Rosh Hashanah Nitzavim
Monday, 18 September 2006
נִצָּבִים
This week’s parasha opens; אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים — “You are standing.” As the Israelites stood poised on the brink of a new life and renewed relationship with God. We stand here today, either returning or for the first time, at a new beginning.
This פָּרָשָׁה is about a covenant between God and our people, and as we embark on a new term we renew that covenant in reaffirming our values and obligations as a community. This passage is both timeless and inclusive of all Jews; including future generations. The פָּרָשָׁה says;
“וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶּנוּ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם.” “And with those of you who are not here with us this day.”
In addition to the broader values we hold as a people, this is a distinctive covenantal relationship between God and each person, allowing us to choose our own right path. Each of the patriarchs are mentioned here by name because God has a unique relationship with each of them as he does with the women, children, woodcutters and water bearers. These different categories of people may also be interpreted as different aspects of ourselves, calling us to stand firm in the truth and wholeness of who we are before God. נִצָּב indicates an upright position, not only literal standing but taking a stand. עוֹמֵד suggests that someone is standing but could move at any moment. נִצָּב connotes standing firm.
We are focusing on the section we read today from נִצָּבִים, but I do love that this פָּרָשָׁה is coupled in our reading cycle with וַיֵּלֶךְ , meaning; and he went. נִצָּבִים indicates the period of stillness, of being firmly planted and grounded in our values before going.
On the Days of Awe, we pause in the attempt to integrate the disparate aspects of ourselves. We become less fragmented by standing before God in the truth of our being with our faults and vulnerabilities are exposed. There is a Leonard Cohen quote;
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget that perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
We cannot perform genuine תְּשׁוּבָה until we have looked at ourselves honestly. And sometimes, unexpectedly, we find light amongst the shards.
The Israelites in נִצָּבִים have spent forty years wandering in the wilderness. Yet here they are on the brink of the life they and their ancestors have worked towards; not knowing what lies ahead. The people are poised, ready to move into the Promised Land. It is the culmination; their journey’s end, as well as its beginning.
For me personally, the past three years have been ones of tremendous struggle - adrift in my own desert. Although when people think desert, they don’t normally think Toronto. In some ways returning to college feels like the finale to that journey, yet it is also a renewed beginning as it is for all of us today.
In this month of אֱלוּל, we are almost at an ending, fast approaching a literal new year as well as our new college year with new principal and new students. נִצָּבִים goes on to be the ultimate פָּרָשָׁה about choices. We are standing at this juncture of a new beginning with choices abounding.
Being away for three years I’ve had ample time to reflect on my first two years at the college, wondering about and questioning the choices I made. In the end, that contemplation only felt meaningful if it informed the decisions on my return, about who, and what kind of rabbi I hope to be. I am not talking about which job will I get or whether congregants will like or employ me.
What are the ideals we aspire to live? What are the words we want to say? What risks are we willing to take to live and speak the values we hold? What are we willing to sacrifice in order to challenge injustice and unfairness? Where do we each stand in relation to God? Even the questions are my own. Ultimately, each of us must decide what to inquire of our own soul.
נִצָּבִים. It is the time for reflection, for steadying ourselves in our values and priorities. It is the moment of stillness before we embark on this journey together.
