Deut. 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 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.
There are two brief points I would like to make about his verse. First, the Torah and its demands are not so hard to understand. We can make our own interpretations about the text which can resonate in our heart.
Second, we cannot claim ignorance as a defense to our transgressions, because the Instruction is not too baffling.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah after this Shabbat, we may want to keep these ideas in mind: we can understand Torah (broadly considered to include millennia of interpretation by those more learned that we are) as well as we can, and that our duty is to observe what is in our hearts without fear or trepidation.
