Voices of WRJ: Nitzavim

by Annice Benamy

"You are standing, all of you, before Adonai your God—your leaders, your tribes, your elders, your officials, every person in Israel; your wives, your children, and the stranger in the midst of your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water—so that you may pass into the covenant of Adonai your God…and not with you alone do I make this covenant and this oath, but with he who is present, standing here with us today before Adonai our God, and with him who is not here with us today."  Deut. 29:9-11 and 13-14

Parashat Nitzavim (meaning “stand”) lays down a foundation for Judaism in that the Torah is declared valid for all generations and to every member of the community. Women and men, officials and laborers, those standing before Moses and future generations commit to uphold the terms of the covenant. The people are reminded to love God with all their hearts and souls and must fulfill their part of the covenant through their loyalty to God and God’s teachings. God gave each individual and the entire community two clear choices: life and prosperity or death and adversity. With these words, the covenant between God and the people of Israel is established. However, a covenant with whom? With rabbis? Scholars? What does a “covenant” mean or establish? The answer to many of these questions are implicit in the verse itself, and the answers are not what we might expect. This passage was chosen to be the one read on Shabbat always preceding Rosh Hashanah, the Hebrew New Year. It is quite dramatic as it is Moses’ final oration and his preparation for death. In The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, Dalit Rom-Shiloni explains, “One of the hallmarks of this parashah is the inclusion of women in the list of social groups participating in the covenant ceremony. The explicit mention of women in 29:10 leaves no doubt that women are part of the people obliged to follow God’s covenant” (1217). My parents raised me to be a strong, independent, Reform Jewish woman, which has allowed me to learn and participate in the covenant. I was given every opportunity to be involved in my synagogue, even from an early age. My first “post bat-mitzvah” decision was to purchase my first tallit on a URJ Kutz Camp Trip Day in 1977. I wrote to my then-rabbi, Arthur Lelyveld z''l, asking if I would be allowed to wear my tallit to Shabbat services at Anshe Chesed-Fairmount Temple. He wrote back encouraging me to be the first woman to proudly wear my new tallit on Shabbat and holidays. This was monumental at my synagogue in the 1970s, when classical Reform Judaism was still the norm. However, raising my daughter, Ilana, to be a strong, independent, Reform Jewish woman, learning and participating in the covenant with God, is following God’s instruction to “teach your children diligently.” As a young adult just graduated from college, Ilana is continuing to remember the teachings of the Torah to guide her decisions and journey through life. Over 50,000 women in Women of Reform Judaism throughout North America, Israel, and the world are active participants in the covenant with God. Sisterhoods throughout the world give tzedakah through the YES Fund and planned giving, to our synagogues and other worthy charitable organizations.  We advocate for causes such as pay equity, civil rights, women’s rights, and the environment, to name a few. Within our synagogues, sisterhood members give their time to preparing for Shabbat, holidays, and life cycle occasions. We are role models and leaders to our synagogues showing that we know whom we stand before: Adonai our God. Each year, we pass our history down to new leaders and members so they too can stand before God. Our sisterhoods create experiences of community in which we feel connected to people we may not even know. As we prepare during this month of Elul for the Days of Awe, may we find within ourselves, ways to stand, all of us, before Adonai our God. Find ways to commit to keep the covenant, love God with all your heart and soul, and be a life-long learner of God’s teachings. When Elul and the High Holy Days are complete, may we choose life and prosperity. Annice Benamy is a WRJ North American Board member, WRJ Atlantic District Vice President of Development and Special Projects, and WRJ liaison of Temple Sinai of Bergen County Sisterhood in Tenafly, NJ.