From:          "Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To:            yhe-parsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject:       PARSHA -50: Parashot Nitzavim-Vayelekh



                   YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
      ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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               PARASHOT NITZAVIM-VAYELEKH

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          Israel's Repentance (Devarim 30:1-10)
                           
                  By Rav Elchanan Samet


A. THE COVENANT OF DEVARIM

     Parashat Nitzavim is always read on the last Shabbat
of  the  year, and the ten verses with which  chapter  30
opens  -  generally  called  "parashat  ha-teshuva,"   the
section on repentance - thus serve to prepare us for  the
days  of  judgment and atonement that await  us.  Let  us
examine this parasha more closely.

      Parashat ha-teshuva depicts Israel's future  return
to  God  and  God's  return to them. This  parasha  is   a
continuation  and  conclusion of the lengthy  section  of
"the  blessing  and the curse" enumerated  previously  in
parashat  Ki-Tavo,  as  is  easily  demonstrated   by    a
linguistic comparison between them. Together,  they  form
"the covenant of Sefer Devarim."

      On the basis of a close analysis of the differences
between  the  "blessings  and curses"  in  Sefer   Vayikra
(parashat  Bechukkotai) and in Sefer Devarim, the  Ramban
(Vayikra  26:16)  concludes that the curses  in  parashat
Bechukkotai  refer  to  the first exile  (to  Babylonia),
while  "the  covenant  in Mishneh Torah  (Sefer  Devarim)
hints  at our present exile and the redemption from  it."
Regarding  the  covenant in our Sefer,  he  continues  as
follows:

   "At  first glance, it seems that there is no  hint  at
   an  end  or  conclusion,  and that  no   redemption  is
   promised;  it  is dependent solely on  teshuva...  The
   redemption in this second covenant is a more  complete
   and  elevated  redemption than the others...  and  the
   things  promised for the future redemption are a  more
   complete promise than all the visions of Daniel."

B. PRECONDITION OR PROMISE?

     Let us now closely analyze the first three verses of
chapter 30. These contain a clause of precondition and  a
clause  of  result, but the distinction between  them  is
unclear.

      The  syntax  of  the Torah gives  rise   to  certain
instances where only exegetical considerations, based  on
the content of the verses, can aid us in deciding whether
a  certain clause is to be understood as the condition or
as the result. A sentence beginning with the letter "vav"
can  be  interpreted either way. Such is the case in  our
instance.   Let  us  examine  the  various    interpretive
possibilities and their ramifications.

  I.CONDITION:  "And  it  shall  happen  when  all   these
     things  have  come  upon you, the blessing   and  the
     curse which I have given before you,

     RESULT:  You  shall recall them to your heart   among
     all  the nations where God has driven you... And you
     shall  return to Hashem your God and listen  to   His
     voice,  and God will return your captivity and  have
     mercy on you..."

     According  to  this analysis, the condition   defines
     the   time-frame  for  the  consequence.    But   the
     consequence   itself  can  be   understood   in   two
     different ways:

     i."And  you  shall recall them to your heart,"  "and
       you  shall  return to God" - this is a prophetical
       promise  as to what will occur at that   time.  The
       Rambam  (Hil.  Teshuva 7:5) seems  to   adopt  this
       understanding.

     ii.     "And you shall recall them," "and you  shall
       return"  -  this is a commandment, and it  becomes
       obligatory  in  exile,  when  the   blessings   and
       curses  have  been realized. This is the   Ramban's
       understanding.

  II.     CONDITION: "And it shall be when all  of   these
    things  have  come  upon you, the  blessing   and  the
    curse...  and  you recall them to your  heart...   and
    you  shall  return to Hashem your God and  listen   to
    His voice...

     CONSEQUENCE: Then Hashem your God will  return  your
     captivity and have mercy on you, and come  back  and
     gather you from among all the nations..."

     According  to  this analysis, the condition   defines
     both  the time-frame and the circumstances  for   the
     consequence:  only if in exile you engage  in   soul-
     searching and then return to God and listen to  Him,
     THEN you will merit redemption from that exile. This
     would  seem to reflect the understanding of the  Ibn
     Ezra (beginning of chapter 30).

      The variety of interpretive possibilities for these
verses, and their ramifications concerning the teshuva of
Am Yisrael in exile - whether it be a promise or a mitzva
-  are quite confusing. It seems that this characteristic
of  biblical style, which sometimes blurs the distinction
between  a  conditional clause and a consequent  one,  is
employed  intentionally  in  order  to  create  different
exegetical  possibilities and intentional  equivocations.
(This  applies in particular in places where there  is  a
string of verbs, some of which represent the consequences
of   preceding  ones,  while  simultaneously  serving   as
preconditions for subsequent ones.)

      There is no qualitative contradiction between these
two  readings: it may be that the teshuva  of  Israel  in
exile  is  a  mitzva,  and  at the  same  time   that  the
fulfillment of this mitzva represents a precondition  for
their  redemption.  It may even be that  the  teshuva  of
Israel in exile is a promise, but only after this promise
is  fulfilled  can  the  process of  redemption  and   the
ingathering  of  the  exiles begin,  and  therefore  this
promise  is  a  precondition for the fulfillment  of  the
other promise.

      It  appears,  therefore, that all the possibilities
raised  by  the  various commentators  quoted  above  are
indeed included in these verses, and that the verses  are
intentionally formulated in such a way as  to  allow  for
different readings among which some compromise should  be
sought.

C. ISRAEL'S RETURN AND GOD'S RETURN

      This  stylistic  feature continues to   characterize
parashat  ha-teshuva up until just before  the  end.  The
parasha  contains  a series of verbs beginning  with  the
letter  "vav"  which  is simultaneously  both   conversive
(changing  the tense of the verb from past  into  future)
and  also  conjunctive (adding each new verb  onto  those
that  precede  it).  Thus each action described  in  this
parasha is both the consequence of its preceding one  and
the  condition for the subsequent one. In  this  way  the
Torah  describes two processes which promote one  another
and  are  interdependent: a human act -  the  teshuva  of
Israel, and a Divine act - their redemption.

      Let us present parashat ha-teshuva in such a way as
to  highlight  the distinction between the human  act  of
teshuva and the Divine act of redemption, and at the same
time to highlight the alternating order of verbs and  the
order  of  their  connection with one  another.  We  will
assign  a  capital  letter to each  section  (section  A,
section B, etc.), and will denote human action by (i) and
divine action by (ii).
  
   "And  it will be when all these things come upon  you,
   the blessing and the curse which I give before you,
  
   (i)  A.  And you RECALL them to your hearts among  all
   the nations where Hashem your God has driven you,
   And  you RETURN to Hashem your God and listen  to  His
   voice  in  all  that I command you this day,  you   and
   your  children, with all your hearts and with all your
   souls,
  
   (ii)  B. Then God will RETURN your captivity and  have
   mercy  on  you, and HE WILL COME BACK and  gather  you
   from  all  the  nations  where  Hashem  your   God  has
   dispersed you.

   Even  if your outcasts are at the ends of the heavens,
   from  there Hashem your God will gather you  and  from
   there  He  will  take you, and Hashem  your  God   will
   bring   you   to  the  land  which   your   forefathers
   possessed,  and  you shall possess  it,  and  He   will
   perform  good for you and multiply you more than  your
   fathers.
  
   (i)  C.And Hashem your God will circumcise your hearts
   and  the  hearts  of your descendants to  love   Hashem
   your  God  with  all  your hearts and  with   all  your
   souls, in order that you may live.
  
   (ii)  D.  And  Hashem your God will  place  all   these
   curses upon your enemies and upon those who hate  you,
   who have persecuted you.
  
   (i)  E. And you will RETURN and obey the voice of  God
   and  perform  all  His  mitzvot which  I   command  you
   today.
  
   (ii)  F.  And Hashem your God will make plentiful  all
   your  endeavors; the fruit of your womb and the  fruit
   of  your  animals and the fruit of the land - for  the
   good,  for  God WILL AGAIN (lit., return  to)  rejoice
   over you for good, as He rejoiced over your fathers."
  
   (i)  G. If you will listen to the voice of Hashem your
   God,  to  observe His mitzvot and statutes written  in
   this  book  of the Torah, (and) if you will return  to
   Hashem  your  God with all your hearts  and  with   all
   your souls."

D. UNDERSTANDING THE PROGRESSION

     Let us now try to understand the development of this
dual  process described in parashat ha-teshuva, stage  by
stage,  with the assistance of the above table.  Firstly,
let  us look at the general structure of the parasha.  It
begins  with a sort of introduction, containing the  only
clause  which we can say with certainty is a  conditional
one: "And it will be when all these things come upon you,
the  blessing and the curse..." This lays the  groundwork
for all that follows: the realization of the blessing and
-  more  importantly - the curse will give  rise  to  the
process  of Israel's teshuva in exile, while the  process
of  their redemption is aimed at nullifying the curse and
bringing back the blessing.

       Subsequently,   parashat  ha-teshuva    continually
alternates between Israel's teshuva towards God and their
redemption by God's hand, because these two processes are
interdependent.  Note that the process described  in  the
parasha begins and ends with Israel's teshuva, denoted by
(i).

      The  root "sh-u-v" (return) is repeated seven times
in  the  parasha and serves as a leading  word.  Four  of
these  seven appearances are to be found in the "teshuva"
section  ('i'),  while three occur  in  the   "redemption"
section  ('ii'). Nevertheless, the use of a  common  root
for  the  description  of these two  processes  indicates
their reciprocity: Israel returns to God, and God returns
to Israel and returns them to His land - as summarized by
the prophet Malakhi: "RETURN to Me and I SHALL RETURN  to
you."

      Another leading word in the parasha is God's  name,
which  appears 14 times (of which 12 are in the  form  of
"Hashem   your  God").  Here,  interestingly,   there   is
equality between the two halves.

      Let  us  now  look  at each stage   of  the  process
independently as well as in context:

SECTION A: The starting point for the process is Israel's
teshuva  in exile. Whether this teshuva is defined  as  a
mitzva   or   as   a  divine  promise,  it    nevertheless
simultaneously  serves  as  the  precondition   for    the
beginning of the process of redemption in stage B.

      The  root  "sh-u-v" appears twice   here,  but  with
different  meanings.  We  first  encounter  it   in    the
causative  case  -  "And  you shall  recall  it   to  your
hearts,"  meaning that "You shall take it  to  heart,  to
observe  with attention." But the object of the  sentence
is  absent:  what  is it that we are  to  recall  to   our
hearts?  The  answer is to be found in the "introduction"
to  the  parasha: you shall take to hearts that  all  the
things concerning which you were forewarned, the blessing
and  the  curse, have come upon you. This observation  of
the   historical  fate  of  Israel  gives  rise   to   the
conclusion  that, as we say in our prayers,  "Because  of
our  sins we were exiled from our country." This national
soul-searching then brings about the second appearance of
the  root  "sh-u-v," namely, Israel's teshuva:  "And   YOU
SHALL  RETURN  to  Hashem your  God  and  listen  to   His
voice... YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN, with all your hearts  and
with all your souls."

SECTION  B: Although section A and section B each contain
two  appearances of the root "sh-u-v," seeming to set  up
an  equivalence, in truth God's movement  towards  Israel
exceeds  their  movement towards Him. "Open  for  Me  one
opening of teshuva as small as the eye of a needle, and I
will  open  for you openings through which entire  wagons
will  enter" (Shir Ha-Shirim Rabba 5:3). While  only  the
second  verb in section A expresses a movement of  Israel
towards  God, in section B both verbs express a  movement
of God towards Israel. There are several additional verbs
which  express  this even more strongly:  "He  will  have
mercy  on  you... He will gather you up... He  will  take
you... He will bring you... He will perform good for  you
and  multiply you." The Divine action for the benefit  of
Israel   in  section  B  is  comprised  of  many   stages,
encompassing a vast scope of time and space. This  action
includes  the ingathering of ALL the exiles - from  every
place to which they have been dispersed, bringing them to
Eretz  Yisrael,  causing them to  possess  the  land  and
multiplying them there for the good.

       The   superiority  of  B.   over  A.  is  expressed
quantitatively in the number of verses and the number  of
words (38 vs. 27), as well as in the number of times that
God's name is repeated (4 vs. 2).

SECTION C: The inclusion of part C in section 'i' of  the
parasha  at  first seems incorrect: it appears  to  be  a
direct  continuation of the Divine action towards  Israel
that  was  described in part B. But the content  of  this
part  justifies its placement here: God's action  towards
Israel  here  is  not  in the sphere  of  their   physical
redemption  (as  it  was in part B), but  rather  in  the
spiritual  realm.  "Circumcision  of  the  heart"    means
removal  of the covering that seals it; it is a  metaphor
for  spiritual  freedom  to open the  heart  to  positive
spiritual action. This action is "to love Hashem your God
with all your heart and with all your soul, that you  may
live."  Clearly, love of God is an action  undertaken  by
Israel  of  their own free will, and therefore this  part
properly  belongs  in  the  half  of  the  parasha    that
describes  Israel's teshuva. The vocabulary of this  part
likewise  indicates this: "Your hearts and the hearts  of
your children" corresponds to what was said in part  A  -
"you  and your children;" "with all your hearts and  with
all  your souls" is an expression that is repeated in  A.
and  in  F. Thus, all three of its appearances  occur  in
section 'i' of the parasha.

      Why,  then,  is  Israel's  teshuva   at  this  stage
attributed to God Who has "circumcised their hearts?" The
answer  to  this is connected with the fact that  part  C
follows  part  B:  the spiritual change  that  occurs  in
Israel in C. is the result of the same bold Divine action
on behalf of Israel and their redemption. The ingathering
of  the exiles and the good that God brings to Israel  in
their  own  land  are what lead to the  "circumcision  of
their  hearts." Israel, in returning to the land of their
forefathers, "recall to their hearts" (as in A.) all  the
good  that  God has bestowed upon them, and their  hearts
are  opened  to  LOVE God. Here we notice the  difference
between the teshuva that took place in exile (in A.)  and
that that takes place later in Eretz Yisrael (in C.):  in
exile,  observation  of Israel's historical  fate  -  the
troubles  and  suffering that God  brought  upon  them  -
brought  about teshuva towards God and listening  to  His
voice. Although this teshuva is wholehearted and sincere,
it  is born of fear. But in Eretz Yisrael the observation
of  the great good that God has bestowed upon Israel - in
bringing them to their land and granting them great favor
- brings about an opening of the hearts, and renewed love
on  the part of Israel: love of God with all their  heart
and soul.

SECTION  D: Parallel to the "circumcision of the  hearts"
in the sphere of Israel's teshuva, referring to a sort of
surgical  procedure, as it were, to remove that which  is
redundant  and  harmful, there is a similar  action  that
takes place in the sphere of redemption: "And Hashem your
God  will  place all these curses upon your  enemies  and
those that hate you, and have persecuted you."

     Israel's return to the land and their dwelling in it
surrounded  with  good and comfort  does  not  erase  the
injustices shown towards them by their enemies  while  in
exi  The process of teshuva and redemption described here
rests  on  the basis of continuous contemplation  of  the
past.  Not only Israel are required to do this,  but  God
too, in coming to redeem His people, remembers the hatred
and  persecution  suffered by Israel  in  exile,  and  He
transfers  "these  curses" suffered by  Israel  to   their
enemies  and  those who hate them. God's revenge  on  the
enemies  of  Israel who have spilled  their  blood  is  a
central  foundation of the descriptions of redemption  in
the  Torah, starting with our parasha, continuing through
the  song of Ha'azinu (32:40-43) and up until the visions
of redemption in the Prophets.

      The root "sh-u-v" does not appear in part D, nor in
the  preceding part C. The reason for this  may  be  that
what  is described in these parts is not a RETURN to what
happened  in the past, but rather new levels  of  teshuva
and  redemption, unique to the process described  in  our
parasha.

SECTION  E: The similarity between part E and part  A  is
confusing.  Where  is the progress here  in  the  teshuva
process?

In A. we read, "And you WILL RETURN TO GOD," and in E. we
are  told,  "You will AGAIN (lit. "come back  and")   obey
God's  voice." Here the use of the word "come back" means
a  return  to  a  previous stage. When in the  past  were
Israel  in  a  situation  of  obeying  God's  voice    and
performing His mitzvot? The answer is that this  previous
time refers to A., when Israel were still in exile!

SECTION  F: Israel's RETURN to the situation of  previous
generations  - obeying God and performing His  mitzvot  -
causes  God  in  turn to AGAIN relate  to  Israel  as   He
related  to  their forefathers in the early  generations,
before they sinned and were punished: "For God will AGAIN
rejoice  over  you  for  good as He  rejoiced  over   your
forefathers." The practical significance of this attitude
on  the  part of God towards Israel is described  in  the
first  part of verse 9: "And God will make you  plentiful
in  all your endeavors; in the fruit of your womb and  in
the  fruit of your animals and in the fruit of your land,
for the good." At this stage there are two developments -
a  promise of the good that God will perform for  Israel,
and  a  specification of the areas in which  it  will  be
expressed.   But  more  important  than  these    is   the
relationship  revealed here between God and  Israel:  "to
rejoice  over  you  for the good."  An  expression  of   a
"psychological" relationship with Israel is to  be  found
at  the  beginning of the description of  the  redemption
(C.):  "And  He  will  have mercy on  you,"  and   at  its
conclusion - "to rejoice over you." Thus all the  actions
that God performs for His nation in coming to redeem them
are  surrounded  by prior mercy and subsequent  rejoicing
over them.

SECTION G: The final part of the parasha is comprised  of
two sentences that start with the word "if" (ki): "If you
listen"  and "if your return." The true meaning  of  this
word  here  seems to be "since," and if this is  so  then
this  part  contains a reason for God's  actions  towards
Israel as described in the previous part, and perhaps  in
all  the preceding parts (B., D., F.). This reason is set
out  in  chiastic order in contrast with the  description
with which the process opens, in A.:

   A: "And YOU WILL RETURN to HASHEM YOUR GOD,
   AND OBEY HIS VOICE in all that I command you...

   G:  "Since YOU SHALL OBEY Hashem your God, to  observe
   His mitzvot...
   Since YOU SHALL RETURN to HASHEM YOUR GOD..."

      The  return to the same idea with which the parasha
opened  (although in reverse order) is a common  biblical
technique   for  the  conclusion  of  a  literary    unit.
Nevertheless, a careful reading shows that the conclusion
describes a stage higher than that depicted at the start:
teshuva TOWARDS ('el') God expresses a greater degree  of
closeness to God than teshuva TO ('ad') God. This greater
closeness  of  Israel to God is obviously the  result  of
God's closeness to Israel in the previous stages.

(Translated by Kaeren Fish)

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