Isabella Flax – Year 10

Joshua New – Year 10

Isabella: Nitzavim-Vayelekh is the shortest double parashah in the Torah: shorter than most other single parshiyot. In Nitzavim, Moshe describes the Covenant between God and the Israelites, urging the Israelites to uphold the Covenant and honour the Torah so that they may be rewarded with life in the Land of Israel. Moshe gathers the Israelites to enter them into a covenant with God. He warns of the exile and desolation of the Holy Land that will result when Israel abandons God’s laws, but assures them that they will eventually repent, and God will then return His people to the Land. This portion also talks about freedom of choice and an approach to change our ways for the good that later developed into the mitzvah of teshuvah.

Joshua: In the second half of the parashah, Vayelekh, we read of Moshe’s last days as he tells the people of Israel that he has turned 120 years old and is not allowed to proceed into the Land of Israel. He passes on leadership to Yehoshu’a and writes out the Torah (the teaching spoken to the people) and gives it to the elders of the Israelites. He then tells the Israelites that on every seventh year, all of the people of Israel will congregate for Sukkot and the king will publically read the Torah to the people. The final thing we are told in this Parashah is that Moshe warns the people that the people of Israel will stray away from their covenant with God and when they do, God will hide himself or herself or itself from the people and they will face many evils and troubles.

Isabella: Ok, so now to talk about the first half: Nitzavim. The part I found the most interesting talks about communal responsibility. In the parashah, it says: “The hidden matters are for God to deal with. However, the revealed matters are for us and our descendants forever to fulfil all the words of this Torah.” One interpretation of this is that our secret sins are between us and God only, as we cannot possibly be punished for something we had no idea about. However, if someone was to know about wrongdoing and didn’t do anything to stop it, then this would go against the values outlined in the Torah. So, how can we relate this to ourselves?

In our own lives, we have all seen others doing the wrong thing and been faced with the dilemma if we should report them or not. Whether it’s bullying, cheating on a test, or something else entirely, we’ve all had to decide whether or not to be a bystander. While sometimes it may seem like we should take the easy way out, this Torah portion asks people to do whatever they can to stop others from wrongdoing. Basically, the Torah is asking us to take responsibility not just for own actions, but the actions of others.

Joshua: In Vayelech, the one thing that was quite strange was that unlike previous situations in the Torah, in this parashah God didn’t tell the people of Israel that they shouldn’t stray from the Torah, but rather that they will, and these are the consequences. This in a way contradicts what has been said in Nitzavim: God is in a way saying that the Israelites should just sit back and let their fellow people stray from their religion, when just before he had told the people to take action and as Bella said, try to step in against things like bullying, cheating or in this case, abandoning the Torah. One very strong message that we can take from these parshiyot and apply to our everyday lives comes not from within the actual readings, but rather from their names.

The name of the first parashah, Nitzavim, means ‘You are standing’, while Vayelech, the name of the second parashah, means ‘And he went’. These two names contradict themselves, as someone can’t be standing still and going somewhere at the same time. However, one way that these two names together can make sense is that you must stand firm in what you believe, which in essence is what God wants from the Israelites, as He hopes that they do not stray from their Covenant with God. Once you are firm with your beliefs, you must then be proactive and an upstander, going towards what you believe in.