Parshas Nitzavim - Parsha Stumpers

פרשת נצבים

 Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

1.     The passuk (29:13-14)  says, “Not with y ou alone do I forge this bris  and this oath, but with whoever is here, standing with us today before Hashem, our G-d, and with whoever is not here with us today…” How could a bris be made with people who are not present?

2.    There are nekudos (dots) above certain letters/words in the passuk (29:28). Why is this and why over those particular ones?

3.    At the end of parshas Nitzavim, Hashem tells us:

הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה; וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים--לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה, אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ

“I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life....”

A few questions should immediately come to mind:

a.     Chazal teach us that a “nesinah” (a “giving”) is shaveh perutah (value of a perutah coin). In order for there to be two equal things that Hashem is giving before us, it must therefore be that they are both “valuable” (at least in our eyes). Last time I checked, though, Death's & Cursing's popularity was quite down. How could we understand that it is a “nesinah”?

b.    Also, if this is our big choice of bechirah, isn't it a bit unfair to word the choice as a choice between life and blessing versus death and curse? It seems pretty obvious which one to choose. Shouldn't a real bechirah be between two equal options?

c.    Being that the choice seems so obvious and clear, why is Hashem telling us which one to choose, as He says, “And you shall choose life”? And if it is not so obvious, why is He 'cheating' – so to speak?

4.    The Rosh and Da’as Zekainim (30:12) mention that there is a remez in the passuk that in the zechus of bris millah, Moshe was able to enter shamayim. Which zechus millah is being referred to? And why this particular zechus?

5.    Rashi (30:19) writes that “Hashem tells us to look at the sun, which obeys Hashem command perfectly – it rises and sets every day at the right time, even though it will not receive any reward for doing so. Therefore, certainly we who will get reward for listening to Hashem should do so...” How could we understand this Rashi? There is a very simple pircha with this kal v'chomer that the sun is an inanimate object with no ability to think or decide, nor does it have any nesyonos to stop it. So how could it be so obvious that we should be expected to obey Hashem as well as the sun?