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Overview
of the Torah Reading
/ To be read on Shabbat
Nitzavim, 27 Elul 5785/Sep.20, 2025
Torah: Deut. 29:9-30:20
Haftorah: Isaiah 61 (7th of the Seven Haftorahs of Consolation)
Pirkei Avot: Chapter 5,6
Nitzavim
is the 8th Reading out of 11 in Deuteronomy and it contains 2575
letters, in 657 words, in 40 verses
Nitzavim
(Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20) opens with G-d making a covenant with the Jews,
establishing them as His nation. He tells them that if they stray from
the Torah, evil will befall them, but that when they return they will
be rewarded with blessings, and will be returned to their land. G-d sets
before them the choice between good and evil, but warns them to stay away
from evil.
 An
essay from Rabbi
Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free
weekly email subscription, click
here)
This is a letter written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1973. It was highlighted
in this week's Dvar Malchut [a Hebrew weekly booklet containing learning
schedules, content and more] and discusses the unique chasidic perspective
on Rosh Hashanah.
I am excited to share it with you.
B"H
The 18th day of Elul 5733 (1973)
To the Jewish people wherever they are, may G-d be with you.
Greetings and Blessings!
This is the time of preparation for Rosh Hashanah, which is not only the
day on which Adam, the first human was created, thus completing and perfecting
the entire creation; but it is also the day that begins the year and is
its "head" [the English translation of the word rosh), signifying
that this day teaches and provides guidance for all days of the coming
year.
I would like to dwell on one lesson and instruction here regarding the
central place that humanity occupies as the crown of the entire creation,
and as the one upon whom the perfection of the entire creation depends,
as mentioned above.
Rosh Hashanah focuses each person on the tremendous powers that have been
bestowed upon them, powers that give them the ability, not only to bring
themselves to complete perfection, but also to influence, lead, and change
the world around them as is required.
Along with this comes the immense responsibility not to squander the powers
given to them, but to utilize them to the fullest extent, both in relation
to themselves and in relation to the world around them.
The fact itself that Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment for the entire
creation, is not set on the first day of creation [the 25th of Elul],
but rather on the day that Adam, the first human was created teaches us
that the judgement of the entire creation relies on man. From this we
understand that he and he alone has the strengths to affect and lead the
entire creation.
This is clearly expressed and is emphasized by the ancient scholars in
the stories told in the Talmud [which is part of the Torah's teaching]
about Adam on the first Rosh Hashanah, the day of his creation. Immediately
upon his being created, he looked all around and recognized that they
were "Your works, the works of G-d." He immediately declared
(and influenced all the other creatures that were created before him),
"Come, let us go up and coronate the One who created us." This
means that immediately upon his creation, Adam was given the awesome power
to elevate himself and the entire creation to the pinnacle of perfection
- to connect with the Creator by recognizing that He is the Creator and
the King of the world. And more so, this recognition was expressed in
an immediate and practical way.
And as is explained in many places in our Torah, in accordance with the
creation of the first man with all its details, so is the case in the
life of every Jew.
From the above, a crucially important conclusion emerges, which may seem
self-evident but must nevertheless be emphasized, especially for our time.
The behavior mentioned, in general, and the conclusion derived from it,
that Rosh Hashanah, our day of Judgement, is on the day that the first
man was created and therefore about the great merit and responsibility
each of us has, are not matters that concern the individual person alone.
As mentioned, the role of every individual is not only to elevate themselves
to his greatest potential height but also to elevate the entire reality
in order to achieve the perfection of the entire creation, for which he
was created and given great powers.
As for a possible excuse from someone that influencing others could/can
be done by others, and that utilizing his own personal powers is his private
business, the Torah tells us that Adam was created alone to teach that
every individual is similarly alone like Adam and, like Adam, is like
a whole world (and responsible for the whole world).
From this, it is also understood that just as Adam did not have someone
to whom he could delegate and entrust his first mission to coronate G-d
[the Creator] as the King, as he said "Come, let us coronate to the
One who created us," so too with regard to every person in relation
to his mission in this.
When a person reaches the recognition of this, his first responsibility
and the great merit in it, all the difficulties and obstacles he encounters
in his way become insignificant. For when he observes how important every
action of every individual is, not only for himself but for the sake of
the whole reality as well, up to the final goal of the creation to coronate
G-d as King, all the difficulties in relation to this have zero value.
As with many matters in the Torah, which are expressed in brief language,
so too everything mentioned here is expressed in only a few words in the
written Torah, along with some explanation in the Talmud. For example,
in the first verse in the Torah, which encompasses the creation of everything,
"In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth" [including
the heavens and all their hosts, the earth and everything on it] explains
the Talmud [the oral tradition] that the very first word, bereishit, contains
within it this inference. That for the sake of the Torah, that is called
"beginning" [raishit], and for the sake of the Jewish
people that are called beginning [raishit] - [the word bereishit
can also be read as beit raishit = "two beginnings", the Torah
and the Jewish people], meaning to say that the entire world, always being
renewed and receiving from G-d its life-force and completion, is all through
a Jew acting in this world, according to the holy Torah.
This encapsulates one of the main teachings and instructions of Rosh Hashana
as the head of the whole year, and its inner meaning that just as the
head of the body directs the body and its organs, so also the head of
the year controls and directs all of the days of the coming year, that
each Jew has to be imbued with the awareness all through the day with
the recognition that every deed he does, even his speech and even his
thoughts will affect not only him personally and his immediate surroundings,
but also the entire world, and even the heavenly worlds.
Along with this, they must remember that as they are created from G-d's
hands, they have the full possibility to fulfill their role as instructed
to the first man, Adam, who was the creation of G-d's hands, and the role
to bring themselves and the world around them to their ultimate perfection.
They receive this potential to the extent that G-d grants it in general
and in particular as it is granted on the day it is said of them, "And
G-d saw everything He had made and behold, it was very good" [Bereishit/Genesis
1:31].
May we always receive from His full hand, His open, holy and broad hand.
May you be signed and sealed for a good and sweet year.
Menachem Schneerson
Wishing you and your loved ones a very good and sweet new year - a lasting
peace and the speedy arrival of Mashiach.
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
(for
a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading, see the
archive.
FROM
THE SAGES OF KABBALAH ON KabbalaOnline.org
Specifically,
for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary
Kabbalists, and more,
click to
Nitzavim
Mystical
Classics
The
Holy Heart of Times to Come
.jpg) From
Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman's commentary on the Torah
"And the Eternal, your G-d, will circumcise your heart."
Lust and
desire are the "foreskin" of the heart; circumcision of the
heart means that it will not covet or desire evil. In the days of the
Mashiach, the choice of genuine good will be natural; the heart will not
desire what is improper. Man will return at that time to what he was before
the sin of Adam when there were no conflicting desires in his will.
1 Comment
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