Glossary of Terms Used in the Nitzavim and VaYelech Weekly Torah Portion

The Giving of the Torah

The force around us, which we can draw, is called the “light” that reforms our evil inclination. If we want it, it is ready and we can use it.

Other Gods

God is the governor of man. A person serves other gods when one serves one’s own ego. Such a person keeps what he or she says without even thinking about it. We are such loyal servants that we do not even think that we have a master, another god, telling us from within what we should do.

Confidence

This is a special illumination that comes to us. With it, we can go against our nature and remain confident that we will succeed. The Hazon Ish wrote in his book, Faith and Confidence, that it is “a subtle leaning from the subtleness of the soul.”

Repentance

Teshuva (Repentance) comes from the verse, Tashuv Vav legabey Hey (Let Vav return to Hey),¹ which means to raise Malchut to Bina, and thus come to a state where the entirety of the will to receive wishes to bestow.