Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 29

12in order to establish you today as His people, so that He can be your God for all time, as He spoke concerning you and as He swore to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.   יבלְמַ֣עַן הָקִֽים־אֹֽתְךָ֩ הַיּ֨וֹם | ל֜וֹ לְעָ֗ם וְה֤וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּר־לָ֑ךְ וְכַֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע֙ לַֽאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹֽב:
לְמַעַן הָקִֽים־אֹֽתְךָ הַיּוֹם לוֹ לְעָם - In order to establish you today as His people. He makes this effort of entering these partitions Himself, so to speak, in order to ensure that you remain permanently before Him and thus remain His people.   לְמַעַן הָקִֽים־אֹֽתְךָ הַיּוֹם לוֹ לְעָם.  כָּל כָּךְ הוּא נִכְנָס לִטְרֹחַ לְמַעַן קַיֵּם אוֹתְךָ לְפָנָיו לְעָם:
וְהוּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ לֵֽאלֹהִים - So that He can be your God. Since He spoke regarding you, and swore to your forefathers that He would not exchange their descendants for another nation, He is binding you with these oaths, so that you not antagonize Him, since He is unable to separate Himself from you. Until here, I have explained this passage according to its contextual meaning. But the aggadic Midrash 1 says: Why is the passage “You are all standing…” stated following the curses? Because when Israel heard these 100 curses less two, besides the 49 stated in Leviticus, their faces turned pale and they said: “Who can withstand all these curses?” Moses therefore began to appease them by saying:   וְהוּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ לֵֽאלֹהִים.  לְפִי שֶׁדִּבֵּר לְךְ וְנִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבוֹתֶיךָ שֶׁלֹּא לְהַחֲלִיף אֶת זַרְעָם בְּאֻמָּה אַחֶרֶת, לְכָךְ הוּא אוֹסֵר אֶתְכֶם בַּשְּׁבוּעוֹת הַלָּלוּ שֶׁלֹּא תַקְנִיטוּהוּ, אַחַר שֶׁהוּא אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהִבָּדֵל מִכֶּם. עַד כָּאן פֵּרַשְׁתִּי פְּשׁוּטָהּ שֶׁל פָּרָשָׁה. וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה: לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָרָשַׁת אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים לַקְּלָלוֹת? לְפִי שֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאָה קְלָלוֹת חָסֵר שְׁתַּיִם חוּץ מִמ"ט שֶׁבְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים, הוֹרִיקוּ פְנֵיהֶם וְאָמְרוּ מִי יוּכַל לַעֲמֹד בָּאֵלּוּ? הִתְחִיל מֹשֶׁה לְפַיְּסָם — :
אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם - “You are all standing today” - i.e., although You have angered the Omnipresent many times, He has not destroyed you, and you remain standing firm before Him.   אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם.  הַרְבֵּה הִכְעַסְתֶּם לַמָּקוֹם וְלֹא עָשָׂה אִתְּכֶם כְּלָיָה וַהֲרֵי אַתֶּם קַיָּמִים לְפָנָיו:
הַיּוֹם - Today - i.e., just as the day remains firm, as it is overcome by darkness and shines again, so, too, God gave you light and will continue to give you light in the future, while the curses and suffering in between help you endure and cause you to stand firm before Him. Similarly, the passage above is also words of appeasement: “You have seen all that God did….” 2 Another explanation.   הַיּוֹם.  כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה שֶׁהוּא קַיָּם וְהוּא מַאֲפִיל וּמֵאִיר, כָּךְ הֵאִיר לָכֶם וְכָךְ עָתִיד לְהָאִיר לָכֶם, וְהַקְּלָלוֹת וְהַיִּסּוּרִין מְקַיְּמִין אֶתְכֶם וּמַצִּיבִין אֶתְכֶם לְפָנָיו; וְאַף הַפָּרָשָׁה שֶׁל מַעְלָה מִזּוֹ פִּיּוּסִין הֵם, אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה; דָּבָר אַחֵר — :
אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים - “You are all standing…”. Since Israel was passing from one leader to another – from Moses to Joshua – Moses had them stand assembled, in order to inspire them. So, too, did Joshua before his death, and so did Samuel before his death: “stand and I will reason with you,” 3 when they left his authority and entered the authority of Saul.   אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים.  לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹצְאִין מִפַּרְנָס לְפַרְנָס — מִמֹּשֶׁה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ — לְפִיכָךְ עָשָׂה אוֹתָם מַצֵּבָה כְּדֵי לְזָרְזָם; וְכֵן עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (יהושע כ"ד) וְכֵן שְׁמוּאֵל (שמואל א י"ב) "הִתְיַצְּבוּ וְאִשָּׁפְטָה אִתְּכֶם", כְּשֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִיָּדוֹ וְנִכְנְסוּ לְיָדוֹ שֶׁל שָׁאוּל (עי' תנחומא):
13I am not making this covenant and administering this oath on Gods behalf solely with you,   יגוְלֹ֥א אִתְּכֶ֖ם לְבַדְּכֶ֑ם אָֽנֹכִ֗י כֹּרֵת֙ אֶת־הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶת־הָֽאָלָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת:
14but with those standing here with us today before God, our God, and with those who are not here with us today,   ידכִּי֩ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֶשְׁנ֜וֹ פֹּ֗ה עִמָּ֨נוּ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד הַיּ֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה עִמָּ֥נוּ הַיּֽוֹם:
וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה - And with those who are not here - i.e., even with future generations, so that they be direct parties to the covenant just as you are.   וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה.  וְאַף עִם דּוֹרוֹת הָעֲתִידִים לִהְיוֹת: