Deut. 29:9 - 31:30
Précis: In Nitzavim, 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 by observing 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. In Vayelech, the death of Moses approaches, and he transfers his mantle of leadership to Joshua. Moses orders regular reading of the Law, and then transfers the written Torah into the hands of the Levites for safekeeping, in the Ark of the Covenant.
Deut.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 woodchopper to water drawer, to enter into the covenant of Adonai your God…”
This year, the week’s Torah reading takes place at an extraordinary conjunction of events. We have just observed the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, Shabbat approaches, S’lichot services will be held, Labor Day observed, and Rosh Hashanah will arrive, all within a few days.
When Dr. King spoke of his dream, “deeply rooted in the American dream” it was also “deeply rooted” in the Jewish dream of Deuteronomy, with its emphasis on justice for the weakest members of society.
The imagery of this verse, with all the people standing together, has implications for all of the events which crowd the coming days. Those who regularly attend Shabbat services know the particular sense of unity one may find with fellow congregants and worshippers, reminding us that it is our tradition alone among the religions of the world which requires public communal prayer.
S’lichot, the service which bridges the end of Elul and the New Year, reminds us of the traditional themes of the season, when we seek, together, forgiveness for the sins WE have committed.
On Labor Day, we are reminded that in unity there is strength, and that while unity among workers has done much for American society in the last 100 years, we now face a great challenge to its continuity, with an ever-widening divergence between the “haves” and the “have somes” and the “have nots.”
We feel a unique sense of Jewish togetherness which spans the world on Rosh Hashanah. Jews in every country, from every ethnic and racial group, with markedly distinct and diverse ways of praying, all stand together as if at Sinai, and can experience a sense of “klal Yisrael” if only we allow ourselves the opportunity to feel it.
May the unity we seek come to past in our lifetimes. May you and yours be blessed with a year of health and happiness.
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