Voices of WRJ: Parashat Vayelech

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. As Reform Jews, we no longer generally believe that adversity and death are tit-for-tat punishments for our transgressions against God’s commandments, but we still know that our choices carry weight. Some choices have direct and obvious results—deciding to smoke cigarettes, for example. For others the consequences may not be known for a while. But this text does not only deal with the choices we make for ourselves; it deals with the impact of our individual choices on the community as a whole. Again, these results may be hidden from our immediate awareness, but they are there. One hundred years ago, a group of women chose to meet in Cincinnati, OH to found the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (now WRJ). We still feel the impact of that choice today, a century later. Did those women realize the import their choice would have so long afterward? Probably not, but they made that choice because they thought it was the right choice at the time. History has, in my opinion, borne out that choice. You have the opportunity every day to make choices that will benefit you, your sisterhood and your community. One choice you can make is to attend WRJ’s 49th Assembly and Centennial Celebration, from December 11-15, in San Diego. Your choice will enrich your life, give you skills and knowledge to bring home with you, and allow you to have the experience of a lifetime. Abigail Fisher is WRJ Centennial Assembly Program Chair, Immediate Past President of WRJ Northeast District, and a member of Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, MA.