Nitzavim 5772 - English

by Rabbi Joshua Kullock
Comunidad Hebrea de Guadalajara

Nitzavim is a rather short parashah and, unlike many others, we can read it in one go and see that it revolves around a single subject:  the centrality of the covenant agreed upon between God and the people of Israel.

The parashah begins by telling us that the entire people, without exceptions, stood before God in what is presented as an impressive unified frame which, beyond every difference of gender and social status, serves to affirm its bond with the Lord, blessed be He.  Nevertheless, in what appears to be a contradiction, the text recounts that this covenant is affirmed and reaffirmed both with those who were in attendance at the time and with those who were not (Deut. 29:13-14).  But if the entire people were there, who is the text referring to?  Perhaps the Torah wants to teach us that the covenant is maintained and continued throughout times, through all those generations potentially nested then and there, and which many centuries later have decanted in each one of us (and in those who will come after us).  Everyone, they and us, are responsible for holding up the covenant and strengthening the relationship that unites us as a people with God.

But how is the covenant held up? Our parashah is clear about this: with the Torah.  This Torah which, according to the text, is not found beyond the sea or in the heavens (see Deut. 30:11-14),  condenses the practice by means of which the bond is upheld.  However, we Liberal Jews have to be cautious, so as to not fall into the trap of believing that this practice has been defined beforehand.  Throughout history, our people – in different groups and from different ways of interpreting and translating the text into action – has been defining the practices through which they forged the relationship with the divine.  The belief in just one way of approaching God is a modern invention, far removed from the spirit of our tradition.  But on the other hand, acknowledging that the path is not conditioned by what others decided at some point of history, forces us to develop the ability to define in our own times the manner in which we will translate the Torah, into practices that identify us as a community and that allow us to get reacquainted with God.  For this to happen, we must brace ourselves to recover our texts and traditions, so we may lean on them in order to find a way to be faithful to the principles and ideals of a Judaism suitable for the way in which we perceive life in the 21st century.

It is in this spirit that we must interpret the last verses of the parashah:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse.  Choose life — if you and your offspring would live… (Deut. 30:19)

The only way for us to achieve a Judaism that is living and vibrant lies in our ability to restore the stories, ideas and foundations that accompany, and have accompanied for centuries, the Jewish people, translating them into a system of practices that promote life, blessing, and the possibility of passing on to our children the challenge to continue maintaining, together, that unique covenant that still unites us with God as children of Israel.

Just a few hours before the start of a new year, I believe this is the right time for us to renew our commitment with this noble task.

Shabbat Shalom u’Meborah!

Shanah Tovah u’Metukah!