September 23rd: Nitzavim
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
Though Parshat Nitzavim describes an ancient covenant-entering ceremony, it also seems to anticipate the High Holy Days—and our annual Jewish meeting.
“You stand this day, all of you, before the LORD your God—your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials, every householder, your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to water-drawer— to enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is concluding with you this day…” (Deuteronomy 29.9-11)
Some 3300 years later, we who are already part of the covenant participate in something essentially Jewish by simply showing up and re-constituting the covenant community.
Thus it is that the text continues with a kind of psychic and emotional truth:
“I make this covenant, with its sanctions, not with you alone, but both with those who are standing here with us this day before the Lord your God and with those who are not with us here this day.” (Deuteronomy 29.13-14) When we gather at shul on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is as though every Jew in the world and in history is present—even the ones who may not be in attendance.
Of course, one of the principles of Jewish life is that community does not mean unanimity. Each person has his/her own opinions, and our Tradition has learned that this can be a positive. Given that each individual’s perspective and wisdom is limited, our experience has been that the accumulation and aggregation of many different Jewish opinions gives our religion a remarkable resiliency and reach. Through many voices—each attempting to express the infinite—our holy congregation approaches and often finds wisdom.
This is one way to understand a passage that comes later in the Torah portion: “Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, ‘Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?’ No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.” (Deuteronomy 30.11-14)
The usual understanding of this verse is that the LORD is telling us that the conditions of this covenant are doable. (God could be anticipating the Nike commercial: “Just do it!”) However, this passage could be telling us that the covenant needs our input to make it doable—that we need to live it and adapt it and personalize the covenant until it is practical and meaningful. This Covenant which the Torah characterizes as “the life and the length of our days” (Deuteronomy 30.20) turns out to be the relationship we have with God—the religious, moral, social, and civic teachings that we have formulated in response to the Divine Presence. We gather in sacred community to reflect upon God’s Presence in our lives and how our lives reflect our holy context. The hope is that we can improve both our understanding and our behavior. Only in the Presence of the Most Holy and our sacred community can this important work be done.
See you in Shul!