Watch Rabbi David Sutton - A Path To A Meaningful , Positive, and Meaningful Elul & Yamim Noraim https://itorah.com/browse-lectures/all/rabbi-david-sutton/personal-growth-midot-/midot-perseverance/all-languages/all-dates Welcome to our special Rosh Hashanah series of Pesukim of Musaf Rosh Hashanah . We are up to our 10th and final pasuk of Zichronot, from Vayikrah , 26,45. After the Tochacha and all of the 49 curses of Parashat Buchukotai , Hashem says, וְזָכַרְתִּ֥י לָהֶ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית רִאשֹׁנִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר הוֹצֵֽאתִי־אֹתָם֩ מֵאֶ֨רֶץ מִצְרַ֜יִם לְעֵינֵ֣י הַגּוֹיִ֗ם לִהְי֥וֹת לָהֶ֛ם לֵאלֹהִ֖ים אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ / I will remember the Brit Rishonim/covenant of the first ones/the early ones. I took them out of Eretz Mitzrayim, to the eyes of the goyim, to be for them a God, Ani Hashem. It says God will remember the covenant of the Rishonim . What is the Brit Rishonim ? Says Rashi, it's shel Shvatim/ it's the covenant of the Shvatim / tribes . That means (and this is a hiddush for many) that beside the Brit Avot, there is also a Brit of the Shvatim . It was the Brit that we had at Buchukotai . Those curses were the in deal that God made with the Shvatim . The Sifsei Sadik on Bechukotai says that even though there is a concept that sometimes the zechuyot of the Avot run ou t, we always have the zechut of the Shvatim . The Maharit, in his derasha on Shemot, tells us that the Gemara in Baba Batra 115b says, We have a tradition that a Shevet will never be wiped out. And that's why when we count Klal Yisrael in the desert, we're always counting the Shevatim and then the full number afterwards. Why? Because each tribe has a unique kedusha . Every tribe has a unique way of serving Hashem, and they will never be lost. The Pri Sadik, in Parashat Emor discusses that when Yaakov Ainu gave blessings to the Shevatim , it says he blessed each one of them. Each one of them had a special quality, each one had a blessing. We want to connect to those shvatim and never lose that derech /that approach in Avodat Hashem . One might think, Okay, the Jewish people won't be wiped out, but maybe we'll just be left with a little sliver. No, the full color and breadth of klal Yisrael will remain. That's why the Midrash Rabba in Shemot 44,9 tells us that when Hashem wanted to wipe out the Jewish people, and He told Moshe, I'll recreate them from you, Moshe's final claim (which was the accepted claim, says the midrash ) was, "I'm from Shevet Levi . What about the other shvatim ?" There's a concept called Brit Hashvatim , the covenant of the Shvatim . The Sefer Havatzelet Hasharon on Vayikra 26,42 points out that when it came time for Keriat Yam Suf, when God split the ocean into sections, Rashi says from the Midrash that were twelve tubes, one for each shevet . Every tribe had its own splitting, as if each tribe had their own Yetziat Mitzrayim . The Haamek Davar in Vayikra 26,45 says, what is this special Brit Rishonim referring to? It says it refers specifically to a special protection for Parnassa , because this Brit was there, that we would go into Eretz Yisrael. And this Brit not only kept us going in Eretz Yisrael, but the special hashgacha pratit continued with us, even in the lands of our enemies, even in Galut , because Hashem took us out in the eyes of all the goyim . And therefore, it would be a chillul Hashem if He didn't. The goyim know God took us out and that we're His nation. The sefer Akedat Yitzhak , in his 70th gate also says this, that when Hakadosh Baruch Hu took us out of Mitzrayim and wanted to wipe us out after the Chet HaEgel, what did Moshe Rabbeinu say? God took us out to destroy us. And that issue of c hillul Hashem was what kept us going. Therefore, even in Galut , we must still survive, because otherwise it's a chillul Hashem . Every day in our Amidah, wesay that God is going to bring Bnei Benehem It's something to remember for the rest of your life. It's not just Abraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov, like we say at the beginning of the Amidah. We say the children of their children . That's there to remind us of the Shvatim . We mention Avraham, Yitzhak Yaakov and the Shvatim , and the next words are.. Lamaan Shemo B'Ahava for the sake of His name. It's going to be Chillul Hashem. It's not just about Abraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. The shevatim represent the Jewish people at large, and the world is going to see and say What's going on, You forgot about the Jewish people? So that Brit of the Shvatim is what saved us after the Chet HaEgel, and it will continue to save us in our Galut . That is what we're asking Hashem to remember in our prayers. Remember the Brit Rishonim , the Brit of the Shvatim , that special Brit that will keep us going and we will survive. The Gaon of Vilna says in his sefer Aderet Eliyahu on Havakuk , 3,2 on the words Berogez/ when God is angry, Rachem Tizkor . He tells us that in the midst of God's utmost anger, he always remembers a positive He thinks about us and saves us. And when was this pasuk וְזָכַרְתִּ֥י לָהֶ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית רִאשֹׁנִ֑ים said? It was right after the 49 curses. Similarly, another Pasuk Zacharti la Chesed , that we discussed a few days ago from the beginning of the Zichronot was said when God was about to destroy Yerushalayim. So even at a time of destruction, God is always remembering us for the good. And that's what we're trying to arouse- all of God's mercy for the good, and remembrance for the good, on the day of Rosh Hashanah.