Parshat Nitzavim - Vayelech Dear members, On the last day of his life, Moshe gathers together all the people, both young and old, lowly and exalted, men and woman in a final initiation. The covenant includes not only those who are present, but even those generations yet unborn. The parshah includes some of the most fundamental principles of the Jewish faith. The unity of Israel, the future redemption, freedom of choice, and the practicality of the Torah. Maimonides say ;Do not imagine that character is determined at birth. We have been given free will. Any person can become as righteous as Moshe or as wicked as Jereboam. We ourselves decide whether to make ourselves learned or ignorant, compassionate or cruel, generous or miserly. No one forces us, no one drags us along one path or the other. We ourselves, by our own volition, choose our own way. When God set out to create the world, legend tells us, the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which had been engraved on the holy crown, began to compete with one another. Each wanted to be the letter from which the world would be formed. After hearing all sides, God selected Bet, the second letter of the alphabet, and began the Creation with the word Bereshit, as we read, Bereshit God created the heaven and the earth. Why the letter Bet? Because it is also the first letter of the word Beracha, blessing. And because this letter is closed on three sides and open only in front to show that we are not permitted to investigate what is above or below, or what came before the world as we know it. We are charged to look forward only, toward the path of righteousness Kierkegaard said: life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. In this weeks Torah portion, God tells the Jewish people that He placed before them life and death. God then implores them to:... choose life, so that you will live... I believe that the Torah is not talking in the physical sense but rather in the spiritual and emotional sense. Rabbi Ibn Gevirol, said: Man is wise only while he searches for wisdom. If he thinks he has found it, he is a fool. What is the difference between a wise person and a fool? Even fools will say a wise thing now and then. And the wisest will at times descend to foolishness. So what distinguishes a wise person from a fool? A fool is one who never has a change of mind. Conditions change, situations alter, and new times make new demands, but the fool remains the same. The essence of life is choosing. It is what makes us most human. It defines who we are. It is the source of our greatest pride and our greatest pleasure. A real choice has to have a reasonable alternative, the possibility just as easily to choose Yes as choose No. The more we limit life by removing the choices, the more boring, repetitive and meaningless life gets. More we confront difficult decisions, the more exciting life is! When we stop choosing, we stop living! Lets choose: Shana Tova!!! Rabbi Aaron Katz.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 15:42:21 +0000
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