In this week’s Parshah, Moshe Rabbeinu declares [Devarim 29’ 13’-14’]:
וְלֹ֥א אִתְּכֶ֖ם לְבַדְּכֶ֑ם אָנֹכִ֗י כֹּרֵת֙ אֶת־הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶת־הָאָלָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת׃
“And not with you alone am I sealing this covenant and oath but both with those who are standing here with us this day before our Hashem our G-d and with those who are not with us here this day.”
Rashi [ad. loc.] comments that this treaty between Moshe, the people and G-d was to be ratified and legally binding for all future generations of Israel. Seforno adds, that inasmuch as the future generations are bound by this oath as well, an obligation would now rest upon all members of the Jewish Nation to ensure that their descendants–the future generations of Jews–-would be taught that the rights to the land of Israel hinges upon the acceptance and commitment to G-d and His Torah.
Rabbeinu Bachye [ad. loc.] wonders about the Halachic validity of such an act; Halachah does not allow an individual to accept stringencies or responsibilities for the sake of another, so how was the acceptance of this oath by our ancestors able to be legally binding? [A similar issue is raised by the commentaries regarding Yosef making his brothers swear that their descendants would carry the body of Yosef out of Egypt (see the Gemara in tractate Sotah, page 13, that details that Moshe Rabbeinu was busy the moments before the Jews left Egypt searching for the coffin of Yosef, in order to fulfill this oath)---what Halachic ability allowed Yosef to bind his brothers to an oath that would only be effective in the future?]
Rabbeinu Bachye answers with an incredibly poignant analogy: Within every tree, lies the latent potential for all of its future fruit; so too within every parent lies the embers that will one day result in their descendants. As such, in reality, a parent is always acting as the Spiritual representative of all of his or her future generations! In much the same vein, when Cain killed Abel, the Verse states [Bereishit 4’ 10’]: “The sound of your brother’s [Abel’s] bloods are crying out to me [G-d].” Rashi explains [ad. loc.] that the plural “Bloods” was insinuating that Cain bore responsibility not just for Abel’s death, but for the resulting extermination of all of Abel’s descendants as well. Rabbeinu Bachye concludes, that due to this logic, by virtue of our ancestors accepting the oath 3400 [approx.] years ago, we are in fact legally bound to adhere to the strictures and pleasant ways of the Torah.
However, it is essential not to lose sight of the Seforno’s comment referenced above—especially in a time of increased anti-Semitism and Jew hate—as much as we are bound by our ancestors declaration of allegiance to G-d and the Torah, our generation is now bound to educate and inspire our own descendants to follow the proud path of Judaism, and continue in our own way to craft our legacies, and enhance the impact and sacrifice of those who came before us.
Dedicated in memory of all those who have perished and sacrificed for Am Yisrael.
Have a Great Shabbas.