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Drash for Shabbat Nitzavim/Vayeilech By Lena Saradnik - September 15, 2006 This week’s parshah Nitzavim-Vayelech contains Moses’ last oration to the Israelites and begins with: "You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God…your elders…your officials, your children…even the stranger within your camp…I make this covenant…not with you alone…but with those who are not with us here this day." (Deut. 29:9-14) It is an eloquent speech about God’s Covenant with the Jewish People, but it is the English translation of Nitzavim (stand firm) and Vayelech (move forward) that caught my interest. They seem to contradict each other. How can one stand firm and still go forward? On closer look, it became clearer. Standing at the entrance to the Holy Land, the Israelites looked back at what they had gone through and faced change, yet again. Often times when we are faced with changes to our lives that may or may not be of our own making, our temptation is to wish we could go back. Venturing into the unknown abyss is too frightening. Many become stuck and keep repeating, "I want my old life back." If we don’t face the challenge and adapt to our new circumstances, we limit ourselves not only spiritually, but also creatively, emotionally, and professionally. Sometimes we make wrong choices. Do we stand firm and defend that bad decision or do we move forward to try and correct the situation? If we have harmed another person do we defend our actions with weak excuses and deny fault or do we ask for forgiveness? In this week’s parshah Moses tells us:
Change is forever part of our lives. None of us make the right choices all the time, but because of God’s Covenant, no one is beyond redemption. We all have the ability, within us, to affect change in our own lives. If we are lucky, through our mitzvot, we can also bring positive changes to lives of others. May we all be fortunate enough to grow from strength to strength. Shabbat Shalom.
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