In this week’s double parashah, God concludes the covenant with the Israelites, and we move into the epilogue of the Book of Deuteronomy and of the entire Torah. We make the transition from the story of the Israelites to prophecies and preparation for what will occur after this stage in our story has concluded.
In Nitzavim, we learn that all of Israel, even the strangers tagging along, and even those who have not yet been born, are included in this Brit. God reminds the people of what we learned last week, that if they do not follow the covenant, terrible curses will afflict them. There is an interesting focus on what an individual Israelite might be thinking in his or her heart – what happens to the person who is secretly harboring thoughts disloyal to God and the Brit. The last verse of Chapter 28 is particularly puzzling, “concealed acts concern the Lord our God; but with overt acts, it is for us and our children ever to apply all the provisions of this Teaching.” We’ll look at some commentaries on this verse and the tension between concealed and revealed thoughts and actions.
In Vayelech especially, we see God figuring out how to deal with a major transition. When the people cross over the Jordan, they will move from having direct experience of God in the wilderness to needing to uphold the covenant in the Land without having had that direct experience. The solution comes in the form of texts and teaching: every year on Sukkot, the whole community must gather to hear the entire book of Deuteronomy read in public. In addition to this, God has Moses write down a poem that will serve as a witness against the people if they misbehave.
The JPS commentary points out that the Brit-concluding ceremony in Nitzavim requires full participation of every segment of the community: men and women, children, strangers, and all kinds of laborers. Later, in Vayelech, with the requirement to read Deuteronomy every year on Sukkot, we also see this emphasis on full participation of every segment of the community. Full participation seems to be a critical element to continuity of the Teaching and the Brit as well.
I’ll be curious to hear from you if you think that the written word, spoken in public in front of every element of the community is powerful enough to replace direct experience.
In fact, God predicts that these tools won’t be powerful enough. Before Moses dies, and as the leadership is being passed on to Joshua, God tells Moses what will happen in the future – the people will stray, and they will suffer exile. However, there is also a distinct theme of “teshuva.” Eventually the people will turn back to God and will be restored to the Land. A perfect theme for the Shabbat prior to Rosh Hashana.
Looking forward to our discussion!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Goldenberg
