Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5786 | Rabbi Menachem Mendel Blachman

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── Shiur Outline ──
(0:07) Yahrtzeit Dedication and Opening Remarks
(2:00) Ramban vs Rambam on the Teshuva Verse
(3:46) Rambam’s Definition of the First Step of Teshuva
(5:13) Tanya’s Teaching on Total Commitment in Teshuva
(6:48) Understanding Lishmor Through Gemara Yevamot
(10:37) Kablas Ol Malchus: The King Analogy and True Teshuva
(15:06) Closing Blessings and Wishes for the New Year

AI-Generated Summary (AI can be inaccurate. Check important information):

The central question of the shiur addresses why most Rishonim do not count the act of teshuva as a specific positive commandment, despite its fundamental role in Jewish life. Drawing from the Rambam and the Tanya, the shiur concludes that teshuva is not merely a list of actions but a total metamorphosis involving the complete removal of sin from one's agenda. True return is defined as kabalas ol malchus shamayim, the re-acceptance of Divine sovereignty, which serves as the essential prerequisite for fulfilling all other decrees. Thus, the work of Rosh Hashanah is to return to a state of constant God-awareness, where one views themselves fundamentally as a servant standing in the presence of the King.

1. Repentance as a promise — While some authorities like the Ramban view teshuva as a formal commandment, others, including the Rambam, primarily view the Torah's words as a divine promise (havtacha) that Israel will eventually return to God.
2. Beyond simple regret — The essence of teshuva is azeivas hacheit (abandoning the sin), which means reaching a state where the transgression is no longer an option or an agenda item.
3. Commitment to sovereignty — True teshuva requires a person to resolve in their heart never to return to such "stupidity," viewing sin as a rebellion against the malchut (sovereignty) of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
4. The definition of Shmira — The concept of lishmor (to guard/heed) implies living with a constant sense of responsibility and kabalat ol (acceptance of the yoke), standing far back from even the possibility of transgression.
5. Awe of the Commander — Based on the Gemara in Yevamos (6a), our observance must stem from awe of the One who commanded (mi shetzivah), rather than just the technical mechanics of the mitzvah.
6. Acceptance before legislation — As the Mechilta teaches, a king cannot effectively decree laws until the people first accept his sovereignty; similarly, consistent religious life depends on first accepting ol malchus shamayim.
7. The goal of Rosh Hashanah — The primary work of the new year is kabalas hamalchus (accepting the Kingship), which serves as the foundational cure for selective observance and spiritual inconsistency.
8. Constant Divine Presence — The ultimate teshuva is returning to the principle of Shiviti Hashem lenegdi tamid (placing God before me always), living with an active awareness of standing in the Divine presence.

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Hi this is being recorded on Monday חי אלול ערב שבת קודש נצבים.

This is the יארצייט today of a dear friend I would say a תלמיד

ישראל Person a אוהב תורה לומד תורה he was constantly would come to ארץ

ישראל would always sit in the שיעור father of a תלמיד a great grandfather

of a תלמיד of תלמידים יחזקאל צבי בן משה הלוי this is his יארצייט

I'd like to teach these דברי תורה לעילוי נשמתו.

It's also the יארצייט of my brother-in-law דניאל דניאל זלמן בן יצחק a מרביץ

תורה was a משפיע to multitudes of people מחזיר בתשובה I loved him דניאל

צבי דניאל זלמן בן יצחק נשמה they should all have a עליה הנשמה this

should be לעילוי נשמתו.

Okay well we're beginning we're moving straight forward into ראש השנה and this week's

פרשה is the ultimate פרשה which deals with this this is the פרשה of

תשובה.

This is the פרשה as we read the פסוק in דברים למד פסוק א'

והיה כי יבאו אליך כל הדברים האלה הברכה והקללה אשר נתתי לפניך והשבות אל

לבבך בכל הגוים אשר הדיחך השם אלקיך שמה ושבת עד השם אלקיך ושמעת בקלו

ככל אשר אנכי מצוך היום אתה ובניך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך.

See with this פסוק the רמב"ן on the פרשה understands as being the source

of a מצות עשה of doing תשובה ושבת עד השם אלקיך.

It seems to be that almost all the ראשונים disagree with the רמב"ן the

רמב"ן himself is bothered by the fact that it's not written בלשון ציווי it

seems to be a לשון הבטחה so he says it means it's also a

ציווי and also an הבטחה.

Yet the רמב"ם we know brings it להדיא in the פרק זיין he brings

it totally as an הבטחה that God promises that we'll do תשובה at the

end ושבת אשר ישוב ומל השם אלקיך את לבבך etc.

This is a future there's no מצות עשה at all.

Many ask why doesn't the רמב"ם count the תשובה as a מצות עשה?

The רמב"ם only writes when you do תשובה there's a מצוה of וידוי of

confessing orally.

Yet somehow what about the תשובה?

He takes it for granted shouldn't isn't it a מצות עשה?

The נביאים are full of it שובה ישראל עד השם אלקיך etc.

endlessly about תשובה as the רמב"ם elaborates over there in פרק זיין at the

end of פרק of תשובה the end of הלכות תשובה.

And the answer obviously is the רמב"ם like all other ראשונים see this פסוק

not as a מצוה but as an הבטחה.

And here the question lies how could it be that such a great important

pillar of our religion the fact that we can rectify our sins and we

are commanded to we should rectify our sins how would that not be a

מצוה?

The answer lies obviously in the understanding the nature of תשובה.

תשובה means to return to return to what to what to what situation are

we talking about?

So let's start from אלף בית.

We know that the רמב"ם writes in הלכות תשובה he writes what is the

first thing of תשובה?

תשובה you're supposed to be עוזב את החטא ישיב החי what's he supposed to

be doing?

So he's basically עוזב את החטא.

What does it mean עזיבת החטא?

It means he's supposed to say to God you know I'm never going to

do this again.

More than that יסיר ממחשבתו it's off his plate he's not even on his

agenda.

And then he has to say these things in verbalize primarily the תשובה is

basically it should be off your plate not enough to refrain it's not even

an option.

And only that after you've come to a conclusion that it's not even an

option יסיר ממחשבתו only then is יעיד עליו יודע תעלומות then you must let

God be my witness that this stage of my commitment I really mean this

I mean to commit not to do this and I commit that this I'm

going to do everything I can to get this off my plate.

It's for me לשון הרע is like bestiality.

Not even a תאוה.

This is the agenda of תשובה,

not just say I'm sorry,

not just say I won't do it,

but it should not even be an option.

How does one get there?

And this is the primary issue of תשובה.

The Rebbe writes in תניא in אגרת התשובה,

he writes explicitly that there he writes מפורש,

what is the idea of תשובה?

שיגמור בליבו בלב שלם,

a total commitment,

דבל ישוב עוד לכסלה,

he will never return back to this stupidity.

One has to see it as a דבר כסל,

something stupid,

something which makes no sense.

Not something I want to do but this is something which I perceive as

idiotic.

למרוד במלכותו יתברך.

How could I possibly rebel in the מלכות of הקדוש ברוך הוא?

ולא יעבור עוד מצוות המלך חס ושלום.

How is it possible?

I will never,

but never,

transgress the will of the King.

הן במצוות עשה הן במצוות לא תעשה.

He says זה עיקר פירוש לשון תשובה,

the primary interpretation of תשובה is לשוב אל ה׳,

to return to God,

equals to return to His sovereignty.

בכל לבו ובכל נפשו,

with all his emotion and with all his sense of self.

If לב means the emotion,

נפש means identity,

that you are totally identify yourself as a person which the idea of being

מורד במלכותו של הקדוש ברוך הוא is beyond your radar screen.

לעובדו,

לשוב אל ה׳

בכל לבו ובכל נפשו לעובדו,

to become His servant or actually slave,

ולשמור כל מצוותיו.

What does לשמור mean?

לשמור does not just mean to do the מצוות.

That's לעשות.

And we always say לשמור לעשות ולקיים.

The understanding of לשמור,

that's a גמרא in יבמות.

The גמרא says,

it says 'את שבתותי תשמורו ומצוותי תיראו ומקדשי תיראו'.

You must heed my Sabbath and you must be in awe of my מקדש.

And the גמרא says מה שבת,

just as שבת,

לא מהשבת אתה ירא,

you're not in awe or afraid of שבת,

but rather מי שציווה עליה,

but rather of God who commanded on the שבת.

אף מקדש,

also מקדש,

לא מן המקדש אתה ירא,

you're not in awe or afraid of the מקדש,

but rather מי ששוכן בתוכו,

He who resides in it is הקדוש ברוך הוא.

You look at this גמרא,

it's basically a תורת כהנים ספרי,

and you ask yourself where does it say anywhere there's a מצוה of ירא

on שבת?

It says שמירה on שבת.

It's true the יראים learns that there's a היקש of שבת to יראת המקדש,

and if there's a מצוה of מורא מקדש,

there's also a מצוה of מורא שבת.

This is the תניא ירושלמי in דמאי which says explicitly that עם הארץ מורא

שבת עליו.

Even an עם הארץ,

a person which is not learned and therefore not meticulously observant because he simply

doesn't know,

but he,

the מורא,

the יראת שמים,

the awe of God,

of שבת is upon him and we can trust him in certain דינים of

דמאי.

But that's a דעת יחיד,

that's only a יראים.

למעשה להלכה,

where do we find a דין of ירא on שבת?

What's the פשט in the גמרא?

The תירוץ is פשוט.

It says שמירה.

What does שמירה mean?

To have a sense of responsibility and being making doing everything possible to fulfill

that responsibility,

which will include not to transgress.

To have that sense of responsibility,

קבלת עול,

that's יראה.

יראה of הקדוש ברוך הוא or יראה that you shouldn't חס וחלילה transgress the

מצוה,

therefore you do everything possible to go far,

far,

far from it.

You know I remember I was a kid I smoked until the age of

thirty.

You know and every so often I would say to myself well,

just one,

you know?

No,

I know that one means thirty.

So you don't go near the one.

The old saying is if you're once burnt with hot water,

you're wary about lukewarm water.

That's called שמירה.

Living with a sense of responsibility,

a sense of authority,

a sense of there's a מלך מלכי המלכים עין רואה ואוזן שומעת וכל מעשיך

בספר נכתבים and you can't be מורד במלכות.

So this is what the Rebbe writes.

What's תשובה?

To make sure that there's no way you're going to be מורד במלכות.

לשמור כל מצוותיו.

לעובדו,

to be His עבד,

לשמור כל מצוותיו,

not enough to not to transgress or to fulfill.

but to live with that כובד ראש.

And this is the פסוק מה שכתוב יעזוב רשע דרכו ואיש און מחשבותיו.

A person should leave the path that he's living on and a man of

iniquity should forget the thoughts that he has.

In other words,

תשובה is a metamorphosis,

a changing of your way of life,

of your thought process.

It's gotta be off your plate.

There's no way I can be מורד במלכות.

For that,

one has to be מקבל עול מלכות.

The basic reason of why we transgress or don't fulfill what we're fulfilling,

the basic reason why we engage in I would say selective halachic observance,

whatever community you're in,

we all suffer this problem,

is because we don't live with קבלת עול מלכות שמים.

We do the מצות,

we refrain from a lot of עבירות,

but it's got many reasons contributing to our actions.

The focal point is,

are we really living with a yoke of שמירה,

are we living with קבלת עול מלכות שמים?

And this is a מפורשת ספרי,

brought down in the רמב"ן in פרשת יתרו,

ספר המצות,

מצוה א',

and the רמב"ן quotes it as follows:

let me find it here for a moment.

Yeah,

it says like this,

the פסוק says:

אנכי ה' אלהיך,

and then it says:

לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים על פני.

And the question ספרי is asked,

why do we have to have again the אנכי ה' אלהיך,

לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים על פני,

it's all the same thing.

So he says,

he quotes,

excuse me,

it's not a ספרי,

it's a מכילתא in שמות.

לפי שהוא אומר אנכי ה' אלהיך,

משל למלך שנכנס למדינה.

There was a king which conquered a city-state.

אמרו לו עבדיו,

his servants told him,

גזור עלינו גזרות,

decree decrees,

set down the law,

tell them what to do and what to refrain from.

אמר להם לא,

no I can't do that yet.

כשיקבלו מלכותי,

only after they accept my sovereignty,

they see me totally as their מלך and they are my עבדים,

at that stage גזור עליהם גזרות,

then I will be able to legislate laws and decree their behaviors and their

מחשבה and their דיבור and their מעשה.

שאם מלכותי אינן מקבלים,

because if they don't really predicate their actions and their thoughts by first accepting

the authority,

the מלכות of הקדוש ברוך הוא,

that אנכי ה' אלהיך,

only then will they be able to fulfill my גזרות.

אם מלכותי אינם מקיימים גזרותי היך מקיימים?

How can you possibly expect them to fulfill my גזרות,

to be consistent in a religious behavior in מחשבה,

דיבור,

ומעשה,

even to wish,

to will,

to want,

to aspire to do them in truth.

How do you dream of being able to do this if you don't make

sure you have קבלת עול מלכות שמים?

It would seem to be the ultimate תשובה is exactly that:

to walk away from מרידה במלכות שמים,

or rather I would say it's not even מרידה,

but to begin to be מקבל עול מלכות שמים.

And that is the עבודה of ראש השנה,

קבלת המלכות.

Do we actually sit,

look at ourselves in the mirror and say,

yes,

I am an עבד ה' and God is my sovereign,

and there's no,

I don't move my hands without him?

That's תשובה.

לשוב עד ה' אלהיך,

until you stand in presence in front of God,

and that's how you live.

תשובה is returning to the first רמ"א in שולחן ערוך,

שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד.

That you stand in God's presence,

that you live with God awareness.

That's what תשובה is.

So yes,

there's no specific commandment of returning to God,

because every walking away from God is a pre,

is walking away from קבלת עול מלכות שמים.

The basic reason for you to do תשובה,

because there's no way you should be living without קבלת עול.

Should you return to קבלת,

you must return to קבלת עול because that's the פסוק אנכי ה' אלהיך,

the basis of our total religion.

That's what this מכילתא teaches us.

There's no specific מצוה of returning,

of walking away from sin.

The מצוה is walk away from the reason of sin.

Walk away from the reason of sin,

you must eradicate that and you must start from scratch if necessary.

I want to wish us all a כתיבה וחתימה טובה.

Remember אתם נצבים היום כלכם,

we stand one day in front of הקדוש ברוך הוא,

standing upright and straight,

we stand in front of הקדוש ברוך הוא.

ראש השנה is a day of שויתי ה' לפני תמיד.

Have a כתיבה וחתימה טובה,

אתם וביתכם וכל אשר לכם.

Take care.