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<font size="+1">Thursday, September 10, 2009<br>
Commentary on Parshat Nitzavim-Va'yelekh<br>
<br>
This week's Torah portion is Nitzavim-Vayelekh (Devarim/Deuteronomy<br>
29:9 - 31:30). It is one of seven parashiot/portions that is read as a<br>
double portion in a non-leap year order to assure that the entire<br>
Torah is read in the course of a single year. The parashah/portion is<br>
near the end of Moses' speeches to the people before he is to die.<br>
Nitzavim begins with Moses telling the people that he is addressing<br>
his remarks to all those who "stand this day, before the Eternal your<br>
God. To enter into the covenant God swore to your ancestors. I make<br>
this covenant, both with those who are standing here with us this day<br>
and with those who are not with us here this day."<br>
<br>
In the beginning of Vayelekh, Moses warns them that God has revealed<br>
to him that, after his death, "the people will go astray and worship<br>
alien gods. They will break the covenant that God had made with them.<br>
Many evils will then befall them, at which point they will say to<br>
themselves, "`surely it is because God is not in our midst that this<br>
evil has befallen us."<br>
<br>
The juxtaposition of these two opening phrases seems at first to be a<br>
contradiction, and yet I believe instead that they present us with a<br>
necessary tension that is an essential part of life. My teacher and
friend,<br>
Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg teaches that life<br>
is a series of events that can be encapsulated in the phrase "fall<br>
down get up." I have intentionally not place any punctuation in this<br>
phrase in order to emphasize R. Weinberg's point that this is a<br>
continual process and not two distinct activities. For, in the reality<br>
of the moment, when we fall, we instinctively begin the process of<br>
returning to where we were before we fell. Yes, it is true<br>
that certain physical falls may make it impossible for us to rise, but<br>
our instinct is to do so as quickly as possible.<br>
<br>
However, in our spiritual lives we often fall and then get stuck in<br>
the prone position unable to lift ourselves up again. We begin to
wallow in<br>
the muck that we believe to be our lives. We fill ourselves with<br>
negative messages that we are incompetent, ineffective, incapable of<br>
doing things differently, or simply bad people. In short, we see
ourselves as powerless and unable to change.<br>
<br>
In the beginning of Nitzavim, Moses is speaking to both "with those<br>
who are standing here with us this day and with those who are not with<br>
us here this day." Moses is speaking to all of us and we are<br>
standing upright. As a spiritual metaphor, when we are<br>
"standing" upright before God we are fully present and aware of<br>
our connection to the Divine. We know that God is a part of us and that
we<br>
are a part of God. We sense our connection to humanity and the world,<br>
which are also a part of God. This sense of connection then calls to<br>
us to take the next "step" on our journey. This is a journey of<br>
holiness, the goal of which is the betterment of God's world and<br>
strengthening the connection of all to God, self, and others.<br>
<br>
With God as our source of strength, we embark on this journey. At<br>
this time of year, we also embark on this journey with a sense that we<br>
are returning to our "true" spiritual selves through the work of<br>
teshuvah, the act of turning and repentance. However, somewhere along<br>
the way we are each destined to experience moments that are reflected<br>
in the opening lines of Vayalekh: "[in the future] the people will go<br>
astray and worship alien gods. They will break the covenant that God<br>
had made with them. Many evils will then befall them, at which point<br>
they will say to themselves, 'surely it is because God is not in our<br>
midst that this evil has befallen us.' "<br>
<br>
What this text is telling us is that somewhere along the journey we
will fall down.<br>
At some point we willstray from the path upon which we have been
walking, as we are<br>
distracted by "alien gods," or those things that appeal to our passions<br>
and desires, but which ultimately are destructive forces in our world<br>
and our lives. These forces separate us from the godliness within<br>
and around us. This sense of separation and alone-ness are<br>
antithetical to the sense of connection and at-one-ness that are at<br>
the heart of a spiritual life. They leave us vulnerable, depressed,<br>
dejected and certain that the future holds nothing but despair. It is<br>
at these moments that we say to ourselves "surely …God is not our<br>
midst."<br>
<br>
Yet, we forget that God is always in our midst. God is<br>
always within each of our souls. Rather, it is we who are no longer<br>
in God's midst, as if that were possible. By focusing on the forces that<br>
draw us away from God, it feels as if we are no longer standing in God's<br>
presence, even though God is always there within us. We have
experienced the<br>
"fall down," but we are unable to continue with "get up." We are<br>
alone. We are forlorn. We are powerless.<br>
<br>
We are … and we are not. For, in truth, we are never alone. However,<br>
it is true we are powerless.<br>
<br>
Yet, the feeling of powerlessness is actually not a negative<br>
experience, though our ingrained habits and beliefs lead us to label<br>
it as such. For in reality, it the experience and acceptance of our<br>
powerlessness that then allows us to realize that there is a power<br>
within us that can lift us up after all. However, that power does not<br>
come from us, but rather it flows through us and has its source in the<br>
Divine. As we read in the first of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics<br>
Anonymous, we must "admit that we are powerless" and then turn to God as<br>
our true source of power before we can move on.<br>
<br>
When we are spiritually in balance and we fall down, we can<br>
get up with relative ease. One might call this our `autonomic spiritual<br>
system' at work. For just as our autonomic nervous system tells our<br>
body to breathe without any thought on our part, so "fall down"<br>
causes us to instinctively "get up" spiritually when we are in balance.
However,<br>
when we are in the spiritual state described above, when we fall down<br>
we then find it difficult, if not impossible, to get up.<br>
<br>
At these moments we must not struggle to lift ourselves or "pull<br>
ourselves up by our bootstraps," as the classic American ethos might<br>
tell us to do. Rather, we must simply lie where we are. We must pay<br>
attention to what is happening within and around us. We should not<br>
judge our situation or ourselves in a negative light (or any light, for
that matter).<br>
Rather, we must simply experience the moment as it is, without judgment
or commentary.<br>
<br>
Spiritually lying there we can see ourselves as we are at that moment
and we can experience<br>
our powerlessness, as frightening as that might feel. Then, slowly,<br>
moment by moment, we can begin to notice that there is something else<br>
present within us and around us. That something is the Divine flow of<br>
energy that we first simply pay attention to, then eventually turn to,<br>
in order to give us strength to face the challenge of the moment and<br>
eventually get up.<br>
<br>
As we prepare to enter the Ten Days of Teshuvah/Return next week, let us<br>
remember that life is a series of these various types of moments. Some<br>
are "fall down get up" moments and others are "fall down, stay down,<br>
be present, and let God lift us up" moments. Both are part of life.<br>
Neither is better or worse. Both simply are what they are.<br>
In reviewing the series of moments that make up the year that is about<br>
to end, let us not judge ourselves for what has occurred. We each<br>
make choices that we might label as "mistakes" and choices that we<br>
might label as "good." But let us now simply see what has been, make<br>
amends for choices we have made and things we have done that have<br>
harmed self or others, and remember that in the end that we are all<br>
human, but that our ultimate strength comes from the Divine within.<br>
<br>
If we do this, then we are prepared to take the first step of the new<br>
year and continue on our path of falling down, getting up, and<br>
everything else that we call the blessing of life.<br>
<br>
Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah,<br>
<br>
Rabbi Steve </font><br>
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<div class="Section1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;">Steven
P.
Nathan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;">Campus
Rabbi<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;">Hampshire
College<span style="">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;">Office
of
Spiritual Life – Box SA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;">Amherst,
MA
01002<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;">Phone:
(413)
559-5282<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;">Fax:
(413)
559-5663<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Cambria; color: black;"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:snathan@hampshire.edu">snathan@hampshire.edu</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Cambria Italic"; color: black;"><i>"The
more deeply immersed I became in the thinking of the
prophets, the more powerfully it became clear to me what the lives of
the
prophets sought to convey: that morally speaking there is no limit to
the
concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 5pt; font-family: "Cambria Italic"; color: black;"><i><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Cambria Italic"; color: black;"><i>“It
also became clear to me that in regard to cruelties
committed in the name of a free society, some are guilty, all are
responsible."<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 5pt; font-family: "Cambria Italic"; color: black;"><i><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Cambria; color: black;">-Rabbi
Abraham Joshua Heschel<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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