Nitzavim -Vayelech

The longest aliyah in Nitzavim, the shortest Parshah in the Torah, deals again with the consequences of disobedience to the Torah.  After, describing the destruction of the Land and the exile of her people, it ends with the rather enigmatic statement that: ‘the hidden things are for the L-rd our G-d, but the revealed are for us..’.  Rashi connects this verse to the passage proceeding.  We see there, that the Torah starts with the sin of one family that chooses to ignore the covenant with G-d; ending however, with the exile of the whole people and the desolation of the Land.  Hearing this, the people are anxious.  How is it possible for the whole nation to be responsible for the actions, let alone the thoughts, of one person.  To this, the last verse is an answer.  The hidden things, peoples thoughts and what they do behind closed doors, is up to G-d to judge.  It is only the public actions of the individual for which the whole community is to be held responsible.  This comment teaches us an important lesson.  On the one hand, we are all responsible for each other.  For Judaism, a person is never just an individual but also a member of a community.  His actions have an effect on the welfare of the whole of society and are therefore rightly the concern of the collective.  Yet this involvement in peoples lives has limits.  It does not extend to peoples private thoughts or even private actions.  It is not the concern of the community to investigate or be interested in the individual’s private decisions on a whole range of issues, that don’t necessarily impact directly on the wellbeing of society.  People, even in a Jewish community, have the right to a private life.  Yet, our society seems to have inverted this instruction of the Torah.  While there is less interest in public policy than ever before, there is an explosion of intrusion into private activity.  Less people vote or are involved in a political party; yet our taste for celebrity gossip seems insatiable.  The private antics of one celebrity are considered more newsworthy than the death of thousands.  This is surely an extremely unhealthy development, that shows a dangerous lack of maturity among the populace.  This is something that as we approach the days of introspection surely needs to be addressed.  This year, let us concentrate of what is really important.

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Rishon	The covenant with all generations. Breaching the covenant will lead to exile and desolation.
Sheni	If Israel returns to G-d in exile, he will return them to the Land.
Shelishi	The return of prosperity. The Torah is available to all.
Revi’i	Moses sets before the people the choice of life and death. The last day of Moses’ life.
Chamishi	The writing of the Torah.  The mitzvah of Hakhel.
Shishi	After Moses’ death the people will sin and be punished.
Shevi’i	Moses writes his song as a witness against the people.
Haftorah	Isaiah; 60: G-d will stand by Israel throughout all their troubles.

 

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Parshat Netzavim - Vayelech

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 It is a mitzvah for everyone to participate in the writing of a Sefer Torah.