Parashat Nitzavim 5785 -20 September 2025 / 27 Elul 5785

Mr. Murthy Gaddi
11 minutes ago
7 min read

Gaddi's Notes from the Sages Writings:

“Parashat Nitzavim: Covenant, Repentance, and the Attainable Torah”

NITZAVIM: ISRAEL AS A LIVING MONUMENT OF ETERNAL COVENANT AND UNITY”

Furthermore, we recall that earlier on in the Torah we are told of a prohibition against building a matzeva, for it is "hated by God. " (See Deut. 16:22 and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the Adonai your God hates.) Why would Moses' parting gift contain either a prohibited action, or even a literary reference to one?

Rashi complicates matters for us by adding another explanation for the term "today" :As this day is here, and is cloudy and light, so too, will (the day) enlighten you (now), and in the future it will enlighten you ... ( Rashi 29:12 )

This comment of Rashi is somewhat obscure, but, from what we can gather so far, on this day:

Moses dies,
Joshua takes over,
a new covenant is forged,
some type of monument is established, and,
it is bright yet cloudy.

This is a very rich and multi-layered passage. The verses of Deuteronomy 29:9–14 ( Parashat Nitzavim ) together with Rashi’s and Shem Mishmuel’s comments open a deep discussion about covenant, leadership transition, and the metaphor of a “monument” (matzevah).

Arguably Moses was the last individual, who represented the entire nation, as the Talmud teaches:

A rabbi was once expounding the Scripture, the congregation became drowsy. In order to rouse them he said: "One woman in Egypt brought forth six hundred thousand at a birth." There was a certain disciple there named Rabbi Ishmael son of Rabbi Jose, who said to him: "Who can that have been?" He replied: "This was Yocheved who bore Moses who was counted as equal to six hundred thousand of Israel, for so it says, Then sang Moses and the children of Israel (Exodus 15:1); And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses (Numbers 1:54); And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses (Deut. 34:10)." ( Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs 1:65 )

“You Stand This Day” – Atem Nitzavim

1. Standing as a Monument

Rashi (Deut. 29:12) : Because Israel was passing from Moshe to Yehoshua, Moses made them like a “monument” (matzevah), firm and enduring, to inspire them.
Problem: The Torah earlier prohibits building a matzevah ( Deut. 16:22 ), calling it “hated by God.” Why here does Rashi use the term positively?
Shem Mishmuel (Nitzavim, 5671) : A matzevah is a single stone, as opposed to a mizbeach (altar) built from many stones. It represents unity in its most absolute, indivisible form. The prohibition in Deut. 16:22 refers to idolaters who used a matzevah for corrupt worship. But in its essence, the matzevah symbolizes the eternal, indestructible unity of Israel bound to Hashem.
Thus, Moshe’s final act was to transform Israel into a “living monument” of unity — one people, one covenant, one God.

2. Covenant Renewal Before Leadership Transition

The sages ( Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 1 ) say Moshe gathered all levels of Israel — leaders, children, strangers, woodcutters, water-drawers — to show that the covenant includes everyone equally.
Chassidut (Sfat Emet, Nitzavim 5653) : When Moshe dies and Yehoshua takes over, there is danger of fragmentation. By standing them together as one, Moshe imprints on Israel the eternal truth that even as leaders change, the unity of Israel under the covenant never changes.
The “monument” is thus spiritual: Israel itself becomes the eternal matzevah, testifying to God’s faithfulness.

3. “This Day” – Cloudy Yet Bright

Rashi (29:12) : “As this day is cloudy and light, so too it will enlighten you now, and in the future.”
Midrash Rabbah (Devarim 8:3) : Daylight can be obscured by clouds but ultimately shines through. So too, Israel’s covenant may be obscured by exile and sin, but God’s light will break through in the end.
Shem Mishmuel : The covenant is described as “today” because it is eternal and ever-renewing. Just as the day cycles through clouds and brightness, so Israel cycles through concealment and revelation — but the essential bond with Hashem never changes.

4. The Monument as Collective Responsibility

Ramban (29:12) : The covenant of Nitzavim is unique because it binds not only those present but also future generations. This “standing” is eternal; every Jew, past, present, and future, stands together.
Midrash (Pesikta Rabbati 23) : All souls of Israel, even those not yet born, were present at this covenant. The “monument” is therefore not stone but the eternal testimony of the Jewish people bound together in every age.

5. Chassidic Reading: Unity in Diversity

Baal Shem Tov : The unity of Israel is not uniformity. Just as a monument is one solid block, so Israel — though composed of many tribes and souls — is bound together as a single spiritual organism.
Sfat Emet : The cloudy-bright imagery teaches that Israel must stand firm like a monument even when God’s light is obscured, because hidden within concealment is deeper light.

Essence

On the threshold of leadership transition and covenant renewal, Moshe gathers Israel and transforms them into a “monument” — not of stone, but of unity, faith, and eternal covenant. Though the Torah prohibits idolaters’ monuments, here Israel itself becomes the true living monument to God’s glory. The phrase “cloudy yet bright” assures that even through concealments, the eternal light of the covenant shines. Every Jew, across all generations, is bound in this unity, forming the eternal matzevah of Israel standing before Hashem.

“MOSES AS THE COLLECTIVE SOUL: EQUAL TO ALL ISRAEL IN THE WRITINGS OF THE SAGES”

Moses as Equal to All Israel

1. Moses as the Collective Soul

Midrash Rabbah, Shir HaShirim 1:65 : Yocheved bore Moses, who was equal to 600,000 Israelites.
Why 600,000? Tradition teaches there are 600,000 root souls of Israel, each branching into infinite sparks ( cf. Zohar II:122a ).
Moses, therefore, contained within himself the root of all souls, embodying the collective identity of Israel.
Rashi (Ex. 15:1) : “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel ” — Moses represents the voice of the people ; the people are extensions of Moses.

2. Leader as the People

Numbers 1:54 : “The children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses. ” The verse equates Moses’ command with God’s, because the people and Moses’ leadership are inseparable.
Deut. 34:10 : “No prophet like Moses ” — the sages explain that Moses’ prophecy was panim el panim (face to face), and his clarity gave life and direction to all Israel.
Rambam (Hilchot Teshuvah 9:2) : Moses’ role was not only giving Torah but being the embodiment of Torah. He became the living covenant of the nation.

3. Moses as Yechida — The Singular Soul

Kabbalah : The soul has five levels: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, and Yechida.
Zohar (I:25a) : Moses is identified with the level of Chaya — transcendent living essence — which shines upon all Israel.
Chassidut (Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh 27) : Every generation has a Moshe Rabbeinu — a soul-root leader who contains the yechida (the indivisible point of oneness) for the generation. Moses himself was the full embodiment of this — one man as the collective soul of all.

4. Rabbi Akiva and the Soul of Moshe

Talmud (Menachot 29b) : Moshe saw Rabbi Akiva expounding crowns of the letters and asked: “Why was the Torah not given through him?” God replied: “Be silent, for this is what I have decreed.”
This indicates that Moses’ soul root transcends even the greatest sages ; he is the universal “container” of Torah. Rabbi Akiva draws sparks, but Moshe contains the whole.

5. The Tzaddik as Klal Yisrael

Midrash Tanchuma (Tetzaveh 1) : The righteous are the foundation of the world.
Sfat Emet (Ki Tisa, 5635) : Moses is called the “general soul” (neshama kelalit). Every Jew has a spark of Moses within, for Moses is the channel through which Torah and Divine life flow into the people.
Baal Shem Tov : The soul of Moshe is present in every Jew, empowering Torah study and cleaving to God. When we awaken that spark, we unite with the root soul of Israel.

6. Moses and Mashiach

Zohar (I:25b) : Moses is the first redeemer and the final redeemer.
Moses’ encompassing soul foreshadows Mashiach, who is the universal yechida — the collective perfected soul of Israel and of humanity.
Just as Moses embodied 600,000, Mashiach embodies all generations and all souls until the end of days.

Essence

The sages teach that Moses equaled all Israel because he embodied the collective root of their souls. He was not only their leader but their spiritual essence, the yechida kelalit through whom Torah, prophecy, and Divine vitality flowed into the nation. Moses stands as the archetype of the tzaddik whose soul includes all others — a role completed in Mashiach, the ultimate collective soul.

NITZAVIM- STANDING TODAY

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