נצבים, ראשון

אתם נצבים. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכִּנְּסָם מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הַקָּבָּ"ה בְּיוֹם מוֹתוֹ לְהַכְנִיסָם בַּבְּרִית:

You stand, this day. This teaches that Moshe gathered them before the Holy One, may He be blessed, on the day that he died, to introduce them into the covenant.

ראשיכם שבטיכם. רָאשֵׁיכֶם לְשִׁבְטֵיכֶם:

Your tribal chieftains [lit. your chieftains, your tribes]. Your chieftains of your tribes.

זקניכם ושטריכם. הֶחָשׁוּב חָשׁוּב קוֹדֵם, וְאַחַר כָּךְ כל איש ישראל:

Your elders and your law officers. In order of prominence, followed by “every man of Yisroel.”

מחטב עציך. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁבָּאוּ כְנַעֲנִיִּים לְהִתְגַּיֵּר בִּימֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁבָּאוּ גִּבְעוֹנִים בִּימֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְזֶהוּ הָאָמוּר בַּגִּבְעוֹנִים (יהושע ט') "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ גַם הֵמָּה בְּעָרְמָה", וּנְתָנָם מֹשֶׁה חוֹטְבֵי עֵצִים וְשׁוֹאֲבֵי מַיִם (עי' תנחומא):

From your wood cutters. This teaches that Canaanites came to convert during the days of Moshe, the way the Givonites came during the days of Yehoshua. This is why it is said, concerning the Givonites, “They, ‘too,’ acted cunningly.” Moshe assigned them to serve as wood cutters and water drawers.

לעברך. לִהְיוֹתְךָ עוֹבֵר בַּבְּרִית, וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן לְפָרְשׁוֹ כְּמוֹ לְהַעֲבִירְךָ, אֶלָּא כְּמוֹ לַעֲשֹׂתְכֶם אֹתָם:

For your passage. So that you pass into the covenant. But it would be improper to interpret this as “to cause you to pass,” but, rather, as “for your performance of them.”

לעברך בברית. דֶּרֶךְ הַעֲבָרָה כָּךְ: הָיוּ כוֹרְתֵי בְרִיתוֹת עוֹשִׂין מְחִצָּה מִכָּאן וּמְחִצָּה מִכָּאן וְעוֹבְרִים בֵּינְתַּיִם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "הָעֵגֶל אֲשֶׁר כָּרְתוּ לִשְׁנַיִם וַיַּעַבְרוּ בֵּין בְּתָרָיו" (ירמיהו ל"ד):

For your passage into the covenant. Through a rite of passage. This is what those entering a covenant would do: a wall on either side, and they would pass between, as it is said, “the calf which they cut in two, then passing between its parts.”