Beit Aharon

Nitzavim

October 5, 2008 – 5:45 pm

Nitzavim

As Moshe’s swan song begins, the sense is quite palpable in the Torah that this epic text is itself drawing to a close. It is therefore not surprising that Moshe takes a moment to look at this whole world called TORAH, and summarize some key elements of it.

כי המצוה הזאת אשר אנכי מצוך היום
לא-נפלאת הוא ממך ולא רחקה הוא.
לא בשמים הוא לאמר מי יעלה-לנו
השמימה ויקחה לנו וישמענו אתה ונעשנה…
כי-קרוב אליך הדבר מאד בפיך ובלבבף לעשתו

“Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, ‘Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?’… No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it. (30:11-12,14”

Moshe highlights that the task of Torah is indeed something we can live with. While objective truth via philosophical contemplation might be beyond us, the ‘instructions’ מצוות are within the realm of the achievable.

Torah is not only ‘in our mouths’ but also ‘within our hearts’. This phrase could allude to the fact that not only can we recite it from memory (as was the ancient world’s basic means of acquisition of knowledge), but it is something we can engage in with sincerity.

Or perhaps this image is to teach us that the Torah isn’t a foreign object that, like a poorly transplanted organ, one may reasonably fear that our bodies and souls will reject. No, it is something embedded within our mouths and hearts, a part of ourselves that we have been hardwired with (R’ J.D. Soloveitchik).

We remember the notion that a fetus is taught all of Torah in utero, and made to forget it by the angels upon birth (M. Niddah 30b). The point of this, says the Rav, is so that when we ‘relearn’ it, Torah will feel strangely familiar, and particularly comfortable.

Appropriate to the Yamim Noraim, Sforno says that this image is referring to the process of teshuva, whereby one sincerely recognizes (in their hearts) that they have sinned and then articulates their sin via verbal confession – (וידוי פה).

And finally, Rashi explains that the closeness of the Torah to us is manifested in the fact that we have both a written and oral Torah to draw from. And in so far as the written Torah may sometimes be confusing, it is the oral tradition as captured in the Mishnah and Gemara that
helps us understand the practical ramifications of the holy scrit. Thus, without the oral tradition, we would struggle to see the Torah as within our hearts and mouths.

On that note, it is wholly appropriate that we take a moment to recognize two people in particular that work tirelessly to keep the Oral Torah vibrant in our community – Gary Schmidt and Jonathan Leshinsky.

Gary’s gemara shiur on Shabbat afternoons always makes for an engaging mental exercise, and his commitment to prepare the shiur week in and week out is truly phenomenal.

Now, a word regarding Jonathan Leshinsky. While most of us recognize that it’s an accomplishment just to attend our regular shiurim during the week, Jonathan is spending time learning Talmud every day, and we regularly see the fruits of his labour when he holds a Shabbat afternoon siyum to celebrate the completion of (yet) another tractate.

Gary and Jonathan’s example is inspiring, and the impact their commitment has on our community must be publicly recognized. Yeshaer Kokhachem!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Shamir Caplan