בס''ד
One can only imagine the atmosphere as Moshe stood there before the entire nation beseeching them to follow the ways of Hashem, entreating them to choose the path of the righteous. The air must have been thick with purpose, resonating with the feeling of the magnitude of the occasion. A plea from a leader who so deeply loved his people and who in turn was so beloved by his flock. It is worth noting that the Parsha seems incredibly keen to emphasise the fact that everyone was present. It tells us a number of times that all were there and goes further to list individual categories of people, women, children, the wood choppers. Our question therefore is why the Torah accentuates this and in answering this we can thereby gain a more profound understanding of the purpose of this momentous gathering.
A covenant between man and G-d is something that can certainly not be taken likely. It is an individual’s oath to forever bind oneself to His will, an undertaking that compels one to live a life according to His commands. This is an internal, intensely personal undertaking to be the person we were created to be. But the Torah requires more of us than just looking inwards. It requires us to extend our gaze to those around us and ensure they too are following the dictates of the Creator. This, says the Ohr Hachaim, was the raison d'être for the assembly of the nation as a whole and why each group is mentioned distinctly. It was to charge the people, not just with the responsibility for their own spiritual welfare, but also with an obligation to those around them, to do whatever they could to enable and encourage others to do as the Torah instructs. This is the unique oath that our Parsha records, an oath made by individuals with all others as the prime focus.
More than any other, at this time of year our minds are full of thoughts of repentance and renewal. We are very much focused on ourselves, performing self-analysis and internal scrutiny of our lives and our acts. This is exactly as it should be and is crucial to our success in judgement. Yet perhaps this Parsha occurs specifically at this time to remind us of this additional oath, not just to steer ourselves back in the right direction but to ensure others are coming along with us. The mechanism and method by which we achieve this requires thought and consideration so that all those we endeavour to help receive the individualised approach that they need. For some it may only need gentle encouragement, for others more serious persuasion. Others still may need some sort of rude awakening and alarm bells rung in their ears. But whatever it is that we need to do, if we are not looking out for others, we are not truly looking out for ourselves either.
*May this Shabbos help us focus both inwards and outwards*
לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם
לעילוי נשמת שרה יעל בת גרשון
לרפואת אלימלך יהושע אהרון בן דבורה רבקה
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