In this week's perasha Vayelech, (Devarim 31 6), Moshe Rabbenu says
חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ אַל־תִּֽירְא֥וּ וְאַל־תַּעַרְצ֖וּ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם כִּ֣י ׀ ה אֱלֹקיךָ ה֚וּא הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א יַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֥א יַעַזְבֶֽךָּ
Strengthen yourself and have courage. Don't be afraid, don't be broken in front of them, God is going with you. He won't let you go. And He won't forsake you.
The Alshech points out that the pasuk starts off talking in plural. Hizku V’Imsu/ You should be strong, you should be courageous is written in plural form. Then it ends off with Holech Imach/ God is going with you,Yarpecha, yazbecha/ He won’t forsake you in singular form
Why this change in tense, from plural to singular? He explains that the Jewish people can be referred to as many, but that is not good. Like by Esav it says Nefashot, whereas by Yaakov Avinu it says Nefesh.
When it says Hizku V’Imsu, in plural, that’s not a good thing. It should be hazak v’imatz, which indicates talking to the whole Jewish people as one unit.
Therefore, the Alshech says that when we are many and we're fragmented, then we need to have Hizku; we need God to come and tell us to strengthen ourselves. We need Imsu/ God should tell us to have courage, not to be afraid and not to be broken. But when we’re Imach, when we unite yourselves and become one unit, then Hashem is with us, and there isn’t even a discussion of fear. We don’t have to say, “Don't be afraid,” because God is with you He's holding on and He won't let you become afraid or weak. That's the difference between individuals and the masses.
And this is especially important at this time of the year, during Aseret Yeme Teshuva. We want to unite ourselves. And that way, we have ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ ה֚וּא הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֔ךְ
God is going with us, in singular.
Furthermore, the Sefer Yaarot Devash says there’s a pasuk in Yeshaya,
(60,21) that says,
ועמך עלם צדיקים The entire nation is righteous. Even the empty ones are full of Mitzvot, like a Rimon. But that's provided that we are united. When we're united, the blemishes, so to say, go unnoticed. He gives a mashal: If someone is buying a large flock of sheep, he doesn't go and check every sheep individually for every little blemish or issue they may have.
But if a person buys one sheep, then he wants to check if there's a cut in the lip, or there's a cataract on the eye, etc.
He goes back to Haman, who wanted to wipe out the Jewish people, and said, “The Jewish people are scattered.” And if they're scattered, then God will see their blemishes; to which Mordechai and Esther respond, “Then bring them together,” because when they're together, they're one unit and their blemishes are not as noticeable.
And it's interesting- there's a famous Arizal on Yom Kippur- it says Yom Kippur is K’Purim/ it’s like Purim. The obvious question is, How can we compare Kippur to Purim? Yom Kippur is the greater one.
You say someone is as rich as Rothchild. You don't say Rothchild is as rich as somebody else. Rothchild is the epitome of wealth. It’s not Rockefeller’s as rich as some smaller wealthy man. So why do we say Yom Kippur is K’Purim/like Purim? They answer that Purim has that special quality where everyone's together and united. All of the things that we do, like Mishloach Manot, unite the people. And that's what we need to do.
We hope that Yom Kippur is K’Purim/ like Purim, in the fact that we are united and we have that power of Knos et Yehudim/ gathering together, and that God sees us as one unit and doesn't see our blemishes. When God sees us as one unit with no blemishes, then God is with us; He doesn't let go and He doesn't forsake us.
Have a wonderful day and Shabbat Shalom.