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Why does Parshas Nitzavim place curses after promising eternal Jewish survival? The shiur develops a two-tier answer: the nation is guaranteed survival, but individuals can lose hope and act recklessly. A Jewish community must therefore ensure every individual Jew feels secure and supported. This principle—Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh BaZeh—is the foundation of teshuvah and the entire avodah of Rosh Hashanah, which focuses not on personal salvation but on Hashem (ה׳)'s malchus and the survival of His entire nation.
Rabbi Zweig opens by addressing a calendrical puzzle: why is Parshas Nitzavim read separately this year instead of being combined with Vayeilech, especially when it contains severe curses similar to those in Ki Savo? Tosafot offers two answers: either we want all curses read before Rosh Hashanah ("the year and its curses should end"), or we want a respite between the curses and the New Year. But Nitzavim itself contains harsh threats—destruction comparable to Sodom and Amorah—so how is this a "calm week"? The key lies in understanding the dual nature of the threats. The shiur explains that when the Jewish people heard the tochacha (rebuke) of Ki Savo, Rashi (רש"י) tells us their faces turned green from terror—"hariku penayim," who can withstand this? Moshe Rabbeinu responded: "Atem nitzavim—you are standing... you will live forever (kayomim l'olam)." This assurance was necessary because overwhelming fear can paralyze rather than motivate. When people believe destruction is inevitable, they become reckless and give up hope—"why even try?" This psychological reality is compared to a failing business where the owner throws good money after bad, or to the women violated in Nardea on Yom Kippur—even in a city of Torah (תורה) giants, despair can lead to spiritual collapse.
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Parshas Nitzavim (Devarim 29-30)
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