The Second Mountain

Vayeilech

Deut. 31:1-31:30

Précis: 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. 31:1-11 “Moses went and spoke these things to all Israel. He said to them: I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer go out and come in, for God has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’"

            Rabbi Jonathon Sacks has written about the challenge of aging (Covenant and Conversation 9/12/18), noting that it has become a growing problem with the expansion of life expectancy in most of the world. He asks us, “What will keep you young in spirit even if the body does not always keep pace?” This is a challenge I find particularly intriguing (as I become eligible for the 70+ softball league next spring).
            Moses, of course, is the case study for this challenge.  Sacks cites David Brook’s concept of the “second mountain.” Brooks found that people over 70 had early in their lives identified the mountain they were going to climb, whether personal or professional. By age 70, some had achieved it and were happy, others had achieved it and found it unsatisfactory, and others failed to achieve their mountain top. Brooks found, however, that at this stage of life, many saw the need to name a second mountain they wanted to climb. But this “second mountain” was not about achievement, but rather of giving in a spiritual, moral way, such as giving back to the community. Sacks maintains that this “second mountain” may in fact be more important that its predecessor.
            Moses is the paradigm. He had climbed the first mountain by being God’s servant and agent, and by leading His people from slavery to freedom. In the last stage of his journey he finally accepts the fact that he would not enter the Land. Moses now selects a “second mountain” by teaching Torah, warning the People not to stray. He provides what Sacks calls the “key verbs” of the Torah: “Remember, he says again and again; listen to the voice of God; rejoice in what He has given you.” Moses climbs his second mountain when he at last hands the leadership to Joshua.               

            On Shabbat Shuvah, when our thoughts turn inward to self-analysis, the “second mountain” suggests a life changing message for all of us:  what we have done in our lives so far is in the past; we have the chance to write another chapter. As Sacks says, “Hence the life-changing idea: Whatever your achievements, there is always a second mountain to climb, and it may turn out to be your greatest legacy to the future.”

            May you and yours be sealed in the Book of Life with health, prosperity, happiness, and the opportunity of finding your own “second mountain.”

Bring us together

Nitzavim

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.

           

Deut. 30:2-3 “When you return to Adonai your God, and you and your children heed His command with all your heart and soul, just as I enjoin you this day, then Adonai your God will restore your fortunes and take you back in love. He will bring you together again from all the peoples where Adonai your God has scattered you.”

                As I have noted before, the first verb at the beginning of the verse (“return”) is in Hebrew “shav,” from a root meaning “turn back,” or “return.” The word “return” is repeated three times in the following verses, and this tells us much about the idea of repentance, or “t’shuvah” (from the same Hebrew root). Not coincidentally, the word, in one form or another, appears seven times in this chapter, and we read this chapter this year just days before Rosh Hashanah, when repentance is much on our minds.

            The conclusion of the second verse should be much on our minds: He will bring you together. As I write this week’s d’var, the hope for being brought “together” in Israel seems remote, with an inconclusive second election recently having taken place, and the struggle to form a new government under way. In addition, differences within the American Jewish community about the leadership of the U.S. Administration are divisive. Finally, we face the fact that Israel is in danger of losing its historical bi-partisan support in the United States, due in part to Netanyahu’s identification with a single U.S. political party, and with his warm, personal embrace by our President.

            A dark picture is indeed before as we approach the Yamim Noraim. We are not together in Israel, between the Jews of the Diaspora and those in Israel, nor among Jews in America. Yet, our tradition and our reading this week offers us the hope for unity, through t’shuvah. Self-examination is at the core of t’shuvah, and I personally plan on examining my own feelings about these issues during the coming weeks, and offer a prayer that Jews in Israel, in the United States, and around the world try, with God’s help, to come to an understanding of the need for unity. We have rarely needed it more than we do today.

            I wish all a Shanah Tovah, filled with personal health and happiness, and with new togetherness among k’lal Yisrael.