It seems that these two expressions in halacha of
collective responsibility reflect the two different themes found in the two
sources. The theme of the passage in
our parasha is that we must accept joint responsibility for the observance of
the Torah. As Rashi explains, this
means that we are obligated to remove evil from our midst. This is essentially a reactive
obligation. This pasuk seems to
correspond with the obligation discussed in Tractate Sanhedrin to respond to
evil. Once evil exists, we must respond
and bring it to a stop. However, it
does not seem that according to Rashi, this passage requires that we become
proactive – that we assist a fellow Jew in the proper performance of a
commandment. In other words, this
passage does not seem to serve as a basis for the halacha discussed in Tractate
Rosh HaShanna – that a person who has performed a commandment may nonetheless
recite the blessing for someone else.
The theme of the passage in Sefer VaYikra is that we
are brothers. Our compassion for our
brothers must extend to tending to their spiritual needs. This theme does seem to obligate us in
proactive behaviors. This pasuk does
correspond with the halacha in Tractate Rosh HaShanna. Because of our brotherhood, we are
responsible to help each other develop spiritually. We are obligated to assist each other in the performance of mitzvot. Therefore, a person who has performed a
commandment is permitted to make the blessing on behalf of another person.
[1] Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer Devarim 29:28.
[2] Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer Devarim 29:28.
[3] Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer VaYikra 26:37.
[4] Rav Yehuda Loew of Prague (Maharal), Gur Aryeh Commentary on Sefer VaYikra 26:37.
[5] Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer Devarim 29:28.
[6] Tractate Sanhedrin 43b – 44a.
[7] Tractate Rosh HaShana 29a.