Parashat Nitzavim is the source of the concept kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh, all Jews are responsible for one another. Devarim 29:28, after the restatement and renewal of the brit between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael, declares: “The secret things belong to Hashem our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” If a person sins in secret, the community cannot be expected to react, but if a person sins in public, the community is held liable. American culture, on the other hand, emphasizes the idea of “rugged individualism” – going one’s own way and carving one’s own destiny. We have no doubt absorbed some of American individualism, and I wonder: is individualism compatible with Torah ideals? Is there room for individualism within a community that has, as a whole, made a brit with Hashem? How comfortable are we with being responsible for the observance of our fellow Jews? How do we manifest that responsibility?
Parashat Nitzavim is always read around the time of Rosh HaShanah because of perek 30, which contains the promise/commandment “you shall return to Hashem, your God” (pasuk 2). The next pesukim continue “God will return your captivity…God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your children to love God…” I find the imagery of God returning us, and drawing closer to Him, and helping us do teshuvah, beautiful and moving. It implies that when we reach out to Hashem, He will help us return, and He is always waiting for us with open arms. Pesukim 11-14 reassure us that teshuvah (or Torah as a whole) is “not in heaven, not beyond the sea”; rather it is “very close to us.” Hashem makes it seem so easy to do teshuvah, but in my experience it is quite difficult. Why do you think the pesukim make teshuvah sound so easy?
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