Parashat Nitzavim (or the
combined parashot Nitzavim – vaYelech) is always read on the
Shabbat preceding Rosh haShana.
Yalkut Shimoni [940] teaches
that Nitzavim deals with the unity of the nation of Israel:
“You
stand this day, all of you before the Lord your God: the heads of your tribes,
your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,” [Deuteronomy 29:9] –
when is this true? When you are a single society, and so you find that Israel
will be redeemed only when they are a single society.
Similarly, Midrash Tanḥuma [Nitzavim
5:5] teaches:
When
a single person sins, the entire generation is punished, as we find with Achan;
it was (only) Achan son of Zeraḥ who transgressed by taking from the spoils of
Jericho, which were to be destroyed, yet God’s anger was against the entire
congregation of Israel [Joshua 22:20]. The measure of retribution is mild, and
yet the entire generation was affected; the measure of goodness, which is
great, how much more so, (therefore) even if there is but one righteous person
among you, all will stand (before God) in his merit, and not only you, but the
entire world, as the verse states: “… but the righteous are established
forever” (the phrase can be translated “the righteous establish the world,”
which is the midrashic understanding) [Proverbs 10:25].
Tanḥuma‘s comment hints at
what is, in my opinion, the single most important halacha in the
sixty-nine halachot contained within the ten chapters of Maimonides’
Laws of Repentance [3:4, based upon the Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin
40b]:
Therefore,
throughout the entire year, every person must always see himself as equally
balanced between merit and sin and the world as equally balanced between merit
and sin. If he sins a single sin, he tips his balance and that of the entire
world to the side of guilt and brings destruction upon himself. [On the other
hand,] if he performs one mitzva, he tips his balance and that of
the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to
himself and others. This is implied by the verse "The righteous establish
the world," that is, he who acted righteously, tipped the balance of the
entire world to merit and saved it.
If, indeed, we reflect on the
influence of our actions, for good and for bad, not only upon ourselves, but on
the totality of Israel and on the entire world, it is likely that we will
perform more mitzvot and sin fewer sins.
Based upon this elucidation, the
content of Parashat Nitzavim is certainly appropriate for the
commencement of the days of judgment.
It should be noted that the verse
quoted by Maimonides (which is absent in the Talmudic source) is that quoted by
Tanḥuma.
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