Parashat Nitzavim

September 3, 2021
26 Elul 5781
Parashat Nitzavim
Deuteronomy 29:9 - 30:20

Dear Friends,

As I write this post, the storm we just encountered (including the tornadoes in the area) was a very humbling experience. As the winds raged and the possibility of downed trees against our windows became more real, the message that this situation was completely out of our control could not have been clearer. 

On the other hand, this moment when storms and fires rage out of our control emerged because many of us were simply not paying close enough attention to world around us. How human of us not to notice until the impact is direct and real!

Our ability to look at the big picture is not something that many of us have been trained to do. When we do, what lies before us seems daunting, oft times freezing us.

Rosh Hashanah is about to begin on Monday evening, and we pray “Hayom Harat Olam” -- today the world is born.  Please notice the present tense. We and the world are born again each and every day. What an incredible opportunity! We get to start again each and every day as if the world were being created anew. On Rosh Hashanah, we are reminded of this amazing gift. Although we may have not yet taken full advantage of the gifts we each possess, Rosh Hashanah is a potent reminder that we still have time to act and become.

In recent weeks, I have been privileged to witness individuals both young and old take on new challenges. It is inspiring. It gives us hope and provokes us to act as well.

This week’s Torah portion, which I love, is Nitzavim (which means, you are standing). This portion has within it some of my favorite lines of Torah. 

"Surely, the commandment which I command you this day is not too awesome for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in heaven that you should say, “Who among us can go up to the heavens and take it for us and cause us to hear it so that we may do it? “Neither is it across the sea that you should say, “Who among us can cross over the sea and take it for us and cause us to hear it so that we may do it.” No, the thing is very close to you, already in your mouth and in your heart, to do it." (Deuteronomy 30:11-14) The onus is upon us; it is up to us to do the best we can in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. I do not believe this to be simple. I believe it takes work. No one knows better about the work involved than Moses as he is coming to the end of his life. He is attempting to do something that is almost impossible -- to share with us all that he has learned in the course of his lifetime.

Moses tells us we have choice in the way we wish to engage in the world. “I call heaven and earth to witness you today: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse — therefore choose life! Choose life so you and your children may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) These words are our call to action to stand together and choose a path that is life affirming, not only for ourselves but for the next generation as we remember that each day the world is reborn.

שנה טובה ומתוקה
Shana Tova U’ Metuka

Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn