Parshat Ki Tavo contains an important declaration, delivered by Moshe Rabbeinu to Bnei Yisrael on the plains of Moav:
הַסְכֵּ֤ת ׀ וּשְׁמַע֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה נִהְיֵ֥יתָֽ לְעָ֖ם לַה’ אֱ-לֹהֶֽיךָ׃
“Be silent and listen, (children of) Israel: This day you have become a nation to Hashem.” (Devarim 27:9)
Why does the Torah say “this day“? The Jewish people had already received the Torah forty years earlier at Mount Sinai, and were called as a nation multiple times since. What made this specific day the moment of becoming Hashem’s nation?
There are numerous commentaries on this pasuk. We will see there is a strong correlation between this declaration and the New Year that is upon us.
Rashi – Every Day is a New Day
Rashi understands from this pasuk (verse) that each and every day, we need to feel as though the Torah and commandments were given to us now. It’s easy to fall into a ritual rut and force our actions from rote through a daily grind. Jewish frum (religious) life is threatened by routines – daily minyanim, same tefilot, same brachot, over and over. Our spiritual side can go stale and lose a sense of freshness and urgency to fulfill the mitzvot. Complacency is exactly what the Torah is commanding us to battle against.
Rabbeinu Bachya – Today is The Day
Rabbeinu Bachya expands on why the Torah specifically uses the word HaYom (“today”) in the 40th year of roaming the desert. Human beings are naturally driven by visceral and immediate experiences. As years pass and generations change, memories of past inspiration begin to fade. And so, the Torah challenges us to activate our internal renewal daily. Treat the Torah not as a historical heirloom passed down from our ancestors, rather as a direct, personal transmission from Sinai given to you this morning.
Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch – Location, Location, Location
Rav Hirsch emphasizes the historical context of where Moshe made this declaration. Israel became a nation in the desert from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moav. They had no land of their own. For the other nations of the world, territory and power create the state, their forging of identity. For Bnei Yisrael (Israel), their voluntary acceptance of Hashem’s law is what creates the nation – נעשה ונשמע.
Or HaChayim Hakadosh – We’re In This Together
The Or HaChayim Hakadosh explains that this day in the plains of Moav before entering Israel, marked a legal and spiritual transformation: the concept of Arevut, mutual responsibility is forged. Each of us in the Nation of Israel is responsible for one another. At Mount Sinai, each individual stood accountable for their own deeds. At Arvot Moav, on the verge of entering the Land, Klal Yisrael became an interconnected collective, where every Jew is responsible for the spiritual and physical well-being of their neighbor. As Moshe says “נִהְיֵ֥יתָֽ לְעָ֖ם“.
Kli Yakar – The Power of the Present Tense
The Kli Yakar asks why the Torah uses the past-present construction nihyeyta (“you have become”) rather than saying you will become a nation upon entering the Land. The brit with Hashem is forged in the present moment — today, now. Commitment is created the instant you decide to act.
The Yetzer Hara’s primary tactic during Elul is procrastination—convincing a person that real change can wait until the Aseret Yemai Teshuva after Rosh Hashanah, or even on Yom Kippur itself.
Sfat Emet (Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Ger) – Hashem’s Love is Unconditional
The Sfat Emet addresses the order of the pesukim. First Moshe says “This day you have become a nation“, and in the next pasuk he states “And you shall obey the voice of Hashem… and perform His commandments“. The bond between Hashem and the Jewish people is intrinsic—it exists even before any individual act of obedience. When entering Rosh Hashanah, a person may feel inadequate due to a year of lapses. We do not do mitzvot to earn our status; our status is what empowers us to rise up and do mitzvot. Hashem chose the Nation of Israel, and His choosing is unconditional.
Elul and Ki Tavo
Ki Tavo always falls during the month of Elul, leading directly into Rosh Hashanah. The message of “HaYom HaZeh Nihyeta L’Am” provides the foundational mindset for Teshuvah – atoning for our sins and returning to Hashem:
We are not trapped by yesterday’s habits, mistakes, or religious stagnation. Every morning offers us a blank slate. Moshe tells us to start each day with the mindset that we are ready again to accept the Torah and fulfill the duties of the Jewish Nation.
The calendar placement of Parshat Ki Tavo is not coincidental. The Talmud (Megillah 31b) establishes that Ki Tavo must always be read before Rosh Hashanah, so that “the year and its curses may end, and the new year and its blessings may begin.“
In the merit of our new commitment each day to Hashem and mitzvot, may we merit the Geulah (redemption) with the New Year that is almost upon us.
Moshe