Appreciating Our Dual Relationship With Hashem

·36 min·3 clips

Rabbi David Gottlieb explains that every Jew has two distinct sources of holiness: one inherited and one personal.

This episode is part of a daily Torah shiur from Yeshivat Har Etzion, continuing a multi-session study of an essay by Rav Soloveitchik. The host, Rabbi David Gottlieb, reviews the previous session's conclusion about taking an oath during vidui (confession). He introduces a question from the text: why is a shavua needed, especially for the emotional model of repentance where one is repulsed by sin? To answer this, the shiur expands into a broader exploration of the nature of a Jew's relationship with God. Rav Soloveitchik identifies two sources of kedusha: a national holiness inherited from the Jewish people and a personal holiness from an individual covenant. The host cites Rashi on Devarim to support this duality. The national covenant, made at Har Sinai and Arvos Moav, is collective and unbreakable by individuals. The personal covenant, described in Parshas Netzavim, is made with each Jew individually and can be weakened by sin. This explains why a shavua is binding only for personal commitments, as it renews the personal covenant. The host then addresses a paradox: how can a baal teshuvah, who has damaged their personal relationship, become higher than a lifelong tzaddik? The answer is that teshuvah is not just purification but entering a new covenant, requiring a shavua as a formal recommitment. The episode draws a parallel to conversion, where a ger (convert) accepts both personal and national covenants through kabbalas ol mitzvos (acceptance of commandments) before a beis din. The host concludes by reflecting on the beauty of both relationships: the historical continuity of the Jewish people and the individual, personal connection with God.

As heard by us

An oath, a covenant, and a return that has to be spoken aloud.

Rav Soloveitchik's reading of vidui centers on a practical question: why does repentance include a shavua to Hashem after the sin has already been named?

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Why you'd press play

You get a sharp answer to why vidui includes an oath at all.

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