Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech: The Secret To Good Judgment

In this week’s parshah, Nitzavim-Vayelech, Moshe Rabbeinu addresses the Jewish people as a whole. From the great leaders to the simple woodcutters, and water carriers, all the different types of Jews were gathered.

The pasuk begins, "atem nitzavim hayom kulchem…" you are all standing here today. The question lingers, what does "today" represent; what day does this signify? The Kedushas Levi explains that hayom, today, represents Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment. We all want to get a favorable judgment. But, what is the secret to good judgment? My father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlit"a, offered an incredible thought from the Hafla. The secret to receiving good judgment is revealed in the next word of the pasuk, kulchem, meaning that Hashem wants all of you, implying every Jewish soul.

If one desires a favorable good judgment, that individual must be able to tell Hashem that they respect every Jew irrespective of their background. Every Jewish person must be beloved in ones eyes. Hashem is reveals that for Him to find favor in each of His children, each child must first care for one another. Hashem wants us to make sure every Jewish being feels special. Moreover, Hashem wants us to make every Jew count. Yet, the Almighty insists that it does not matter their level of observance or stature in the world; Hashem yearns to watch His children help one another and guide one another back, one yid at a time until every last Jew has returned to the path of the Yiddishkeit. Therefore, the parshah enumerates and delineates every single stratum, every single type of Jew from the heads of the tribes, down to the woodcutters and the water carriers. In Hashem’s eyes, kulchem, everyone is equal and moreso unique. Hashem is expresses, hayom –  if one seeks good judgment, kulchem – one must make sure that every Jew stands out, because ultimately every Jew is precious and should be beloved in our eyes – precisely same way that Hashem views each of us in His eyes.

A few decades ago, a rabbi shared a story about a boy in the famed Chofetz Chaim's yeshivah who was caught smoking on Shabbat. The hanhalat hayeshivah decided that this boy would be expelled. When the Chofetz Chaim heard of the decision, the saintly gadol requested that the talmid be brought to his home. As the story wa told over to the audience, the rabbi interrupted the details and stated, “Truth be told, I have no idea what the illustrious Chofetz Chaim told the youth. What I do know is that they were only together for a few minutes, the boy remained in yeshivah, and is believed to have never desecrated Shabbat again."

After the lecture, the rabbi assumed that his entire audience had left the venue. The orator was surprised when he heard a faint sound from the back of the room. As the rav approached the back of the shul, he noticed an old man crying hysterically. The lecturer sat beside the elderly individual and questioned what was bothering him so terribly. Trying to gain composure, the man related, “Rabbi, that story of the boy that went to the Chofetz Chaim, I cannot believe you know those details. You see that boy was me. I was that bachur.”  Now, the rav was speechless. With tears in his eyes, the man repeated the missing elements, “After I was caught violating Shabbat, I was terrified to go into the holy Chofetz Chaim’s house. I had no idea what was going to happen. Once settled inside his small, humble, home the Chofetz Chaim embraced me, took my hand and placed it between his own. When I looked up, I saw that the Chofetz Chaim’s eyes were filled with tears. Whispering, the Chofetz Chaim said in a hushed voice filled with pain and hope, ‘Shabbat. Shabbat. Holy Shabbat. Shabbat my dear child, holy Shabbat…’ Tears streamed down the Chofetz Chaim’s face and one of them – one small tear landed on my hand. I could not believe that I made the Chofetz Chaim cry. The Chofetz Chaim’s message remained with me forever. I understood the importance of Shabbat and grasped how holy it was. Since then, I have observed every Shabbat properly.”

What an incredible story! We must never give up on another yid! We can never reject a Jew. Never give up, there is always hope! May each of us be the one to make a difference in the life of another Jew!

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By Aryeh Fingerer