This week’s Parashat is Nitzavim (“Standing”), Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20 Moses addresses the Israelites, emphasizing the importance of following G-d’s covenant and of not worshiping other gods. Moses describes the process of repentance and returning to G-d, and stresses that G-d’s commandments are achievable and “not in the heavens.”
This is very appropriate with the approaching of the High Holy Days. An important reminder of the Covenant with the Divine, and the process of true repentance and learning to change. Change is hard, but more so is taking the step to admitting you were wrong and being held accountable for what you need to do. That means to be better, improve yourself and your relationships with others.
As Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin mentions in her commentary “Torah explains that we decide how we will live. We have a choice…. The better we are at self-control, the less likely we are to be at the whim of our gut reactions. Thus, we can be more intentional about every action we take, especially when we interact with other people. Our interactions are based on our choices, rather than how we might instinctually behave. It is up to us to choose to live purposefully and righteously.”
Being decent human beings means knowing that we have responsibilities and that it is within our means to fulfill those obligations. We need to consciously choose how we want to conduct ourselves and our lives.
We need to choose to be thoughtful, purposeful, and intentional.
As we prepare to bring in the New Year, may these aspects of who we are and our traditions give us the strength and direction to move into a better future.
Shabbat Shalom and L’Shana Tova!
Guest Commentator: Larry Fox
Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20) Torah Reading for Shabbat, September 20, 2025
September 19, 2025 by tbhrich • D'var Torah
This week’s Parashat is Nitzavim (“Standing”), Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20 Moses addresses the Israelites, emphasizing the importance of following G-d’s covenant and of not worshiping other gods. Moses describes the process of repentance and returning to G-d, and stresses that G-d’s commandments are achievable and “not in the heavens.”
This is very appropriate with the approaching of the High Holy Days. An important reminder of the Covenant with the Divine, and the process of true repentance and learning to change. Change is hard, but more so is taking the step to admitting you were wrong and being held accountable for what you need to do. That means to be better, improve yourself and your relationships with others.
As Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin mentions in her commentary “Torah explains that we decide how we will live. We have a choice…. The better we are at self-control, the less likely we are to be at the whim of our gut reactions. Thus, we can be more intentional about every action we take, especially when we interact with other people. Our interactions are based on our choices, rather than how we might instinctually behave. It is up to us to choose to live purposefully and righteously.”
Being decent human beings means knowing that we have responsibilities and that it is within our means to fulfill those obligations. We need to consciously choose how we want to conduct ourselves and our lives.
We need to choose to be thoughtful, purposeful, and intentional.
As we prepare to bring in the New Year, may these aspects of who we are and our traditions give us the strength and direction to move into a better future.
Shabbat Shalom and L’Shana Tova!
Guest Commentator: Larry Fox