An exploration of how choice (bechirah) is not merely free will but the divine power to create reality - to literally create good or evil, life or death - connecting Parshas Nitzavim to the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s laws of teshuvah.
This shiur presents a revolutionary understanding of bechirah (choice) based on Parshas Nitzavim, particularly the pasuk 'ubacharta b'chaim' (choose life). The speaker begins by analyzing Rashi (רש"י)'s commentary on Devarim 29:25, which discusses idolatry, noting that the Maharal questions why Rashi switches the order of the pasuk's elements. The central thesis emerges: bechirah is not merely free will but the power to create reality itself. The speaker addresses a fundamental question about the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s structure - why are the laws of bechirah placed in Hilchos Teshuvah rather than Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah? The Sefer HaBa'at criticized this placement, arguing that free will belongs among the fundamental principles of faith. However, the speaker demonstrates that the Rambam follows the Torah (תורה)'s own structure in Parshas Nitzavim, where the discussion of choice immediately follows the laws of teshuvah. The revolutionary insight is that bechirah means we actually create ourselves through our choices. When we choose good, we don't merely receive reward - we literally make ourselves into good people. When we choose evil, we create evil within ourselves. This creative power extends beyond self-transformation to our ability to empower others, including even inanimate objects through idolatry. The shiur explains the Gemara (גמרא) in Megillah about the seventy translators who changed the phrase 'asher lo tziviti' (which I did not command) when translating for Ptolemy, to avoid revealing that idols have no inherent power. The Torah's original language suggests that God gave idols no power, yet people do experience power from idolatry. The resolution is that humans can empower idols through their choices, just as they can empower kings or leaders. This understanding transforms our approach to relationships. In marriages, families, and friendships, we have the power to literally empower others - to give them existence and life through our words and actions. Parents can create goodness in their children, spouses can empower each other, and teachers can empower students. This is not metaphorical but a real creative force. The connection to teshuvah becomes clear: since we have the power to create ourselves, we necessarily have the power to recreate ourselves. Teshuvah is not about receiving forgiveness for poor choices, but about using our creative power to remake ourselves entirely. The Rambam's placement of bechirah in Hilchos Teshuvah reflects this deep connection - the same power that creates also recreates. The shiur concludes with practical applications, particularly relevant before Rosh Hashanah and the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. The Sefas Emes advised his students to work with younger students during Elul, understanding that empowering others helps us access our own power of self-transformation. This divine gift of creativity - being made 'echad mimenu' (like one of us) as God said about Adam - is man's unique role in creation.
Rabbi Zweig challenges Freudian psychology by arguing that the basic human drive is not pleasure-seeking but rather the painful awareness of non-existence, and explains how only a relationship with God can provide the feeling of true existence and simcha.
An exploration of the deeper meaning of 'amirah' (saying) as empowering others by recognizing their uniqueness and building meaningful relationships through authentic, individualized communication.
Parshas Nitzavim, Devarim 29:25, 30:19
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