The spiritual potential of the last Shabbat of the year

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s talks are known throughout the Jewish world. They combine chassidic teachings and philosophy, along with tips for a better life. We have collected pearls from his teachings that are relevant to our daily lives. This week he comments on the Torah section of Nitzavim.

"You are All Standing Here Today"

The Jewish people have a mutual bond of responsibility with each other. When one’s Jewish identity strengthens, it has an impact on everyone else, and the same is true when it weakens. In this week's portion, the Torah says: "You are all standing before the Lord your God today, your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the Israelites. Your children, your wives, and your stranger who is in the midst of your camp, from your woodcutter until your water-drawer." Our holy sages’ words are well known on this verse: "You are all standing today" - What was that great day? The day when the world was created, Rosh Hashanah.

On the verse (Job 1:6), "And the day came when the heavenly beings stand before the Lord, and the Satan also came among them," the Zohar (Boh 32b) relates that that day was Rosh Hashanah when the Holy One, blessed be He, judges the world. Based on this, the Torah enumerates ten kinds of groups within the nation of Israel. The first five groups are “your chiefs, your tribes, your elders, and all the people of Israel.” The second five groups are “your children, your wives, and your stranger in the midst of your camp, from your woodcutter until your water-drawer."

When we take these ten groups and divide them according to the Ten Commandments, five on one side and five on the other, it appears that “your heads” correspond to the first commandment, “your tribes” to the second commandment, “your elders” to the third commandment, “your officers” to the fourth commandment, and “every Israelite” to the fifth commandment. On the other side of the Tablets, you have “your children” corresponding to the sixth commandment, “your wives” to the seventh commandment, “your stranger in the midst of your camp” to the eighth commandment, “your woodcutter” to the ninth commandment, and “your water-drawer” to the tenth commandment. The ten commandments correspond to the ten statements with which the world was created.

The sixth group - “your children”, corresponds to the sixth commandment "Thou shalt not murder." We can say allegorically that a person who does not know how to educate his children and does not guide them in the way of God, may bring them to a devastating spiritual ruin.

Another important lesson is that all ten groups in the Jewish people are connected to each other. The Jewish people have a mutual bond of responsibility, and every Jew has an impact on his friend. When one commandment is not being fulfilled, all the other commandments lose their importance too, and the same is vice versa - when all the Jews elevate themselves and their commitment becomes stronger, one uplifts the other. If everyone is devoted to God, the effect of this relationship is evident in heaven and God elevates us all.

This coming Shabbat is the last Shabbat of the year and it has the special power to rectify all the Shabbatot of the previous year. If a person follows God on this Shabbat, he channels down a great abundance and corrects all the Shabbatot for that year. Shabbat is also the source of blessing, and if we follow it in the right way, it will bring blessing and abundance also on Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays.

Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgement in which the whole person is judged by God. If we know how to utilize the coming Shabbat in holiness and purity, we will be able to bring down goodness and blessings for the entire coming year.

This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel