Spirituality

Here ' s a sweep Aeoti

Torah Portion

-Por 1-ke New year...

sLAscyiptiovt
Give at Jti
aid 3ei- a Free

Accepting The Covenant

ent verb whose root is natzav, from
which come the Hebrew nouns for
"pillar" and "post" or "station." So
more than simply meaning "stand," it
carries the sense of establishment and
purposeful position. When this verb is
written in the reflexive, as it is here in
Deuteronomy 26, it means "stand
here couldn't be a better
myself" or "take a stand by entering
Torah portion for this last
into this covenant set before you
Sabbath before the holidays!
today.
Moses is speaking to the people
Our High Holidays ask nothing
who wait at the foot of Mount Sinai.
less of us! It is not sufficient to merely
He addresses them in the second-per-
appear before the congregation on
son plural "you all." In calling the
Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur. It is
nation together, Moses anticipates
not enough to only pray the words
what will centuries later be called
and passively follow the text of the
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
service. Such a response to the
What makes the High Holidays dif-
Holidays is nothing more than lip
ferent from our other festivals and cel- service and cannot have any meaning-
ebrations is the necessary condition
ful effect on either the individual or
that the community present itself.
the community. If there is to
On other days, we gather
be substance for you, for me
and participate as families ,
and for the collective "us," if
in our homes, and only
these days are going to
3)
afterward do we secondarily
"make a difference, then we
come together in the syna-
will have to personally "take
gogue. But not on Rosh
a stand" and "enter" into the
Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
covenant of Jewish responsi-
Then, it is as a community
bility.
that we present ourselves.
In our Torah portion,
The liturgy and the lesson
Moses understands that such
of the High Holidays are
RABBI J OSEPH an affirmation must be made
directed to all-of-us-as-one.
in each generation and
KLE IN
The shofar is not to be
renewed by every individual.
Special to the
heard within families, but
In one of the most powerful
Jewish News
within the community; the
verses in Scripture, we read,
affirmations of and resolu-
"It is not with you alone that
tions for religiously responsible behav-
I establish this covenant — not only
ior must be heard and witnessed by
with one who 'stands' with us this
all.
day, but also with those who are not
Thus, while other festivals are first
here with us this day." (Deuteronomy
welcomed into the home and only
29:13-14)
after brought to the synagogue, this
From his opening words addressed
convocation, like that described in
to the assembled people, his conclu-
our Torah portion, is first and fore-
sion is directed to individuals present
most a community experience.
and future ... a statement that we
Moses, in this week's portion of
annually read on this Shabbat, just
Nitzavim, is asking more of the peo-
prior to our Rosh Hashanah assembly.
ple than to simply "be there" that
There couldn't be a better Torah por-
they might witness the events
tion as we enter the holidays. 111
(Deuteronomy 29:9-15). If we look at
the verbs Moses uses, we are struck by
their contradictory commands. He
tells the people "stand here" and
"enter" the covenant. Granted one is
an action verb and the other more fig-
Are there issues for which you
urative — still the poetic impact of
might more personally "take a
their juxtaposition prompts notice.
Jewish stand" in the new year?
The verb that we normally use and
Are there aspects of your Jewish
translate as "stand" is the root amac4
self about which you ought to be
from which we get Amidah, our
more purposeful? What might
"standing prayer." Here in
you do, to enhance your own
Deuteronomy it's an altogether differ-
sense of Jewish well-being, in
Joseph Klein is rabbi of Temple
this new year?
Emanu-El. His e-mail address is

Shabbat 1Vitzavim-
Vayelech: Deuteronomy
29:9-31:30;
Isaiah 61:10-63:9.

T

3 )

Conversations

rabbi@rabbiklein.com

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9/10
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