We are in the midst of the High Holy Days-the days of awe, the days of repentance. Kol Nidre is upon us! As each of us sit in our seats with our respective congregations throughout North America and beyond, we will read our beautiful liturgy, we will listen to the haunting melody of Kol Nidre and we will have an opportunity to reflect and repent for our transgressions of the past year. So I begin my Shabbat message to all of my dear friends at WRJ, and I want to sincerely apologize if I have in any way hurt you and truly ask for your forgiveness.

by Abigail Fisher “See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity” (Deuteronomy 30:15) That we, as Jews, believe in some type of free will seems clear. If we hadn’t already grasped that concept now, this verse, and others like it in Deuteronomy (see for example Deuteronomy 11:26), make our ability to choose abundantly clear. We can choose to keep our end of the covenant and follow God’s commandments, in which case we will live and prosper, or we can choose not to, and suffer and die. One might think such a stark choice is not a free choice at all, but given how often the Israelites choose in subsequent books not to follow God, we seem to definitely have the ability to choose for ourselves—and to suffer the consequences of our choices.

Onto the Land of Milk and Honey... A gift of honey arrived today from my good friend, Fritzi. She is wishing me a Sweet New Year but with that wish I am reminded that a sweet new year does not always come magically. This was a new fundraiser for Women of Temple Sinai this year, brought to us by Fritizi. I feel especially honored to be receiving this from her and I now realize it will be a sweetness that will last the whole year.

In the book of Deuteronomy, we read the many and various strictures upon behavior of the Israelites, which they will need to abide by when entering and conquering the land promised to them. The parashah, Ki Teitzei (Deut. 21:10-25:19), contains laws in different categories, many of which apply directly to women and family matters.

This week’s Torah portion is Shof’tim. It discusses the importance of setting up a judicial system and appointing judges. The most memorable verse in the portion states, “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” When we read this commandment we are moved to action. How though can we as individuals make this part of our lives (especially if we are not lawyers)? Every time we engage in social action we are pursuing justice.

It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through WRJ’s Centennial year. And what a year it has been! We celebrated the Centennial in our own synagogues with Centennial Shabbat services and cakes decorated with the Centennial logo. We celebrated the Centennial with our sisters from North America and abroad at the WRJ Fried Leadership Conference and on the WRJ Centennial Trip to Berlin and Israel. At the Centennial Symposium in New York, we learned our history, studied the legacy of our founders and honored our fore-sisters.

Eikev—meaning “if…” or “as a result of…”— is an interesting parashah and is referred to in WRJ’s The Torah: A Women’s Commentary as, “Conditions for Life in the Land.” Throughout this parashah, we are reminded of the central position that the Promised Land has in the relationship between God and Israel and that it is a “good land” and a land of “milk and honey.”

by Rozan Anderson "… take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously, so that you do not forget the things that you saw with your own eyes and so that they do not fade from your mind as long as you live. And make them known to your children and to your children's children." (Deuteronomy 4:9). In this week’s parashah, Va-et’chanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11), Moses recounts for the people their history since leaving Egypt. This is his final lesson, for his time with them is ending. He wants to make sure that they’ve learned well, so that when they enter the Promised Land, they and their children will remain holy and flourish throughout the generations. Included in this text are the Sh’ma, the Ten Commandments, and the V’ahavta, the very core for living a good life.

by Ellen Bick What is the strength of our words? We all know how powerful words can be and the impact they can have. The Book of Deuteronomy retells Israel’s history and laws for a new generation born in the desert. Here in Parashat D’varim (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22), or ‘Words’, we find Moses looking across the Jordan River to the Promised Land. After 40 years of wandering, Moses gathers the people and speaks to them. God will not allow Moses to cross with his people. Saddened though he was at not being able to reach the Promised Land, Moses feels a strong responsibility to his people and uses this parting time to retell the stories of their wandering and to emphasize the laws of God. He feels the urgency to once again impart the word of God and make sure his people understand and honor it. He knows that these laws will be the foundation for the Jewish people as they move forward.