Nitzavim
Deuteronomy 29:9 -30:20
Précis: Moses continues to address the People: You stand (nitzavim) this day before Adonai. In his final words to the People, Moses recounts the wonders Adonai had done for them, and calls upon them to remain loyal to God through the Covenant. The extent of the relationship is explained: it will survive exile and captivity with a return to the Land. The Torah is an “open book” that is accessible to all. A blessing and a curse have been set before the People, and they are to make a choice. Moses urges them to choose the blessing, to choose life, so that they may inherit the Land which God has sworn to their forefathers.
Deuteronomy 29:9 -11 “You stand this day, all of you, before Adonai your God - your tribal heads, your elders, your officials, all the men of Israel; your children, your wives, even the stranger in your camp, from wood chopper to water drawer, to enter into the Covenant of Adonai your God…”
This week we read Nitzavim just a few days before Rosh Hashanah, one of the great gathering holidays for the Jewish People. Joined together in congregations, we have a powerful example of what can be: a sense of Jewish unity. The verse we review here is a reminder of that unity: k’lal Yisrael. All stand together before God, from the highest to the lowest. It is a Jewish ideal, and is also an American ideal. It is also unfortunately true that our grasp often exceeds our reach.
Unity is just as important for America, and for now seems beyond our grasp as well. As I write these words, we are just 11 years removed from "9/11." The spirit of American national unity which appeared possible at that time now seems somehow quaint, perhaps lost for good. Consensus and compromise, once the hallmarks of our democracy, have become highly charged negative words in the current American political patois.
Israel is not much more better off, with deep political divisions of its own.The nature of coalition government in the State of Israel requires at least some cooperation, but the price is high. Recent events have underscored the deep divides between different parts of Israeli society, religiously, socially, and politically.
Finally, there is an unfortunate growing lack of unity between Israel and the Jews of the Diaspora. Polls indicate a decrease in support for Israel among Jews who live outside of the Land, and among the more politically active, the importance of Israel has lost priority all too frequently to other issues.
There is a famous statement from Kohelet (Ecclesiastes): “There is nothing new under the sun” (1:9). Divisions among Jews is nothing new. It is so ingrained that it is a source of humor (two Jews, three opinions). Severe challenges to unity have existed from our earliest days and continue today. But as this verse reminds us, we Jews have also managed to stand together before God to accept a Covenant. Our upcoming High Holy Day liturgy is imbued with the concept of unity: we confess, publicly, and acknowledge the sins which “we” have committed.
This verse reminds us that unity among the Jewish People remains a possibility. This is also true for America, for our congregations, our families, and our communities. May the coming New Year be one of increasing unity for all of us.
