MUSSAR D’ORAISA
Parshas Nitzavim-Vayelech 5764
àúí ðöáéí äéåí ëìëí ìôðé ä' à-ì÷éëí øàùéëí ùáèéëí æ÷ðéëí
åùèøéëí ëì àéù éùøàì. (ãáøéí ë"è: è)
You are
standing today, all of you, before Hashem your G-D: the heads of your tribes,
your elders, and your officers—all the men of
The Or HaChaim explains that the meaning for renewing the covenant at this juncture. He says that Moshe's intention was to teach the idea of communal responsibility—that every Jew is responsible for every other Jew; to assure that they keep the Torah and to restrain each other from violating it. It follows very clearly then the reason that each group is mentioned—leaders, elders, officers, men, women, children, proselytes, etc.—rather than just stating "all of you". This shows that each person, regardless of his status in Klal Yisroel, carries this responsibility on his shoulders, and must live up to that responsibility according to his ability. If he can affect the whole world, then that is his obligation. If he can affect only his city, shul, family, or even only one friend, then that is his responsibility. More than that, says the Or HaChaim, each person will be held accountable according to his ability to affect others, should he not fulfill his obligation in this area.
This idea of responsibility for one's fellow Jew, which Moshe taught in his final lesson to Klal Yisroel before his departure from this world, is obviously very applicable throughout the generations and today. The Gedolei Yisroel, who have the ability to affect all of Klal Yisroel, bear a very real responsibility for all of Klal Yisroel. But each one of us, although at times we may feel powerless to change the world, may not shirk our individual responsibilities to affect those that we can, as the Torah commands. A father or mother can affect their family to help ensure positive spiritual growth among the people in their household. Community leaders can bear a larger responsibility to help ensure that the entire community is acting in accordance with the Torah. Yeshiva bachurim can live up to their responsibility and affect the chavrusas that they learn with throughout the day, and will be held responsible for those around them who do not live up to the Torah's charge.
I know a bachur in
yeshiva who recently realized that during seder he and his chavrusa
occasionally begin to talk rather than learn, as can happen (äîáéï éáéï). And sometimes, as can
happen, these short conversations encouraged by the yetzer hara, turn to
speaking about other people, sometimes bordering on lashon hara. So this bachur
enacted a rule for himself and his chavrusa—whenever they begin to speak about
someone, they recite a chapter of Tehillim for that person's benefit instead,
and then get back to learning. He recognized a point where he and someone else
were having difficulty, recognized his responsibility and ability to help
change the situation, and carried it out. He seized the opportunity to live up
to his responsibility to help affect someone's observance in a positive manner.
Everyone can find some way to live up to his
mutual responsibility to his fellow Jews. He can at least affect his family,
friends, shul, or community in some positive way. Let us all recognize our
potential regarding this mitzvah and b'ezras Hashem try to live up to its
accompanying responsibility.
Yitzchok Pinkus
Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim