Parashat Nitzavim: How is our Personal Teshuva (Return) Intertwined with Returning to the Land of Israel?

Parashat Nitzavim

How is our Personal Teshuva (Return) Intertwined with Returning to the Land of Israel?

What are Some Perimeters of “Every Jew is Responsible For One Another”?

The importance of community and our responsibility toward it was instilled in me from early childhood. It has always been clear to me that we do not live in a vacuum; every choice we make sends ripples through the world around us. It is hard to single out particular lessons from my parents, because this principle permeated everything we were taught. Just as it is self-evident that if someone carves a hole under his private seat in a ship, the entire vessel will sink, so it was obvious to my sisters and me never to leave garbage in a public space.

After becoming mitzvah observant, I learned how the Torah takes this sense of shared responsibility far deeper. We are not only accountable for our own deeds – such as refraining from tossing a candy wrapper on the street – but, in a mysterious and holy way, we are also bound to the actions of every other Jew. Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh – “Every Jew is Responsible For One Another” means more than being a good example. On a simple level, our habits inevitably influence those around us. If we live in a community where no one litters, that atmosphere shapes our own behavior. If kindness and generosity are the norm, they draw similar responses in us.

Yet on a deeper plane, our souls are intertwined. The Ba’al Shem Tov teaches that when we notice another person faltering, it is not random. Hashem has shown it to us so that we can look within. Perhaps we harbor even a subtle trace of the same weakness? When we identify that trace and do teshuva for it, we open a spiritual channel that helps the other person return as well. Our private inner work, unseen by others, becomes a hidden support for their growth.

Rav Kook adds a further dimension tied to the Land of Israel itself. If one Jew yearns intensely for Eretz Yisrael – even without speaking a word – that quiet yearning can awaken the courage to make Aliyah in another Jew. In this way, the unseen longings of a single heart help gather the exiles and advance the redemption of the entire people.

This is the deeper meaning of “every Jew is responsible for one another.” We are a single, living organism; each action, each prayer, each inner movement of teshuva resonates through the whole. Whether through small habits of care for public spaces, heartfelt repentance for subtle faults, or silent yearning for our homeland, our individual efforts weave together the destiny of Israel.

Why was the Covenant of Mutual Responsibility Established as we Entered the Land?

ספר דברים פרק כט פסוק ט

אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי הַשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיכֶם רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל:

“You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem your G-d: the heads of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every person of Israel” (Devarim 29:9).

On the very last day of his life, as the nation stood poised to enter the Land of Israel, Moshe gathered the entire people and entered them into a covenant with Hashem that binds all of Israel in mutual responsibility. Rabbi Moshe Schreiber, the Chatam Sofer, explains that the covenant of “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem” – “You are standing today, all of you” – establishes the principle of Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh – all Jews are bound together in accountability for one another. Hidden sins remain known only to Hashem, but what is revealed becomes the charge of the entire nation, because the deeds, both mitzvot and failings, of each Jew affect everyone.

This deep spiritual oneness gives practical power to the community: one Jew can fulfill a mitzvah on behalf of others, and a communal positive command can override an individual one, because every Jew shares in the mitzvot of the whole. The Rabbi adds that love of Torah and trust in teshuva are essential to sustain this covenant, for when people learn Torah without heartfelt gratitude for the gift of Torah or doubt the power of repentance, they weaken the protective merit of mutual responsibility. Through this collective commitment and teshuva, Israel draws the Divine promise of redemption and the ingathering of exiles, showing that the covenant of arvut (mutual responsibility) is both the spiritual and practical foundation of Jewish unity in the Land of Israel (Chatam Sofer, Devarim 29:9).

From Covenant to Redemption

Immediately following the covenant of mutual responsibility, Moshe reveals the next stage of Israel’s destiny:

ספר דברים פרק ל פסוק א וְהָיָה כִי יָבֹאוּ עָלֶיךָ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל לְבָבֶךָ בְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִדִּיחֲךָ הַשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁמָּה :ב) וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד הַשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְקֹלוֹ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ :ג) וְשָׁב הַשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶךָ וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ הַשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁמָּה:

“It shall be, when all these things come upon you – the blessing and the curse that I have set before you – and you take them to heart among all the nations where Hashem your G-d has driven you, and you return to Hashem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul… then Hashem your G-d will return your captivity and have compassion on you, and He will return and gather you from all the peoples where Hashem your G-d has scattered you” (Devarim 30:1-3).

The first ten verses of chapter 30 in the Book of Devarim is one of my favorite sections in the Torah because it speaks so deeply to my soul about Hashem’s compassion and about how returning to Him is inseparable from returning to the Land of Israel. The root שׁוּב/shuv – “return” echoes seven times in these verses (Devarim 30:1-9), creating a rhythm of gradual yet unstoppable redemption. First, Israel awakens and returns to Hashem; then Hashem Himself “returns” with us, gathering His people from every corner of the earth. Rashi explains that the Shechinah so fully shares our exile that the Torah speaks of Hashem Himself returning: the day of ingathering will be so momentous and so challenging that “it is as though Hashem Himself must literally take each individual Jew with His very hands out of exile (Rashi, Devarim 30:3).

I also noticed that in this entire section, the four-lettered Name of Hashem, which conveys compassion and miracles, appears twelve times, perhaps hinting at His enduring bond with the twelve tribes whom He will gather in from the furthest corners of the world.

The verses trace a graceful dance of teshuva from level to level: “Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, Hashem your G-d will gather you, and from there He will take you. Hashem, your G-d will bring you into the land that your patriarchs possessed, and you shall possess it; He will make you prosper and multiply you more than your fathers. Hashem your G-d will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, to love Hashem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live… because you return to Hashem your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Devarim 30:4-10).

Why Does Hashem Circumcise our Hearts After we Enter the Holy Land?

What does it mean that Hashem will “circumcise our hearts”? Clearly, this is not referring to open-heart surgery. Rather, it is the gradual removal of the inner “foreskin” of resentments, fears, and hardened feelings so that we can love one another and love Hashem wholeheartedly. Earlier, the Torah commanded, “You must circumcise the orlah (foreskin) of your hearts and be no longer stiff-necked” (Devarim 10:16). Our work to soften our hearts and clear away negativity pertains even while still in exile. Yet, only after Hashem brings us back to our land does He promise to complete the process Himself, as it says, “Hashem your G-d will circumcise your heart” (30:6).

This teaches that the final stage of geulah, complete redemption, depends on both human initiative and Divine action. We must begin by removing the emotional and spiritual barriers that separate us from Hashem and from each other. When we do, Hashem responds by transforming our very nature, enabling us to return to Him with a love so deep and whole that it can only be fully revealed in Eretz Yisrael, the place where His covenant with us comes to complete fruition.

Why Can the Highest Stage of Teshuva be Fulfilled Only in The Land of Israel?

Our section describes two dimensions of teshuva. In verse 2, we are called to return עד/ad – “until Hashem your G-d,” while in verse 10, after being gathered into the Land of Israel, we are promised the ability to return אל/el – “unto Hashem your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul.” The difference is striking. Returning עד/ad Hashem is the inner, personal turning to G-d that we can achieve anywhere: we refrain from wrongdoing, begin to keep mitzvot, and draw near to Him. Yet this first stage still carries the sense of only approaching Hashem, whereas “returning אל/el unto Hashem” points to the collective return to the Land of Israel. Only with Divine help in the Land of Israel are we empowered to attain the second stage, el Hashem, a full embrace and oneness with His will. This is the highest level of teshuva, possible only in Eretz Yisrael, the dwelling place of the Shechinah.

Our spiritual teshuva and our physical ingathering are inseparable. They move together as one redemptive process. Moshe’s words even include “whoever is not here with us today,” showing that every generation is bound to this covenant and destined to be gathered in. The call to return, therefore, transcends time and geography, yet it is anchored in the Land of Israel, where the covenant is ultimately lived. Each Jew who returns to the land fulfills that ancient oath and weaves his or her own life into the eternal fabric of the nation.

Standing together before Hashem in our own land is the deepest preparation for Rosh Hashanah, which always follows Parashat Nitzavim. As we crown Hashem King, we reaffirm that our personal return and the collective destiny of Israel are one. In this way, the covenant of mutual responsibility and the promise of complete teshuva find their true fulfillment in Eretz Yisrael, where Hashem’s presence dwells and the final stage of redemption unfolds.