Ha’azinu

The passuk states ותאחז במשפט ידי… and My Hand will hold onto judgment, I will return punishments to My haters, and to those of My enemies I will punish. Rashi brings: Rabboseinu derive from here that Hashem’s middah is not like that of a person. When a person decides to shoot an arrow and he pulls back and lets go, the arrow is sent out and is irreversible. If while the arrow is in flight he were to change his mind, it won’t help, he cannot retract the arrow. This is not so by Hashem, He sends out an arrow to punish and has the ability to retract and pull the arrow back, as though He is still holding the arrow in His hand. This is the meaning of Hashem holding judgment in His hand.

Rebbi Yehudah explains that these pessukim refer to the actions and consequences of Yisrael, whereas Rebbi Nechemya explains they refer to the nations. The Nefesh HaGer says that both of these opinions are true. At the end of days Yisrael will sin and rebel against Hashem and His Torah and will be sentenced for punishment. The enemies will afflict Yisrael, who will then daven to Hashem and do teshuva from the depth of their hearts. Immediately afterwards Hashem will forgive them. Hashem first sends out arrows to punish Yisrael, and after they do teshuva Hashem will then immediately change the direction of the arrows’ flight to target the nations who did bad to us. Hashem will punish our enemies, since our enemies are Hashem’s enemies. We see that the middah of Hashem is to allow teshuva to annul punishments that are already decreed.

The Gemara brings that there are three books opened on Rosh Hashanah: the complete tzaddikim and resha’im are written and signed on Rosh Hashanah, whereas the בינונים, the average people areתלויין ועומדין which simply means they are undecided and wait for their fate to be decided on Yom Kippur. HaRav Chaim Shmuelevitz brings b’shem the Alter from Nevardok: תלויין means they are hanging. It is as though a person has a rope around his neck, standing on a chair, and the executioner is ready to push away the chair from underneath his feet. This reflects that the בינונים are indeed fitting and ready to be sentenced for death. Out of the graciousness of Hashem, He awaits and gives the aseres yimai teshuva as time for us to do teshuva and does not go through with the punishment.

May Hashem help us take the moment, even after being sentenced to be hung, to do the proper teshuva, and to be zoche to a g’mar chasima tova!