Parashat Nitzavim

Topics

• Atem Nitzavim Hayom
• The Zohar on Hayom
• The Meaning of the Pasuk on Rosh Hashanah
• Achdus as a Zechus for Rosh Hashanah
• Why Standing Together Helps
• A Gematria in Atem Nitzavim Hayom
• Slichas and Hachna’ah
• Vidui and Standing with Humility
• L’cha Hashem Ha-Tzedakah
• Busha as Kapparah
• Busha and Teshuvah
• Busha and Klima
• Oruch HaShulchan on Boshet Panim
• A Story from the Mir and Shaarei Tzedek
• The Story of the Hospital Visit

Transcript

# Atem Nitzavim Hayom

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This week’s parashah is Parashat Nitzavim: “Atem nitzavim hayyom kulchem lifnei Hashem Elokeichem”—all of Klal Yisrael is standing before Hashem. What is this passage referring to? Rashi says that Moshe gathered all of Klal Yisrael together, as if in one room, before the Holy One, blessed be He, on the day of his death.

So what is “hayyom”? What is the word “hayyom” referring to? It should have said, “Atem nitzavim kulchem.” The word “hayyom” seems extra. What are you standing for—yesterday? It is impossible to write in the Torah, “Atem nitzavtem etmol.” Nitzavim is now. So what is “hayyom”? “Hayyom” is the day—the day that Moshe Rabbeinu died. That is how Rashi learns: “Milamed shekhinasan Moshe lifnei HaKadosh Baruch Hu b’yom misaso.” Who did he bring together? Rosheichem, shivteichem, zikneichem—everybody.

And what was the reason Moshe brought them together? “Le’ovrecha b’vrit Hashem u’v’alo.” To bring Klal Yisrael under the covenant of Hashem.

# The Zohar on Hayom

The Zohar HaKadosh says that this pasuk is not referring to the day of Moshe Rabbeinu’s death. “Hayom” is a remez to Rosh Hashanah. Whenever in Tanach it says the word “hayom,” it is referring to Rosh Hashanah, the day. There is “yom,” and there is “hayom.” “Hayom ha-gadol”—the great day. What is the great day? Rosh Hashanah.

It says, “Vayhi hayom.” It was the day in the Beis HaMikdash, and we all know the story of Chana and Peninah. Peninah hurt Chana, and Chana was davening for children. She did not have children, and Hashem accepted her tefillah and she had a child. When was that? On Rosh Hashanah. Just like Sarah, whom Hashem remembered to give a child on Rosh Hashanah. That is why on Rosh Hashanah we read what happened to Sarah, because it happened on Rosh Hashanah. Chana also merited, as the Gemara says, to have her child on Rosh Hashanah.

So the Zohar says: what does it say? “Vayhi hayom”—it was that day, “hayom.” You see that whenever the word “hayom” appears in Tanach, it means the day of Rosh Hashanah.

# The Meaning of the Pasuk on Rosh Hashanah

So what is the pasuk then? “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem lifnei Hashem Elokeichem”—if it is referring to Rosh Hashanah, what does it mean? What is the context of the pasuk? The mefarshim bring down that the peshat in the pasuk, based on the Zohar, is that this is how we come to Rosh Hashanah: we stand before Hashem. “Atem nitzavim,” and it is very important that we stand, every Jew—“rosheichem, shivteichem, kol ish Yisrael.” On Rosh Hashanah, the yesod is that we all stand as one.

What does it say in the next pasuk? “Rosh Hashanah”—everybody, “kol ish Yisrael.” In the sefarim it is written...

# Achdus as a Zechus for Rosh Hashanah

There are different things we can do to give ourselves a zechus, a merit, and to survive the mishpat, the judgment of Rosh Hashanah, so that Hashem should judge us favorably and not deal with us according to our sins. We say this because, if it were a strict judgment, very few could pass the test. So there are different eitzos and zechuyos for how to be zakai b’din, how to come out acquitted, and one of them is achdus, achdus, achdus, b’toch ami anochi yoshev. There are many reasons for this.

One reason is that through the zechus of achdus, even if the individual himself does not have enough zechusim, if he is among Klal Yisrael, Klal Yisrael is a beautiful nation full of zechuyos, so to speak, and one can live off the zechuyos of one’s neighbor. If there is achdus and he has mitzvos, arvus — we are all one — then if he has zechuyos, I have zechuyos. That is Klal Yisrael, atem nitzavim hayom kulchem, the idea of Rosh Hashanah, of being united.

# Why Standing Together Helps

There is another cheshbon, another understanding of this: when you stand as a group, nobody stands out. If you sit there and focus on this person and his actions, that is one thing. But if you have a situation where you blend in, you mix in — you know how a person wants to escape something? He blends in with the crowd, and then he is not noticed. The same thing here.

Many great tzaddikim refused even to get an aliyah on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Why? Because then they stand out. Who is the one getting the shlishi, the chamishi, the shishi?

I know that in most synagogues they fight to get the aliyah on Rosh Hashanah, and they promise money. I do not know if they pay it, but they promise it, right? Actually, everyone is smiling. Why is everyone smiling? You must know about this, huh? They say a joke: there was a person who robbed the shul. He walked away with one hundred dollars and ten thousand dollars in pledges. People promise money, by the way; if you do not plan on paying for the aliyah on Rosh Hashanah, better not buy it. You are better off not to.

And even to get the aliyah — this is the point — many tzaddikim said, “Then I do not want to stand out. I want to blend in.” B’soch ami anochi yoshev, to blend in. So this is atem nitzavim hayom. One of the zechuyos, one of the eitzos given for hayom, for Rosh Hashanah, is that it should be united as one.

# A Gematria in Atem Nitzavim Hayom

But I want to tell you a chiddush. There is a sefer called Mati Moshe. It is a very early sefer, by a student of the Maharal. He says that atem nitzavim hayom has a gematria — you know you love gematria — lamo yidlu sichas. So atem nitzavim hayom is also about sichas. We say sichas, yes? In this pasuk there is something about sichas as well. It is a very famous gematria: atem nitzavim hayom.

# Slichas and Hachna’ah

Yitzhavim ha-yoyim, gematria slichas. Yitzhavim ha-yoyim, gematria slichas. Why Yitzhavim slichas? Get up for slichas. What is this about? What does this pasuk have to do with slichas?

I’d like to discuss with you what slichas is. We Ashkenazim say little slichas. You’re a tzaddik; you say a whole month of slichas. You deserve a lot of credit, believe me, it’s beautiful. Adonai slichas. We beg the Eibishter the whole month for slichas. What is slichas? What is it? What is slichot? What is the avodah? Oh, so you think it’s vitally important. You’re close, very close.

Slichas means we’re asking Hashem to forgive us. We’re asking Hashem to forgive us. I want to show you something very interesting: slichas needs to be said be-hachna’ah, with humility.

## Vidui and Standing with Humility

Do you know that vidui? How do you say vidui? We don’t sit. In halachah it is brought down that you need to stand, but it is brought in the Shelah HaKadosh, and the Yisod VeShoresh HaAvodah brings it down, how should you say vidui? With a lot of kavanah and with great hachna’ah. A lot of humility, a lot of humbleness. And he says, therefore, the Shelah HaKadosh writes that kol viduyim tzarech li’hyot dafka be-shfiyas ha-guf — you have to bend over. And how should you bend over? All the back, the vertebrae in the back are bent over. That’s how you’re supposed to say the viduyim.

In halachah it is brought down that the whole slichas should be said standing. In Mateh Ephraim, from which we learn most of the halachos of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, he says that the entire slichas needs to be said standing, not sitting. And the reason for this is because sitting lacks hachna’ah.

## L’cha Hashem Ha-Tzedakah

I don’t know if this is the introduction to the slichas by the Sefardim. I don’t know. But I do know that it is mentioned in many places in the slichas: L’cha Hashem ha-tzedakah, v’lanu boshes ha-panim. In Ashkenaz, that is the introduction, the first passage of slichas. Slichas begins: L’cha Hashem ha-tzedakah, v’lanu boshes ha-panim.

What does v’lanu boshes ha-panim mean? Is it busha, simple busha? Maybe. Maybe it means that we are embarrassed, because in order to do teshuvah, in order to have mechilas avonos, you need busha. Rabbeinu Yonah says that one of the ikkarim, one of the most important parts of teshuvah, is ha-bushah. This Rabbeinu Yonah writes clearly: a person needs to have busha in order to have teshuvah, in order to do teshuvah he needs busha. The ikkar, the shishi, ha-bushah. Busha, shame.

Why do you need to be ashamed? Why is it so important to have shame? One of the ikkarim. And I’m sure many a time you mentioned the word busha in the slichas: busha, busha. Why? Why is it so important? So many explain that Rav Aharon Kotler, the first Rosh Yeshivah of Lakewood, could explain that busha itself is important.

# Busha as Kapparah

A person does an aveirah; he is supposed to receive punishment. The best form of punishment is busha, embarrassment. It does not hurt physically. Could you imagine: a person is supposed to receive a kapparah, and Hashem can give him sickness or very terrible things. The best way, Tomer Devorah explains, is with busha, because it does not hurt physically. So if a person has busha, he has kapparah savonis.

The great Chafetz Chaim used to say: what will be with Yisroel Meir? His name was Yisroel Meir. What will be with Yisroel Meir, who never had busha in his life, never had embarrassment? He was treated with such respect. When he comes to Olam Haba, he is not going to have anything to say: I had busha, give me kapparah savonis.

Today, we get very angry if someone hurts us or insults us. The wife says something and I get embarrassed, and he blows up. You should welcome it. Welcome it: he embarrassed you, great. I know this for sure. I do not have a beautiful thing that they say, kapparah savonis, right? Kapparah savonis. I never saw people say it when they get embarrassed. People never say kapparah. Have you ever heard them say kapparah? No. They get angry, they want to return it, they want to tell him, they want to answer back. The best thing to say it about is busha. If someone embarrasses you, that is when you should say, kapparah savonis, great. You want to know something? Embarrass me again, go ahead. I did a lot of aveiros yesterday; give me a good piece of embarrassment, come on.

Understanding what it means to be a Jew, we think differently than the rest of the world. Here we are being taught that busha is a good thing. It makes a person humble; he gets kapparah savonis, and it does not even have to hurt him. This is what the Chafetz Chaim was saying: when I come to Olam Haba, who knows the cheshbon of Hashem? It is very strict sometimes, especially by tzaddikim. HaKadosh Baruch Hu punishes a tzaddik and judges a tzaddik, even over the smallest thing. The Chafetz Chaim says: I wish I had busha. I wish people would mistreat me.

The truth is, it is very possible that people did mistreat him, because every tzaddik gets his share. But he probably did not feel it; he did not even think it was mistreatment. That is how much the union of busha did not bother him. So it is possible that this is the point of busha that we talk about in teshuvah, because it is kapparah savonis.

# Busha and Teshuvah

There is another point of busha. One of the fundamentals of teshuvah is to make sure I do not do it again: at sheya'id alav yodea talumot shelo yachzor oto davar. Teshuvah has to be done in such a way that a person will not go back and do it again. Rabbi Aharon Kotler explains that busha will guarantee that you will not do it again. If you are busha, if you are embarrassed by what you did, that is a way to make sure you will not do it again. If you are not embarrassed by what you did, you will do it again and again.

I do not think that this is the busha we talk about in Selichot. Many say this. Many learn that the busha we are referring to is because Selichot, mechilah, kapparah savonis needs busha. That is why we speak so much about busha, embarrassment. But one has to pay attention: do we mean busha, or do we mean bayshet? What is busha? It is a different thing. Busha is one thing. You ever see the words in the pasuk in Yirmiyah, bayshti?

# Busha and Klima

What’s the difference between busha and klima? Olay l’oy se busha! Olay l’oy se klima. No? You speak Hebrew? Tell me, what’s the difference? Bish tam shimit zeh kemi kilu zeh beyachad? Busha or klima? It can’t be. Boshdi?

Let me tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going to teach you Hebrew. Want me to teach you Hebrew? If you’re thinking to yourself, I’m going to teach you Hebrew, a chudula zeh chushev shehu yilamed otanu et ha’ivrit. Listen carefully. Listen carefully, rabosai. Listen well. You hear? Huh? You think you know Hebrew? After this year you’ll first learn what Hebrew really is. You see that it’s two things. It’s not busha; it’s not the same thing.

What is the difference between busha and klima? There is a pasuk in Ezra. The pasuk says, “Elohai, boshdi nechlamti laharim elacha panai.” This is in perek tes, pasuk vav. Are you able to get to Ezra quickly so we can look it up and I can show them? Is it possible you know how to get there quickly?

# Oruch HaShulchan on Boshet Panim

Now listen carefully. There is a very famous sefer called Oruch HaShulchan. Oruch HaShulchan explains that there is a very big difference between boshet and boshet panim. What is boshet panim? Kadosh Baruch Hu natan lanu tzelem Elokim. Tell me, is our face the face of an animal? No. Yesh lanu tzelem Elokim. But when we sin, we lose the tzelem Elokim, so it is boshet panim. Huh? Ah, you see. It was worth coming all the way from Lakewood for that. You just made my day, buddy.

Here, listen carefully: boshet panim. What is boshet? Ha-bushah she’al ha-panim. Especially when you try to know the big mekubalim, they look at the face. You know what? You earned a great story. You want to hear a great story? Zachita. You’re going to get a beautiful story.

# A Story from the Mir and Shaarei Tzedek

When I was a bachur in yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel, in Mir, I learned in the Mir yeshiva. My mother’s father used to go from hospital to hospital to lay tefillin on cholim. Many cholim are sick; they can’t do it, or they’re not religious, and maybe this is a chance for them to put on tefillin. It’s good for them. How we got into all that, I’ll tell you another time. It’s a story for another day. But he used to ask me every day, every day: come with me and help me, help me put on the tefillin. It’s such a big zechus, such a big mitzvah, and I’m so proud of it. I want my grandson to see what I’m involved with all day.

Me, I came to Israel to learn. I’m not going to stop being busy every day going to hospitals. You know, in Eretz Yisroel, if you don’t focus on staying in the yeshiva, you can run around all day long doing mitzvos. They can keep you busy from morning to night doing chassadim and mitzvos, and you come to Israel to learn. You better stay focused. And I stayed focused. I wasn’t. It’s still saba, grandfather, and he’s asking me. So I said, you know what, saba? I’ll go once. I’ll go once. I’ll take up one full day of yeshiva. From morning to night, I’m yours.

So we met up in Shaarei Tzedek in Yerushalayim, in Beit Vagan. Shaarei Tzedek. He put me in this white coat, mitnadev, a volunteer, which means we can go into the rooms as a volunteer. And I’m his student, so to speak, his prodigy. I go behind him. I’m his talmid, volunteering, putting on the tefillin. Okay? And he goes from room to room. So I went to one room. I’m telling the guy lying there, come, let’s put on tefillin. Did you put on tefillin today? He said, no, I didn’t put on tefillin. He says, well, come, I’ll put them on you. I’ll do it.

# The Story of the Hospital Visit

He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to. I don’t want to. “Come, pray for him.” He doesn’t want to, and he’s bothering me. I have to know my grandfather, my mother’s father. He doesn’t stay there. He’s a real Israeli. He doesn’t take no for an answer. He hurts me. He hurts me until—you have no idea.

And I, as an American, am thinking: okay, leave the guy alone. He doesn’t want to. Leave him alone. My grandfather asks him, “Why don’t you want to? Why?” “Because I’m a Jew. I’m not a Jew at all. I’m a Jew. I’m not a Jew at all.” My grandfather got so angry. He says, “Ah, you son of a bitch.” He got so angry. He wasted ten minutes of his time. Son of a bitch.

Why am I telling you this story? For the end of the story. What was the end of the story? My grandfather started telling me, “You do the left side of the rooms on every floor, and I’ll do the right.” So after I got the hang of it, me, if the guy didn’t want, I’m very, very soft-natured. Okay, he’s sick. Leave him alone. My grandfather—no, every guy had to...

So I finished very quickly, you know, because whoever didn’t want it was next. Yalla, next, right? So I finished and I’m waiting outside. All of a sudden, all of a sudden, ah, shh—they’re carrying somebody in on a bed. And I’m looking, and I’m seeing: who is this? He’s wearing, like, blue pajamas. He’s sitting on a bed, elevated, with his feet crossed. And there’s a person with a long beard carrying him. And you hear the noise, and I’m looking: where did I see this person? I know him from somewhere. The face, the face—it’s so familiar to me. It’s Baba Sali. Baba Sali. I’m looking: it’s Baba Sali. They bring him into a room on the floor.

My grandfather comes out of the room, and I tell him, “Saba, I think Baba Sali is here. He looks like Baba Sali.” He starts to laugh. “Ah, you Americans.” That’s what they used to call me. “Ah, you American. You think he went from Netivot to Shaare Zedek? I think he probably went to a closer hospital. If it’s him, he was in a closer hospital. He’s not in Shaare Zedek.” I said, “Saba, I’m telling you, I remember the pictures. It’s him.”

It didn’t take more than five minutes. Could you imagine Baba Sali in a hospital? All the cholim from all the floors came running for brachos. There was a line out the door. You have no idea how many people were waiting for brachos. Unbelievable.

I turned to my grandfather and say, “Ah? See, I was right. You see, I was right.” Okay. My grandfather tells me, “We’re going in.” “We’re going in?” I said, “Saba, there’s a line.” He says, “Yeah. Can’t stop us from going into the room. We have the white coat.”

I was embarrassed, because it’s not my tune to push. You know, I wasn’t going to push. What happened? We come, we knock on the door. The gabbai—I don’t know if you remember, he had a gabbai that had a long black beard—he opens the door. “Yeah, we don’t let anyone in.” You know, we shout, you know. My grandfather shows him: “You can’t stop us. We have the right to go into the rooms.” He saw that he was going to, you know, he let us into the room.

So I got in together with my grandfather, and I see Baba Sali sitting on the bed, his feet crossed. The bed was like this high, and he’s just looking ahead. And he’s staring.