Nitzavim
“For this mitzva which I command you is not beyond your understanding, nor is it far away; It is not in heaven that you could say: Who will go up for us to heaven and bring it to us that we may do it; Nor is it beyond the sea that you could say: Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and bring it to us and make us understand it that we may do it, rather this matter is very near to you, in your mouth and your heart that you may do it” (Devarim 30:11-14).
To what mitzva are these verses of our parsha referring? The Ramban and Seforno answer the mitzva of teshuva. They arrive at this answer because teshuva was the subject mentioned at the beginning of this section, which stated that after stumbling into error and sin in exile, “You shall return to Hashem Your G-d” (30:2). About this mitzva of returning (teshuva), the verse now states that such a thing is “not far from you.”
The Seforno explains that teshuva is not in the heavens, meaning we do not need a prophet to explain to us what our sin is or how to correct it, nor is teshuva beyond the sea, meaning we do not need to travel far off to learn the teshuva process from the chachmei hador.
Lastly, the verse concludes according to the Ramban’s understanding (and spoken out more explicitly by the Seforno), the mitzva of teshuva is “in your mouth and your heart that you may do it.” Meaning, first gain an awareness of your sin, and also gain a deeper awareness of Hashem, and this will help you develop remorse for your misdeeds. Then declare your remorse before Hashem in the form of vidui, resolve to correct this problem from now on, and you’ll have accomplished the mitzva of teshuva. In sort, teshuva is eminently doable.
Only, there would seem to be an open kasha on the Ramban and Seforno’s pshat, because in Eiruvin 55a this verse is cited and there the Sages say that the mitzva being referred to is Torah study. The verse then reads that the Torah is “not in the heavens,” meaning not among those whose “heads are in the sky,” i.e., vain, boastful people; nor is it “beyond the seas,” i.e., among the merchants who travel far and wide engaging in commerce…
How can the Ramban and Seforno contradict an explicit Gemara?
Rav Shmuel Truvitz (in his sefer Maadanei Shmuel) reconciles the Rishonim with the Gemara by explaining that while Torah study is not mentioned explicitly as one of the steps for teshuva, it is unquestionably an essential part of the teshuva process. This is in fact readily apparent in the prayer for teshuva we say in Shemona Esrei, where we first mention “Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah” and only then ask: “and bring us back to You b’teshuva sheleima…”
Moreover, the Navi Hoshea’s eternal call to teshuva, “Take for yourselves words and return to Hashem” (14:2) is explained in the Sifri: “What words should we take? Words of Torah.”
Why is teshuva so dependent on Torah? In Kiddushin 30b the Gemara states that Torah is the “remedy” for the yetzer hara. This is true even before a person actually sins. Even a pristine tzaddik who has never tasted sin must apply this remedy of Torah in order to contend with his yetzer hara. All the more so is this true for a person who has already fallen into sin — he is in desperate need of the one and only remedy for his yetzer hara: Torah.
The Chazon Ish (in Igros 2:75) states that while a person must deal directly with his specific bad middos and discipline himself, to uproot the bad middah he also needs Torah lishma.
Furthermore, how can a person possibly imagine doing teshuva and getting closer to Hashem without growing in Torah? Rashi states this idea in Devarim 6:6 on the verses of Keriyas Shema: “And you shall love Hashem, your G-d …. and these words should be on your heart.” There, Rashi cites the Sifri, that “how does one reach love of Hashem? By having ‘these words’ (i.e., the words of Torah) on your heart. Then you can know Hashem and cling to His ways.” The Nefesh Hachaim (4:31) similarly cites the Zohar that one who is far from Torah is far from Hashem and the closer one is to Torah, the closer he is to Hashem.
In discussing the Yamim Hanora’im, Rav Shlomo Wolbe notes that Klal Yisrael’s first Elul in the Midbar was a time of kabalas haTorah. Then, Elul was a way of preparing for Moshe’s return from Har Sinai on Yom Kippur with the luchos hasheniyos. Although they had already received the Torah at Har Sinai, that was before they fell into sin. They were now in need of a new kabalas HaTorah, one that could purify them after the Chet Ha’egel.
For us as well Elul must be a time for a new kabalas haTorah, meaning we must put in more time and more energy into our learning than we have until now.
They say that in Kelm, the sedarim during Elul were 6 or 7 hours long and were very intense. “You have to come to the Yom Hadin with a lot of Gemara, Rashi and Tosafos,” the notedbaal mussar Rav Itzele Peterburg would explain.
Once, Lakewood Mashgiach Rav Nosson Wachtfogel zt”l noted to his talmidim, if in Kelm they were capable of learning such long sedarim in Elul, why didn’t they do this the whole year?
Rather, answered Rav Wachtfogel, such sedarim were beyond their natural strength and ability, but in Elul Hashem is closer to us, and He therefore opened up their hearts to learn even more, to give the chance to come even closer to Him. So too we should make use of Elul and push ourselves more in Torah and all forms of sheleimus to get closer to Hashem.
May we be zocheh to utilize Hashem’s closeness, strengthen our Torah study and do teshuva sheleimah!