You Are Standing Today: Unity, Covenant, and the Curses in Parashat Nitzavim

In Parashat Ki Tavo, the covenant that God makes with Israel is described. When the nation enters the Land, God places before them good and evil so that they may choose the good. The portion also outlines what may happen if they choose evil, the section known as the curses.

Why Are the Curses Repeated in Nitzavim?

In Parashat Nitzavim, various calamities are mentioned again. Moshe repeats what was already stated in Ki Tavo. Anyone who turns to the gods of the nations is warned that God will not forgive him, and that all the curses written in the Torah will rest upon him. The land itself will bear afflictions and diseases just as described earlier.

Why does Moshe repeat these warnings? Was it not enough to say them once in Ki Tavo? And how does this connect to the opening words, “You are standing today, all of you,” and to the individual who says, “I will have peace even though I follow the stubbornness of my heart”?

The Meaning of “I Will Have Peace”

One might have expected the verse to say, “I will have peace even if I follow my own stubborn heart.” Does that person believe he will have peace because he serves idols? Or does he imagine that he can sin and nothing will happen to him?

The opening verses list seven groups within Israel: heads, tribes, elders, officers, children, women, and converts. The people are composed of all their parts, and the number seven symbolizes wholeness. The curses of Ki Tavo serve as a warning to the entire nation. Nitzavim adds another dimension: a warning about unity and responsibility among all segments of the people.

The Temptation to Separate from the Nation

Because of Israel’s unique destiny, beginning with the descent to Egypt and continuing through trials and redemption, a person might think that belonging to Israel carries too much burden and difficulty. He may say to himself that he will separate from the nation and live independently of its fate.

This is the individual the Torah addresses when it says, “Lest there be among you a man or woman or family or tribe… who blesses himself in his heart, saying, I will have peace though I follow my own stubborn heart.” He believes that by choosing his own path and detaching himself from the collective destiny of Israel, he will achieve tranquility.

The Torah responds that such a person will not become less connected to Israel by separating himself. On the contrary, he will be distinguished for punishment more than others if the nation sins. Detachment does not erase identity. A person cannot escape belonging to Israel.

This idea is reflected in the command that six tribes stand for blessing and six for curse. Israel is responsible for one another. If one tribe turns away from the Torah, the others proclaim the curse. If one rises spiritually and fulfills God’s will, the others proclaim blessing and aspire to follow its example.

The Meaning of the Curses

If someone might misunderstand the curses as a sign that God rejects Israel, the Torah clarifies otherwise. Even the harshest rebuke does not diminish Israel’s status as God’s children. The curses reveal the depth of the covenant and its two sides.

When the nations witness the devastation of the land, they will not say that Israel once lived there and was abandoned. Rather, they will recognize that these events are part of a process with a clear reason: Israel left the covenant, and therefore the consequences followed.

Teshuvah Transforms the Curse

Everything is written in advance, and everything depends on Israel. The covenant itself guarantees that repentance will ultimately transform the curse into blessing. The Torah promises that when Israel returns to God, He will gather them from wherever they have been scattered, even from the ends of the heavens.

The individual who thought he could escape Israel’s destiny and find peace through separation will discover that reality continually reminds him of his identity. He will be brought back, return to the Land, and ultimately come back to repentance.

The curses do not disappear. Instead, they find a new address: the enemies who pursued Israel. When Israel returns to its covenantal role, the negative forces shift away from them.

Unity as the Foundation of the Covenant

All of this stems from the unity of Israel. The nation is composed of every group within it: elders, judges, tribes, women, children, and converts. No single part can claim to be the whole. God maintains the covenant with all of them together and will not allow any part to be permanently cast aside.

If someone attempts to break away, reality itself reminds him that he belongs. That reminder is not only punishment but also a call to return, to come back to the Land, and to be blessed. In the end, all Israel stands together, part of a plan greater and stronger than any individual or generation.