5757

This Shabbat is the last before Rosh Hashanah -- before we start the most intensive period of religious activity on the Jewish calendar. In fact, I hope you'll all join us for Slikhot tomorrow night. The portion of the Torah we read this Shabbat is the double portion of Nitzavim - Va'yelekh, which means "standing -- and he went..." Sounds like a contradiction. Yet, maybe that is the perfect portion to read for the Jewish condition in our days. After all, the best way to discribe us it to say that we are all undecided -- are we going to stay put, or are we going to walk -- march forward, or walk away? Do we need to hold on to this crown of glory/crown of thorns called the Judaic heritage. We ask "Shuva adona'y ad mata'y -- Return, O Lord! How long [must we suffer]? Have compassion upon your servants!" [Psalm 90:13] Maybe it would be better for us if we were not quite as close to our guardian and protector...
Well, let's look at the Torah reading. It begins with the following passage: "You stand assembled today, all of you, before the Lord your God--the leaders of your tribes, your elders, and your officials, all the men of Israel, your children, your women, and the aliens who are in your camp, both those who cut your wood and those who draw your water -- to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, sworn by an oath, which the Lord your God is making with you today; in order that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I am making this covenant, sworn by an oath, not only with you who stand here with us today before the Lord our God, but also with those who are not here with us today." [Deu. 29:9-14] This passage makes it very clear that it is not up to us to draw close or move away -- we are committed from our very birth.
You see -- before you get to va'yelekh you have to finish with nitzavim. Where you go is dictated by what you learn in the first place. We read in Nitzavim, "Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity." [Deu. 30:11-15] God is not a capricious tyrant who will kill those who do not wish to "play the game his way."
God, through the wonderful leadership of Moshe Rabeinu, informs us of the "golden path." Further, Moshe assures us that making a commitment to God and to His way is not impossible, it is not for a precious few. It is as simple as allowing your one foot to follow the other. First step, second step -- small steps, leading to a march that has been going on for three and a half millennia! Moshe tells us that the yoke of the service of God is not a burden but a blessing, and he who understands this lives a full life, no matter what the number of his days. Once we understand this message, Moshe Rabeinu informs us that he accepts God's decree, and bides his time -- for he is about to die. "When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them: "I am now one hundred twenty years old. I am no longer able to get about, and the Lord has told me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.' The Lord your God himself will cross over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua also will cross over before you, as the Lord promised." [Deu 31:1-3]
I am reminded of a rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, the seventeenth. Listen,
"Think, in this batter'd Caravanserai
"Whose Portals are alternate Night and Day,
"How Sultan after Sultan with his Pomp
"Abode his destined Hour, and went his way."

5758

Ma tov khelkenu uma yafa yerushateynu! How goodly is our portion, and how beautiful is our heritage! Not a day passes that I do not recite this verse to myself, at least once, more often than not more than once through the day’s experiences.
Why?
Well, take this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, and the season of the year when it is read. Not just this year – but year after year after year. The Children of Israel, our forefathers and mothers in whose footsteps we follow, have been through the experience of exodus from bondage in Egypt, travel through the desert, and war against the first couple of tribes who stood in their path to settling the land of the Promise. You would think that after all they had been through, the miracles they had seen and experienced, the joy of liberation and the awesome fear of the encounter with God at Sinai; the wrath of God over the transgression of the Golden Calf and His punishment of a whole generation in the affair with the spies – you would think that the Israelites would have been made so straightforward in their application of His mitzvot that now and forever there would never be a stray amongst them. Not a one! For those who have not seen His light and became convinced – would have long ago died off from His displeasure. But it just is not so!
In fact, human as we Jews are, fallible and erring in our nature, Moshe assembled us all before his taking leave from us, and he made us pass through another portal, undertake another covenant, hear one more solemn warning about our still neck and deaf ear. One more time Moshe reminds us that we have a choice to make between the blessing and the curse – and once again he predicts that we are going to make (what else?...) "The wrong choice."

"You stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, Your little ones, your wives, and your stranger who is in your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water; That you should enter into covenant with the Lord your God, and into his oath, which the Lord your God makes with you this day; That he may establish you today for a people to himself, and that he may be to you a God, as he has said to you, and as he has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And not with you alone will I make this covenant and this oath; But with him who stands here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day;" [Deu. 29:9-14] Moshe knows with total certainty that Israel will transgress against God, and that they shall be exiled and punished, "And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day." [Deu. 29:27]
Yet, the very next verse begins the healing which comes of God’s forgiveness and recovery: "Hanistarot ladona’y eloheynu, vehaniglot lanu ulvanenu ad olam la’asot et kol divrey hatorah hazot. The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this Torah." [Deu. 29:28]
This portion is read before Yom hadin, before Rosh Hashanah – you would think that God and our great sages and teachers would want to keep us "on the hook" for a little while, hanging between fear of being condemned and uncertainty of being forgiven. Yet the 28th verse above is part of our holiday liturgy, when we ask God to forgive us. We are ready to confess our known transgressions, and we entrust ourselves to God for the sins committed in error, without our even realizing it – but for which we must accept responsibility. Ignorance of the law is not an accepted excuse for breaking it, in any court! Yet, look at the text, see what Moshe teaches us: "And it shall come to pass, when all these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, where the Lord your God has driven you, And shall return to the Lord your God, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul; That then the Lord your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, where the Lord your God has scattered you. If your outcasts have been driven out to the farthest parts of heaven, from there will the Lord your God gather you, and from there will he fetch you; And the Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live." [Deu 30:1-6] Nothing can be more simple. Return to God, and His forgiveness is assured; it is automatic! Not only that, it is not even difficult. There are no tricks, no hidden agendas. "For this commandment which I command you this day, is not hidden from you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it." [Deu. 30:11-14]
God’s promise in the Torah is "seconded," as it were, in this week’s most lyrical portion from the prophets, where we read the words of Isaiah: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth like radiance, and her salvation like a burning torch. And the nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall express. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God." [Isaiah 61:10,11; 62:1-3]
Dear God, revered Moshe, thank you for our Torah and our prophets. Ma tov khelkenu uma yafa yerushateynu! How goodly is our portion, and how beautiful is our heritage! Amen and amen.


5759


The reading in the Torah this Shabbat is the double portion of Nitzavim - Va'yelekh, and begins with the following text: "You stand assembled today, all of you, before the Lord your God--the leaders of your tribes, your elders, and your officials, all the men of Israel, your children, your women, and the aliens who are in your camp, both those who cut your wood and those who draw your water -- to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, sworn by an oath, which the Lord your God is making with you today; in order that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I am making this covenant, sworn by an oath, not only with you who stand here with us today before the Lord our God, but also with those who are not here with us today." [Deu. 29:9-14] This event, which took place at the end of Moshe's leadership career, which spanned over forty years, seems like a repetition of the experience of Sinai, with a big difference: God is not coming down to talk to His people Israel.
You may ask, 'why didn't God come down at this last gathering His servant Moshe had with the Israelites?'. Such an appearance would have been the crowning glory of Moshe's career, and would have given an extra halo of sanctity and achievement to his long list of accomplishments. However -- it did not happen, and maybe it was on Moshe's advice. I tend to think that there was actually a conversation between God and Moshe in which God said, "Moshe, I'm going to throw a retirement party for you, and everybody will be there, Myself very much included." Moshe replied and said, "I don't mind the party, Lord -- but You would do better to stay away. You are just too much of a Presence at these parties -- if You know what I mean -- You have a dominating Presence, I'm afraid to say. You fill us with awe, and the people are incapable of having fun when you're that close by. Besides, I have one more lesson to teach, and your being there will spoil it." So God agreed to stay away from the party.
Moshe gathered the people and foreswore them once again, reminding them of the dire warnings God had given them concerning their tendency to stray away from His teachings. He reprises the words of the "curse" which will be brought upon those who make the unfortunate choice of following the dictates of their own folly over the wise teachings of God, and he arrives at the meat of his lesson: "Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe." [Deu. 30:11-14]
Humanity has a tendency to idealize (not to say idolize, which, fo course, is totally agfainst Judaism's most basic tenets!) and put on a pedestal that which it admires and reveres. We do it with our finest art, our greatest heroes, our best achievements. We keep it far and away from the mundane, the everyday banalities. We build a fence around it and say, "this is good -- stay away from it." Moshe recognized this trait of human nature, and devised a message to keep us from doing this to his crowning glory -- Torat Moshe, his teaching, inspired and dictated by God Himself, in His own Personhood. The greatness of Torah, the honor due to it because of its source, God -- and its announcer and interpreter, Moshe -- makes it almost automatic to assume that it would be the most highly elevated and prized article, deposited in the most inaccessible place in the highest heavens. This inaccessibility is not (God forbid) a sign of difficulty or rejection -- quite the opposite, it is a direct consequence of its great value. Thinking of such a Torah, so far and away from us, will at once fill us with awe and yearning, with love and longing, and will endear it to us: distance makes the heart grown fonder, it is said...
The pronouncements and wisdom of Torah will melt our hearts and inspire us to write poetry and prose -- and spin legends. It will drive us to draw near to it, even to seek its shadow -- to allow us a mere reflection or intimation of its glory. The farther it will be from us, the greater it's legend, the more mankind will perceive it to be priceless. The more difficult it will be to approach, even so will it be the more worthwhile.
However, this is not what Moshe wants -- and, of course, it is not what God has planned for Torah and for us. For in spite of all the beauty and inspiration that the poetry of love and yearning can evoke in the human heart -- the purpose of Torah is not to reflect but to direct -- not to inspire but to instruct. One should not talk a good game -- one should play the game, and get the exercise that the game was meant to allow us to have. Man can invent for himself ideals and conjure for himself mystical magical love objects. God's teaching is real and concrete, every minute of every hour of every day of the rest of our lives it should be with us.
"This Mitzvah that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you." Which mitzvah, you ask? Moshe does not answer, and the lack of an answer is an answer, too. Pick one, any one. Don't say, "well, if I can live by all of them, I must reject all." Choose a mitzvah and make it your own. Follow it with another, and another, and another. Remember, "It is not in heaven," so that you can say that it is so far off, so grand -- that it is beyond you. The text confirms and clinches the argument, "No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe." Moshe challenges the people to return, to go back to their time of innocence born of the fact that they did not have the Torah, commence anew, receive the covenant, and live by it. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." [Deu. 30:19,20]
Amen



5760


This Shabbat the reading in the Torah is the double portion of Nitzavim - Va'yelekh, and begins with the following passage from the fifth book: "You stand assembled today, all of you, before the Lord your God--the leaders of your tribes, your elders, and your officials, all the men of Israel, your children, your women, and the aliens who are in your camp, both those who cut your wood and those who draw your water -- to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, sworn by an oath, which the Lord your God is making with you today; in order that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I am making this covenant, sworn by an oath, not only with you who stand here with us today before the Lord our God, but also with those who are not here with us today." [Deu. 29:9-14] It continues with the text and arrivesat the second parsha, Va'yelekh, where we read, “ And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, I am one hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in; also the Lord has said to me, You shall not go over this Jordan. ” [Deu.31:1,2]
Before we even begin to learn the content of the text we already learn a lesson from the combination of the two segments, Nitzavim and Va'yelekh. What is that lesson? Both words are verbs, the first Nitzavim means standing; the second, Va'yelekh means and he went. The combination of the two speaks the tension of the human condition: we are always between standing still and starting out towards something new. We cannot stand still. The act of Nitzavim is that of standing in an assembly, bearing witness to that which has transpired, looking for what is yet to come. We stand in memory of the dead; we stand to honor the living; we stand to better prepare for departure. Then we enter into Va'yelekh, which is the act of going, of begining motion, which is the confirmation of life. You may not be aware that even the weakest of beings manifest some movement. For when motion is interrupted, life itself is interrupted.
Moshe was highly agitated before that God would not allow him to enter the Promised Land. You may recall that at the beginning of this fifth book of the Torah he spoke of God punishing him for their sins, “ “And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, O Lord God, you have begun to show your servant your greatness, and your mighty hand; for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to your works, and according to your might? I beg you, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain region, and Lebanon. But the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and would not hear me; and the Lord said to me, Let it suffice you; speak no more to me of this matter. ” [Deu. 3:23 - 27] Now our great liberator and leader is tired and old and ready to succumb to his fate. “ I can no more go out and come in” he says, and that is a clear indication that he days are numbered. So are the days of our year. Next Shabbat we shall celebrate not the day that God rested, but the anniversary of creation - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Hadin - the New Year and the Day of Judgement. We welcome God into our lives. We recall that He is our father, our Creator, our Master. Even the great Moshe accepted His rule, his determination of his fate. We are, as the liturgy of the High Holidays says, kekhomer beyad ha’yotzer - as clay in the hands of the creative power. We hope that he will fashion us into something unique and worthwhile.

Amen