CONTINUOUS
COVENANT: PARSHAT KI TAVO
Shira Smiles shiur
2019/5779
Adapted by Channie
Koplowitz Stein
We
are in the middle of Moshe’s final talk and teachings to Bnei Yisroel before
his death, forty years after leading Bnei Yisroel out of Egypt. There is a
sense of urgency in Moshe’s message as he emphasizes his message by
interspersing his words with the phrase, “Hayom/this day.” While Rashi’s
explanation is beautiful and logical for every mitzvah Moshe here tells Bnei
Yisroel, that each time you perform the mitzvah it should be as fresh and
exciting to you as it did the first time, this explanation does not quite fit
the total context of the following verse: “Moshe and the Kohanim, the Levites,
spoke to all of Israel, saying, ‘Be attentive and hear O Israel. Hayom hazeh/This
day you became a people to Hashem your God...”
Didn’t
Bnei Yisroel become a nation, one people, when they camped at Sinai and
accepted the Torah? What makes this experience thirty nine years later
different? Why does Moshe here validate that today you became a people to
Hashem?
Rashi
elaborates on this question. True, Hashem had given the Torah to all of Bnei
Yisroel at Sinai, but the transmission and teaching of the Torah afterward was
mostly to the Kohanim and Leviim who would be tasked with teaching the laws to
the rest of the people, write Letitcha Elyon citing the Netziv.
Here the people came and demanded that they too want a share in toiling in
Torah along with the Kohanim and Leviim. In other words, adds Letitcha
Elyon, on this day we now claimed the Torah as our own, solidifying our
place as part of the nation dedicated to Hakodosh Boruch Hu and His word. We
wanted not only to learn, but also to teach, to observe and to do. We wanted to
toil in Torah, that the Torah should define our essence.
True,
Bnei Yisroel were “born” when Hashem took us out of Egypt, but this day we were
reborn as the chosen, exalted nation, writes the Sifsei Chaim, citing
the Sefas Emes. Hashem saw potential in us and gave us the Torah. But it
is only through struggle and toil that one can realize one’s inherent
potential. It took forty years of struggle and growth, of overcoming
challenges, to make the Torah our own and realize our innate potential
identified as Torah Jews by claiming Torah as our own.
Extrapolating
from this idea, Rebbetzin Smiles notes that approaching Rosh Hashanah also
requires preparation. One cannot enter Rosh Hashanah and expect to immediately
have the sense of awe these days require, with the deep commitment to return to
Hashem, with full remorse over our transgressions. This requires the
preparation of the full month of Elul at the very least. When you’ve been
through the struggle, you are worthy on this day to become a people to Hashem
your God, just as Bnei Yisroel were on that day.
Hashem
is here reestablishing His covenant with Bnei Yisroel. Although He had already
established a covenant with us at Sinai, we abrogated that covenant when we
formed the golden calf and accepted it as our Elohim/god. Here Hashem presents
consequences through the curses that follow should we fall away from this
covenant again, writes Rabbi Rebibo in Minchat Michoel.
This
covenant on the plains of Moav was different from the earlier covenant at
Sinai. At Sinai, writes Rabbi Munk z”l, each of us took responsibility for our
own individual actions. Here, we took responsibility for each other,
collectively, as a nation, and each day is a renewed responsibility for the
other and for his needs adds Rabbi Weinberger z”l in Shemen Hatov.
Indeed,
that responsibility must be taken on each day anew. This point is reinforced by
the knowledge that the first Man, Adam, was created as a single individual.
Why? So that we can internalize the idea that each individual is important,
that each individual embodies a complete world. As our Sages say, “He who saves
one person, it is as if he saved an entire world.”
If
this applies to saving a person physically, how much more so does it apply to
saving a person spiritually, writes Halekach Vehalebuv. After all, the
adage refers to saving a nefesh/soul, spirit, not to saving a physical
life. On that score, how much can we accomplish by inspiring another Jew, by
giving new life to his soul? As the serpent brought death to the world, so do
we have the ability to bring life to the world. When I bring another Jew back
to spirituality, I am bringing him back to life. After all, our hearts are on
our left side rather than on the generally more important right side because as
important as the heart is for the individual, it is even more important to be
sensitive to the needs of the of the person facing us. Our mission as the
nation of God is to make Hashem beloved to others as our forefather Avraham did
with the souls he “made” in Charan.
As
we have noted, as we perform each mitzvah, it should be as new, fresh and
exciting as the first time we did it. But how does that translate to keeping the
covenant fresh, asks Chochmat Hamatzpun? In truth, every time we do a
mitzvah, we are creating and reinforcing our relationship with Hakodosh Boruch
Hu, our covenant with Hashem. But that covenant is not for me alone, but for
the continuation of the Jewish people, of the Nation. I must keep the mitzvoth
fresh and exciting so that my children, the next generation will want to
continue on that path. Even a small deviation can have devastating effects on
future generations.
To
validate this point, Chochmat Hamatzpun cites what our sages say, that pesel
Michah/Micha’s idol crossed the Red Sea with Bnei Yisroel. How, when that
idol was only created generations later? Although the physical manifestation of
the idol was only formed generations later, explains Chochmat Hamatzpun,
the idea was already hidden within Bnei Yisroel as they crossed the Red Sea,
only to become actualized so many years later. That is how a negative idea we
may harbor can be planted and grow in our children and in future generations.
Our responsibility is to pass the torch and remain one nation.
This
is the day we became a nation, says Moshe Rabbenu. Is this only on the day
Moshe died, as he transmits this message, asks Rabbi Goldstein in Shaarei
Chaim? No, it is a covenant that must be recreated each day, for, as our
blessing states, Hashem is notain HaTorah/giving the Torah, in the
present.
Rav
Asher Weiss relates that the Piasetzna Rebbe hy”d lamented the fact that since
he was born a Jew, he could not show his love of and commitment to Hashem and
to Torah and mitzvoth by converting to Judaism. For someone to choose Judaism
by conversion, he must show a commitment to every detail of Torah. But,
continues Rabbi Weiss, we do indeed have the symbolic ability to convert each
day by rededicating ourselves each day to His covenant with us.
Rabbi
Mordechai Ezrachi provides additional insight into this concept. Rabbi Ezrachi
cites the Gemarrah in Berachot that says that if someone forgot to say Shema
today, it’s as if he never recited Shema. This does not mean that he
doesn’t get rewarded for having recited Shema on all previous days,
explains the Birkat Mordechai; rather it means that if you haven’t said Shema
today, you have created a void in the day that can never be filled. For this
day, you are less under of influence of Hashem, you have lessened your
commitment to the yoke of Heaven. We are part of the Jewish people. We were
here yesterday. But woe to us if we rely only on yesterday and don’t recommit
on a daily basis. We cannot rely solely on our commitment to the covenant at
Sinai. Every day we must recommit to serving Hashem. Just as Hashem
renews creation every day and renews the world each Shabbat, so must we renew
our commitment to Him each day.
Why
is the concept of renewal so important to us? Letitcha Elyon cites Rabbi
Shimon Shkop z”l in explaining that Hashem created mankind with a constant
desire for newness. That’s why societies create new ideologies and new “isms”
all the time, nationalism, socialism, etc. Our task is to take this inborn
desire for newness and use it to transfer it inward and constantly create a new
spirit and love for Juda-ism.
Rabbi
Shraga Grosbard develops this idea further. While we are naturally wired to
desire newness, we are equally wired to perceive newness in all our physical
requirements. For example, just because we have eaten earlier in the day, we
still desire food again, and food, even if it’s the same food we’ve eaten
before, gratifies us. So too with sleep. We crave sleep each day, and it
rejuvenates us. This craving for the necessities of life that maintains its
newness should extend to the necessities of our spiritual life as well. Our
eyes are capable of seeing the spiritual, and our ears to hearing words that
are spiritually arousing. We should not dull the newness of Torah through
cynicism and negativity.
If
a person would taste the sweetness of Torah, writes Tiv Hatorah, he
would not stop chasing it, for all good is contained therein. When we have
contaminated our spiritual taste buds and put sores in our mouth, writes Rav
Shteinman z”l, we no longer taste the sweetness of Torah. In our thirst for
Torah, we should be like fish who, although surrounded by water, come to the
surface whenever there is rain and try to capture new water droplets.
“Hayom/This
day” is used pointedly in two other contexts in the Torah, writes the Netivot
Shalom. One is used three times in reference to the manna that will not
fall Hayom, on Shabbat. The other is in reference to Rosh Hashanah when
we yearly stand before Hashem as we were standing before him now with Moshe
warning us of the curses that would befall us if we stray from the path of
Torah. Just as Hashem recreates the world each Shabbos and each Rosh Hashanah,
so do we have the opportunity to recommit to our covenant with Hashem. But this
commitment is not limited to these days only. We must recommit to this covenant
on a daily basis, and reinforce it every Shabbat and every Rosh Hashanah.
Hashem keeps the covenant with us; it is our responsibility to keep the covenant
with Him on a daily basis, both individually and as a national unit.