5785/2025
אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י ה׳ אֱלֹקיכֶ֑ם
The Midrash Tanchuma is one of the most precious collections of Midrashim in our Mesorah. In fact, at the beginning of Parshas Korach, Rashi gives his “stamp of approval” to the Tanchuma: “ויקח קרח — This section is beautifully expounded in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma.” As if constantly quoting it wasn’t enough praise, Rashi felt the need to let us know explicitly that the Tanchuma is something special. After learning some of the Tanchuma on this week’s parsha, I can better appreciate both Rashi’s endorsement of this Midrash and the name of the Midrash, which comes from the shoresh נחם, ‘comfort’. I hope you will be able to feel this appreciation as well.
This pearl of Midrash (Nitzavim 1; in the Buber edition, 1-4) might be characterized as an extended meditation on Jewish survival, discussing the question: ‘how does the Jewish people still exist?’ (see Yalkut Shimoni 940 for more discussion of this question). Specifically, ‘how are we still here if all non-Jewish nations of antiquity were wiped from the earth for their sins?” That last phrase ‘for their sins’ is key, because it highlights one of the fundamental assumptions of the Midrash, something that we likely know deep down but may need a reminder of. That is, that national survival is not based on having a strong military or high fortifications, but rather on having strong values and high moral standards, and I will elaborate on this soon. First, I want to highlight the section of the Midrash which may hold the key to answering our aforementioned question.
“Chizkiya the son of R. Chiyya said, “Why is this Parashah next to the parashah about curses? Because Israel heard a hundred curses minus two in this parashah (see Torat Chaim Dov p. [insert page here]), apart from the forty-nine which are uttered in [Sefer Vayikra]. They immediately turned green in the face and said, ‘Who can withstand these [curses]?’ Moses called them immediately (Devarim 29:1) and pacified them with [our Pasuk].”...And you did not heed My voice, and you uttered words before Me for which you deserved destruction. Still I did not wreak destruction upon you, when it is stated (Tehillim 106:7), “When our ancestors were in Egypt, they did not consider Your wondrous works….” And not only that, but they said of the [golden] calf (Shemos 32:4), “This is your god, O Israel.” Now if you should say, “For what reason did the [other] nations deserve destruction, while we are remaining alive?” It is because when afflictions come upon them, they kick against them and do not mention the name of the Holy One, blessed be He… In the case of Israel, however, when afflictions come upon them, they make submit and pray, as stated (in Ps. 116:3-4), “I found trouble and sorrow, but I shall invoke the name of the Lord.” Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Even though these punishments come upon you, they [themselves] stand you up; and so it says (Devarim 8:16), ‘in order to humble you and in order to test you, [so as to benefit you in the end].’” Thus did Moses say to Israel, “Even though afflictions come upon you, you have a standing.” It is therefore stated (Devarim 29:9), “You are standing today, all of you.”
As far as the question we posed earlier, the Midrash seems to give a straightforward answer: we have outlived the other nations because, whereas they respond to punishments in a way that doesn’t involve Tefilah to Hashem, we respond to punishments by “submit[ting] and pray[ing]” (אֲבָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּשֶׁהַיִּסּוּרִין בָּאִין עֲלֵיהֶן, הֵן נִכְנָעִין וּמִתְפַּלְּלִין). However, this requires further examination. Firstly, there are two apparent contradictions in the text. The Midrash describes the Cheit Ha’Eigel and the sin of “אֲב֘וֹתֵ֤ינוּ בְמִצְרַ֨יִם ׀ לֹא־הִשְׂכִּ֬ילוּ נִפְלְאוֹתֶ֗יךָ (Our forefathers in Egypt did not perceive Your wonders) as דְּבָרִים” שֶׁאַתֶּם חַיָּבִין עֲלֵיהֶם כְּלָיָה” - words…for which you deserved destruction”. Yet later on, the Midrash raises the question, “‘for what reason did the [other] nations deserve destruction, while we are remaining alive?’” This implies that we have not even deserved destruction. In fact, the Yalkut Shimoni (Remez 940), in bringing down this Midrash, does not include the section about “דְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתֶּם חַיָּבִין עֲלֵיהֶם כְּלָיָה”, perhaps because its compiler felt it was incompatible with the continuation of the Midrash. The second contradiction is in the statement “אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁקְּלָלוֹת הַלָּלוּ בָּאוֹת עֲלֵיכֶם, הֵן מַעֲמִידוֹת אֶתְכֶם.” “Hashem said to [Klal Yisrael], ‘even though these punishments come upon you, they [themselves] stand you up’”. This implies that the punishments themselves are what ensures our survival. But the way we presented the answer of the Midrash earlier, it seems that our Tefilah over the punishments, not the punishments themselves, is what saves us. If Hashem didn’t give us these curses, we wouldn’t need to daven to Hashem to save us from those curses, and all would be well and good! How could the Midrash say that the curses themselves are what saves us?
There is a clue in the Midrash that might help us solve these questions. When it tells us that the curses themselves “stand us up”, it points to the Pasuk in Devarim 8:16: “הַמַּאֲכִ֨לְךָ֥ מָן֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ֗ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ נַסֹּתֶ֔ךָ לְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֖ בְּאַחֲרִיתֶֽךָ׃” - “...in order to test you by hardships only to benefit you in the end”. If we can understand this Pasuk, maybe we can understand what the Midrash is saying. Ha’amek Davar explains that when the Pasuk says that suffering “benefit[s us] in the end”, it means suffering can “make you good.” - i.e, a better Jew. The commentators suggest many different ways in which a Nisayon (test) can lead to improvement of character (see Reggio and Ha’amek Davar to Devarim 8:2, 16, and the commentators to Bereishis 22:1), but the Rabbeinu Bachya’s approach might help us understand the Midrash best. Rabbeinu Bachya writes on that Pasuk: “כל ענוי המדבר …לא היה אלא להביאם לידי נסיון להרגיל טבעם במדת הבטחון ולהכניס בלבם אמונת ה' יתברך עד שיחזור להם רגילות העבודה לטבע" - “All of the suffering of the Midbar… was only to test them to habituate them in their trust [in Hashem] and to place in their hearts faith in Hashem, until their service of Him will return to second nature” (my translation). In other words, Hashem tests us in order to strengthen our Bitachon (trust) and Emunah (belief/faith). At first glance, this is somewhat difficult to understand. If Hashem is punishing us, the more ‘natural’ reaction might be, Chas V’Shalom, to doubt Hashem’s providence. And Rabbeinu Bachya is telling us it strengthens our Emuna? Perhaps the answer is that HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s testing of us shows that He cares for us. (see also the Sefaria translation of Rabbeinu Bachya, and Rabbi Moshe Taragin’s shiur linked here). The Reggio writes as follows (Devarim 8:2): “לפעמים יאמין האדם בעצמו שהוא צדיק גמור ובר לבב, וע"י הנסיונות יודע לו כי חסר הוא וכשידע חסרונותיו יתאמץ להגיע אל שלמותו” - “Sometimes a person will believe that he is a complete pure-hearted Tzaddik, and through the tests it will become known to him that he is incomplete, and when he recognizes his shortcomings he will strive to perfect himself…”. In other words, Hashem’s tests enable us to diagnose our spiritual problems and improve. If Hashem didn’t care for us, he would let us go down the same path we had been going before.
If we look at the two places where Hashem says we deserved destruction, we might find a common theme. Both our forefathers’ sin of complaining at the Yam Suf (see Rashi to Tehillim 106:7) and the Chet HaEgel could be attributed to a lack of Emuna, specifically a lack of Emuna in Hashem’s kindness. At the Yam Suf, perhaps Klal Yisrael felt that though Hashem had the power to save them (how could they not believe such a thing after seeing Kriyas Yam Suf), they were embarrassingly blind to the underlying principle behind the miracle; namely, that Hashem cares about us. Similarly, Klal Yisrael thought by the Chet HaEgel that Hashem wouldn’t give them the Torah. Therefore, Klal Yisrael was, indeed, מחוייב כליה, deserving of destruction, after these sins. We were only saved then because of Moshe’s tefillah. However, we will never again be even marked for destruction. Why? Because now we have these Klalos, which give us the opposite message of the Chet HaEgel. The specific kind of Emunah that we lacked at the time of the Chet Ha’Eigel, namely Emunah in Hashem’s love and care for us, is what we are gaining through these punishments.
This raises another question, however. Up until now, we have assumed that Klal Yisrael’s understanding that Hashem punishes out of love is somewhat of an innate instinct. However, this fact is less than obvious; it would be strange for all of Klal Yisrael to have that knowledge innately. Secondly, if we really knew that Hashem punishes us out of love, why would Moshe have to tell this to us? Why were we ever scared? The simplest answer seems to be that there are things that we all know instinctively, but occasionally need a reminder of. Such is the case here.
The continuation of the Midrash brings our discussion to its climax: “Another interpretation: “You are standing today”: Just as the day sometimes darkens and sometimes lightens, so it is with you. Although you have darkness, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to shine on you with light eternal…”. When recording this section of the Midrash, Rashi eliminates the words “another interpretation.” Rashi felt that this is not a break from, but a continuation of, the previous point, that the punishments strengthen us. Perhaps this can be explained in two ways (see R’ Asher Weiss’ Hebrew shiur on Parshat Balak). The first is that we are just as important to the world as the rising and setting of the sun. The second Rashi in the Torah (Bereishit 1:1), says that the world was created for us! Klal Yisrael, and our spiritual success, is so important to Hashem! The second way of reading it could be that Klal Yisrael is just as “קַיָּם”, just as eternal, as the rising and setting of the sun.
These two readings might be connected. Moshe is saying to Klal Yisrael, there are two reasons why Hashem gives you these punishments. One is so that you’ll do Teshuva. Once you remember this, you will understand the second reason that Hashem punishes you; that is, so that you’ll realize Hashem’s love for you, your importance to Hashem, your importance to the world, and thus, your national existence will never be in jeopardy. In other words, once you realize that you are as important as the movement of the sun, you will be as constant and eternal as the movement of the sun.
If you’ve made it this far, I congratulate you. I hope these words provide comfort and chizzuk, especially in these trying times, and most of all, I hope we can agree that the Midrash Tanchuma has lived up to its name.