Shabbat Shalom and a Peaceful Weekend to All 🙏💐🔯
Tomorrow, on the last Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, we read Parashat Nitzavim–Vayeilech, ניצבים–וילך
Deuteronomy 29:9–31:30
After forty years in the wilderness, the Israelites stand at the threshold of the Promised Land. Before they enter, Moses gathers the people to reaffirm the covenant and remind them of the responsibility that comes with it.
Nitzavim begins: אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God.”
The words אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים, atem nitzavim, “you are standing,” and הַיּוֹם, hayom, “today,” speak directly to us. They ask us to stand fully present and aware of our ourselves, our choices, and our responsibility for how we live today.
In Parashat Vayeilech, וילך, “and he went,” Moses prepares for the end of his life, Joshua prepares to lead, and the journey continues. The essence of living is to stand firmly in our values but not standing still.
We too are standing at a threshold, between the year that is ending and the one about to begin, with many choices before us. The Torah gives us a simple instruction:
וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים “Choose life.”
The message is clear:
Know where you came from.
Know where you stand.
Keep moving forward.
Choose Goodness.
Choose life. ✡️
