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D'var: Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilekh 5784 Commentary by Michael Goldstein Friday, September 27, 2024 |
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Nitzavim Deuteronomy 29:9 — 30:20
Vayeilekh Deuteronomy 31:1 — 31:30 |
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There are seven times during the year when we have a double reading – two Torah portions --
and this week is one of them because it is the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah. The two Parshahs are
Nitzavim, which means you are standing, and Vayeilech, which means and he went.
In Nitzavim, Moses describes the Covenant between God and the Israelites. He urges the Israelites to preserve the Covenant and honor the Torah so they will be rewarded by being able to live in Eretz Yisrael. In Vayeilech, Moses concludes his final sermon, blesses Joshua, and instructs the Israelites to gather together every seven years to read publicly from the Torah. At the end of Vayeilech, God forecasts that the Israelites will ultimately stray from the covenant. For me, the single, most important verse in these two Torah portions is the next to last verse of Nitzavim. It reads: I call today upon heaven and earth as witnesses for you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. And you shall choose life, so that you and your children may live. (Deut. 30:19) It seems simple and straightforward enough… choose life. After all… think about it; Who would not choose life? But, is simply being alive enough explanation for what is written here? I think the message we are being given is that making our way through life should be more than just putting one foot in front of the other. To choose life means to make a conscious decision to not meander aimlessly or act selfishly, but to conduct ourselves in ways that will be a benefit to others, even, perhaps, to all humankind. The message, choose life, means we are to make a difference in this world… a difference for good… we are to be productive. We are not to sit idly by and watch the world go past, thereby leaving behind us no positive mark that would help anyone… other than ourselves. It brings to mind what is probably the most famous quote from Socrates; "The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates believed that an unexamined life is one that focuses on individual wealth and status over the wealth and health of society… that a person's life should be continually evaluated, and that our actions should be carefully considered through that lens. Each of us must make a contribution to the whole at whatever level we can, even if that level may seem insignificant to us. After all, in order to be valued as a nation or a community, we need the contribution of each person, on every level. In his extraordinary "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." Once again, he was absolutely right. Our choices and activities affect, not only ourselves, but also life on a global scale. Each good deed, each act of tzedakah, each time we lift our voices to advocate for civil rights or environmental protection or to condemn bigotry or other, similar causes, we choose life. And in doing that, in choosing life, we are tikkun olam, repairing the world. And, that is our obligation as Jews. We are the chosen people, but chosen to make the world better for all life. We were chosen to set an example for our own communities, for our own nation, and for the rest of the world. We can and must act responsibly and charitably toward those less fortunate than we. In doing so, we help increase the overall level of goodness in this world, both through our own actions and the example we set for others. Tikkun olam starts with each of us. We’re now just a few days away from Rosh Hashanah. Traditionally, these days are spent doing an intensive inner inventory of our lives as we think about how we want to live in the coming year… how we can be those for whom tzedakah is not some idealistic goal to act on when we happen to think of it, but rather an over-arching guiding principle every day. The Torah outlines values for us. So, as we gather just before Rosh Hashanah, let us resolve to choose life by living within those values and committing ourselves to worthy deeds. May we all be inscribed in the book of life for a good year, no matter what each of our individual faiths might be. Michael Goldstein |
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