A Time for Unity

 Nitzavim-Vayeilech

Deut. 29:9 -31:31

 

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 Moses urges them to choose the blessing, to choose life.

            In Vayeilech, The Israelites are instructed to annihilate the seven Canaanite nations and take possession of the Promised Land. The death of Moses approaches, and he transfers his mantle of leadership to Joshua as his successor. 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 week we read Nitzavim-Vayeilech one week before Rosh Hashanah. We have traditionally gathered together around the world in our congregations, reminding us of the essential unity of the Jewish People. But, sadly, that is not to be the case this year because of the Covid Pandemic. How can we find a feeling of unity through our screens, or davening in pods?

            There is a famous statement from Kohelet (Ecclesiastes): “There is nothing new under the sun” (1:9). At first, today certainly seems to be something "new." But I suggest that while the current situation may indeed be new it is not unprecedented. The Jewish People have experienced life during plagues before, as well as pogroms and oppression. Yet, somehow, we survive. Challenges to our sense of unity have existed as long as we have been a people.

            The reading here reminds us: we all, from the greatest to the least, are part of a unique Covenant with God. Even as we gather in socially distant ways or via electronic media, we can rejoice in our unity through our Covenant.