As we all know, this Sunday night is Erev Rosh Hashanah, and also the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance leading up to Yom Kippur. In this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, Moses stands before the Israelites for the last time, urging them to understand and uphold the covenant they are about to enter with G-d. He tells them, “it is not with you alone, but with those who are here and those who are not here that G-d makes this Covenant.” In Nitzavim, great emphasis is placed on togetherness, and the Jewish people as a nation, rather than as individuals, which may seem a little confusing seeing that it falls directly before the biggest soul-searching period of the Jewish year … The time surrounding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur truly is a time to search within ourselves and repent for our wrong doings, as we ask forgiveness from those we may have hurt, as well as forgiveness within ourselves. Why then does this torah portion focus so much on group mentality?
While trying to find this answer, I thought of the people who really know me best, and started to think about the growing process we have been through together. I thought immediately of my family and friends, and realized the vast influence our actions have on each other. These actions, whether intentional or not, affect those around us. What is important to remember about our actions, whether positive or negative, is that they are more than just a reflection of ourselves. Our actions reflect upon all those who have shaped, and continue to shape us. We are a reflection of our families, our communities, and above all, of the Jewish people as a whole. The wrongdoings we commit may have ripple effects upon each, and by recognizing that, we may begin the path to repentance.
In Nitzavim, Moses says to the Israelites, “You are standing today, all of you, before G-d”—and for us, this mentality can be directed towards this upcoming New Year. The “plural” you that Moses spoke of is the same “we” that sit in this room, along with all other Jews awaiting and preparing for Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays. Though we may all be on our own paths to repentance, we should rise together this Rosh Hashanah as a group, not as individuals, so that together we may strengthen our covenant as a people with G-d.
Bettie wrote...