A thought on Parshas Nitzavim

"...v'shav HaShem Elokecha...v'shav v'kibetz'cha..." (30:3) "...and HaShem your Lord will return your captives...and return and gather you..." The optimism of this vision, HaShem returning to His people and in turn returning them to their homeland, is inspiring. The appearance of a redundancy above, however, might seem to mar the otherwise bright flow of this promise. What does the repeated use of 'v'shav' - and He will return - signify? The Bechor Shor offers that the first promise of HaShem returning our captives is a reference to the Babylonian exile. That was a relatively short interval in our national history when the first Bais HaMikdash had been destroyed, and much of our nation was taken eastward to Persia and surrounding areas. Those captives will be brought back, our verse proclaims, as HaShem takes us to our land again. The second promise - HaShem will return and gather you in - is a reference to the enduring present exile known as "Galus Edom." The Bechor Shor depicts this as "this massive and long exile that now has scattered us across the earth." He cites the gemara (Megila 29a) which notes that our verse does not say "v'yashiv HaShem" (HaShem will return them) but rather "v'shav HaShem" - HaShem will return. This is understood by our sages as a message that HaShem too is anguished and in a form of "exile" as long as we remain scattered and apart. Without a unified nation to revere and serve Him, it is as if world consciousness of HaShem has been taken captive, and faded. Thus, when we return to our holy land, our verse alludes to this as "HaShem too will be returned". His Divine Majesty and the world's sense of His Presence will be restored. For those of us who like to sing the Shabbos zemiros, you may recall the song (part of the long "Baruch HaShemYom Yom") which is known as Yetzaveh Tzur Chasdo - May the Mighty One command His Kindness to gather in His congregations from the four winds. My great and sainted rebbe HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman zt'l would lead us in this every Shabbos at Shalosh Seudas. I can still hear his strong voice, along with those who joined him. It always seemed to me that he emphasized the final phrase of that stanza - "yashiv lo ne'emar, ki im v'shav v'kibetz" "He shall bring back" is not said but rather "He shall return" Those words paraphrase the gemara and are also the thought of the Bechor Shor here. The exile has been long and hard. The redemption is very overdue. It is time for HaShem to bring us back to Him, and time for us to bring HaShem back to ourselves and to the world. Wishing you a good Shabbos on this final phase of the year 5772, and Ksiva v'Chasima Tova. D Fox