Voices of WRJ: Nitzavim/Yayeilech

The parashah states “You stand this day, all of you, before your G-d, you tribal heads, you elders, and you officials, all the men of Israel, you children, you women, even the strangers within your camp, … to enter into the covenant.” The covenant is made with its sanctions not for you alone, but both with those who are standing here with us this day and those who are not here with us this day.

Moses is calling for all, not just the leaders or the men, but the entire community to be part of the covenant, is declaring the covenant to be inclusive of all, the pious and the rebellious, the faithful and the confused, the rich and the poor, and the newcomers and outsiders. The covenant is made with those there at the time and the generations to come. Why is the parashah reiterating itself as to who is present?

It did so in order to make a fundamental point that on the one hand, there must be unity amongst Jews; and, at the same time, each has their unique contribution to make, their own individual mission. The verse supplies its own answer: “You are standing today, all of you before your G‑d.” It is as Jews stand before G‑d in the full recognition that God is the author of their powers and the ground of their being, that they are one.

This can be seen by a simple example. When people form a group of community for a specific purpose; economic, intellectual or whatever, they share their money or labor or ideas towards a given end and for a specified time. Outside this partnership they remain separate individuals, each with his own private world.

The community of Israel is not like this. For it is a partnership “before your G‑d” and its purpose is “that you should enter into the covenant of your G‑d, and into God’s oath.” And it is a partnership in perpetuity, as eternal as the Torah. This is true unity.

Moreover, in the efforts of each Jew playing their unique part in the covenant, is implicit the work of the whole community. The unity of Israel is created not by every Jew being the same, but by their being themselves in fulfilling directives of “your G‑d.” Israel is one before G‑d when, and only when, each Jew fulfills the mission which is theirs alone.

Moses calls on us to do teshuvah, to return to G-d, to our people, and to our land. Moses asserts that we are capable of change, of opening our hearts, of choosing life and goodness, no matter how far we have strayed.

We aim to give up our habits of powerlessness, the idea that we cannot change, and trembling at times, crack open the door or the window again to new possibilities and let the breeze rush into our closed room. We aim to open our hearts, even if it means opening ourselves to uncertainty and pain. We aim to come home, to ourselves, to our community, to life, and aliveness, from wherever we have wandered.

Yes, it is a challenging time. We can list the reasons to despair. Then again, when have times not been challenging? No matter, the potential for change is still in our hands. Moses still has an audience for his words as we enter the New Year: “I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life.”

Joanne B. Fried is a WRJ Board Lifetime Member and a member of Gates of Prayer in Metairie, LA.