Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech
September 24, 2024
Rabbi Tavi Koslowe, Grade 9 Dean
While we may take it for granted that, each week, we simply read the parashah (Torah portion) from where we left off the previous week, there are actually several calculations that go into the timely pairing of a specific Torah portion to a Jewish holiday. For example, Maimonides describes that the Parashat Bamidbar should always be read on the Shabbat that precedes the holiday of Shavuot, Parashat Vaetchanan should always precede Tisha B’Av, and Parashat Nitzavim should always precede the holiday of Rosh HaShanah. Assuming that the deliberate pairing of a parashah to a holiday is meant to indicate a thematic connection, what is the bridge that we are meant to make between the Parashat Nitzavim and the upcoming holiday of Rosh HaShanah?
Before answering that, we should note that this year, as is often the case, Parashat Nitzavim will be read together with the parashah that follows it, Parashat Vayeilech. In fact, these two parshiyot are paired together so often that the 10th-century commentator, Rav Saadia Gaon, believed that the two parshiyot should actually be thought of as one parashah which is occasionally split into two. To my knowledge, there are no other “double parshiyot” that are looked at in the same way. Interestingly, the Hebrew names of these partner parshiyot, Nitzavim and Vayelekh mean somewhat contradictory things. The word nitzavim means “standing,” it implies an expectation that the people are going to stay in place and remain steadfast to the ideas that are being presented. In contrast, the word vayeilech means “moving,” and implies the need to seek out new ideas that haven’t existed before. Standing and walking, firm and flexible, stable and mobile – how are we meant to balance these contradictory ideas within one extended parashah of Nitzavim-Vayeilech?
Perhaps this textual ambivalence is the exact theme that we are meant to carry with us into the approaching holiday of Rosh HaShanah. Starting a new year, whether it be a school year, a fiscal year, or an agricultural one, requires a balanced approach. It would be unwise and unhelpful to start a new year without any regard or respect for what has come before it. We should reflect on what experiences have brought us to our present situation and, whenever possible, hold onto the skills and mindsets that have served us well and maintain the friendships and partnerships that have been important throughout our lives. At the same time, if we remain stagnant in a holding pattern, just trying to maintain the status quo, we will undoubtedly miss out on the potential for wonderful friendships that just haven’t developed yet, incredible perspectives that we never considered before, and a world of knowledge that was previously out of reach.
With that in mind, I offer my hopes and dreams for all of us to approach the upcoming season of holidays with both an appreciation for what brought us somewhere familiar and the inspiration to step into something new.
Shabbat Shalom.
Perhaps this textual ambivalence is the exact theme that we are meant to carry with us into the approaching holiday of Rosh HaShanah. Starting a new year, whether it be a school year, a fiscal year, or an agricultural one, requires a balanced approach. It would be unwise and unhelpful to start a new year without any regard or respect for what has come before it. We should reflect on what experiences have brought us to our present situation and, whenever possible, hold onto the skills and mindsets that have served us well and maintain the friendships and partnerships that have been important throughout our lives. At the same time, if we remain stagnant in a holding pattern, just trying to maintain the status quo, we will undoubtedly miss out on the potential for wonderful friendships that just haven’t developed yet, incredible perspectives that we never considered before, and a world of knowledge that was previously out of reach.
With that in mind, I offer my hopes and dreams for all of us to approach the upcoming season of holidays with both an appreciation for what brought us somewhere familiar and the inspiration to step into something new.
Shabbat Shalom.