Parashat Nitzavim

To sort this out, I turned to one of my favorite bible study tools — the mighty Concordance, a list of every word in the Tanakh accompanied by a citation of every verse in which the word appears. It confirms my suspicions — עֹמֵד appears twice as often as נִצָּב throughout the Torah. But what’s striking is the exact contents of the list of “נִצָּב” appearances, which reads like a highlight reel of the Torah: The three angels are נִצָּבִים outside Abraham’s tent (Bereshit 18:2). God is נִצָּב at the top of the ladder in Jacob’s dream (Bereshit 28:13). Moses is נִצָּב as he awaits his first confrontation with Pharaoh (Shemot 7:15), and then again at the top of Mount Sinai awaiting the second set of tablets (Shemot 34:2). Even the angel blocking Balaam’s donkey is נִצָּב in the middle of the path (Bamidbar 22:23). 

So what does this word mean? Why is it preferred over its (apparently) more mundane counterpart in these dramatic situations? Nitzav נִצָּב is related to words like מצבה (matzevah), which means “monument” or “pillar” and התיצב (hityatzev), which means “to make firm,” or “take a stand.” The general impression is that while someone who is עֹמֵד may be physically located in some particular place, someone who is נִצָּב is firmly rooted with conviction and with their entire being — the proverbial “immovable object.” 

This is particularly poignant when we note that the group before Moses in this parashah is entirely different from the group that stood with him at Mount Sinai, the generation of the Exodus having died during the 40 years in the wilderness. This new group may feel ready to move forward, but first they themselves must accept the Torah that only their parents personally received. The use of נִצָּב here, given this context, evokes the previous generation’s famous response of “נעשה ונשמע” (na’aseh v’nishma, “We will do and we will listen”) when presented with the Torah: We are here, we are ready, and we will not waver. Moses sees the Israelites arrayed in front of him, not just standing on the banks of the Jordan River, but as a nation that has fully come into its own and is ready to take a powerful, confident step forward into the next era of its story.

This parashah is always read right before Rosh HaShanah — in fact, the Ba’al Shem Tov reads the word היום (hayom, “today”) in this verse as referring specifically to Rosh HaShanah. We are called on, at this moment each year, to be נִצָּב: to take our stand firmly and make the pivotal reaffirmation to be our best selves, to be a part of our community, to be a member of the Jewish people, and to accept the Torah once again as a new person. I wish each of you a שנה טובה (Shanah tovah) and a meaningful holiday season. Shabbat Shalom!