Nitzavim

The passuk says, “I am bringing to you witnesses, the heavens and the earth, life and death I put before you, the bracha and the klalah, and you shall choose life…”

Rashi explains that the heavens and earth were the witnesses because they stand forever. When chas v’shalom bad happens to Bnei Yisroel they will testify that Hashem warned you.

Rashi also brings another p’shat. Hashem said to Bnei Yisroel, “Look at the heavens and earth that I created to serve you. Have they changed their character? Did the sun ever not rise in the east and shine for the whole world? Look at the earth; have you ever planted and it didn’t grow? Or has it produced barley instead of wheat? Just as these don’t change although they don’t get reward or punishment, you who get reward and punishment should certainly not change your ways.”

The question arises: How can we learn this lesson from the heavens and the earth about how we should behave? The heavens and earth are inanimate; they don’t have a yetzer hatov and yetzer hara to convince them to do good or bad. We however do. How then should we learn from them not to change our ways?

My Rosh HaYeshiva shlita explained that every Yid has a neshama tehora which b’teva makes a person do good. This is as we say every day in davening, “Elokai, neshama … tehorah hee.” Also, in Shir HaShirim it says, “Do not look at me that I am dark because the sun caused it…” Rashi explains “don’t look at me in a disgraceful way, because the darkness (sin) was not from birth, but rather from the sun. This darkness is easy to revert to light again by going into the shade.” Rashi explains further that “the people who were around me convinced and persuaded me to do bad.” Also in Koheles it says, “אשר עשה האלקים את הארץ ישר והמה בקשו חשבונות רבים.” Hashem made us straight and we made ourselves crooked.

We see that every Yid is naturally born pure and clean. It is the yetzer hara and surroundings which affect him and cause him to do bad. Just as the heavens and earth, which are inanimate, don’t change their character, so too a Yid has the potential to be as a domem (inanimate) and keep to the Torah and mitzvos.

May Hashem help us take the lesson from the heaven and earth, to return to our good nature and constantly serve Hashem!