It Belongs To All Of Us | The Derusha Update

The Derusha Update

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From around the world of books and blogs -
Thoughts on the weekly Torah portion and more /
Enjoy!

This Weekend's [Double] Portion:
 "You Are All Standing Today..."
 "And Moses Went..."
  [ Deut 29:9-31:30 ]
read on Sat Sept 9, Shabbath Elul 24

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Moses continues his farewell address to the children of Israel, who are gathered together in their encampment on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River. Recalling the wondrous deeds that God has done on behalf of them, Moses describes their relationship with God in terms of sovereignty and loyalty that are familiar to them. In no uncertain terms, Moses declares the Torah - the Law of Israel which is the foundation of Israelite culture - to be eternally valid, freely accessible to each and every child of Israel, and not just a "priviliged few." Moses finally begins the preparations for his coming death, which include appointing his student, Joshua, as his successor and instructing the priests to write down the laws and the people to assemble every seven years "before God" and read them together.

This week's concluding reading from Isaiah asks us all to seek out God and observe the terms of the covenant which God contracted with us, for God's promises and commitments are always kept, no matter what. Special mention is made of the non-Jewish "foreigners" who lovingly keep the Sabbaths and the covenant, and will be gathered in and accepted in God's house alongside the Jews.

Looking for something good to read?

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE by Marino
"I've seen godly men full of morals sit idly in their homes while the paper boy brings news of murder most foul in the back of death bringing vans and coughing pits."

WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN by Joseph Haddad
"Why are we here? Where are we headed? A serious reading of the book of Genesis will help us understand the answer to these questions."

GOY by Ranjit Chatterjee
"One gets here into the tangle that if everything is an illusion then the statement too is an illusion. Yet only a fool or a naif does not recognize the limpid and irrefutable paradox that a thing can not be known as it is, only through a means of knowing, and the means of knowing is no use at all without a means of communicating what has been learnt."

Questions and Commentary

"You are all standing today before God, your Authority - your representatives, your elders, your officials; every person of Israel." [ 29:9 ]

Review the first pasuk of the Sedra (i.e. 29:9), noting the meaning of the word 'nitzavim'. What is the 'shoresh' [root] of this word, and why do you think that Moshe Rabbeinu chose this word to describe this 'setting'? In your opinion, does the noun 'matzeva' [a monument] stem from the same root? If so, explain why. Menachem Leibtag

"God, your Authority, will bring you to the Land that your ancestors possessed, and you will reposses it. [God] will be good to you and make you flourish even more than your ancestors." [ 30:5 ]

If there is indeed any "covenant" of a shared destiny, it...is between Jews and Native Americans. Many similarities can be seen between these two groups. For both, the basis of religious beliefs and practices is an attachment to a specific pice of sacred land. The Jews regained their indigenous homeland after 1,878 years of exile. In the last twenty years or so, Native American nations have become more aggressive in reclaiming land, fishing, and hunting rights. In some cases, significant strides have been made. Judith Antonelli

"It is not in the heavens, that you should say, 'Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?" [ 30:12 ]

Israel had its priests, but unlike those of Egypt's temples or of Greece's oracle places, their knowledge of God's law was not exclusive....Israel's priests dealt at all times with a law and a tradition available to all....In the religious traditions of antiquity, such a commitment to universal accessibility was unique, and it had an even more profound effect on the Jewish people as the centuries passed. The study of Torah became the supreme preoccupation of the Jew; none was too humble to be excluded from the mitzvah of learning and none too prominent to be excused from it. W. Gunther Plaut

"And God said to Moses: Your days are drawing near to death - call Joshua..." [ 31:14 ]

For every person needs to diminish one's own honor and to increase the honor of the Omnipresent; for whomever chases after honor does not merit the honor of God but rather the honor of rulers, as was declared regarding it, 'The honor of rulers is a matter of investigation' - everyone investigates after him and questions, 'Who is this and what is this, that they apportion him this honor?' And they divide against him, declaring that he is unfit for this honor. However, whomever flees from honor, diminishing one's own honor and increasing the honor of the Omnipresent, then one merits the honor of God, and then people do not investigate his honor, if he is fit or not, and regarding this it was declared, 'The honor of God is a hidden matter' - for it is prohibited to investigate [God's] honor. Nahman of Breslov

"A wicked one will leave that path and a person filled with sin, those thoughts; let these turn to God who whill have mercy on them and to our Authority who is abundant in forgiveness. 'Because My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways,' says God. 'As far as the heavens are above the earth, so are my thoughts above your thoughts.'" [ Isaiah 55:7-9 ]

God doesn't hold grudges the way we do, even after we seem to "forgive and forget." This is a reminder to treat other people as we hope God will treat us. We want to be completely forgiven. We must remember to extend that same unqualified forgiveness to otherse....We cannot see the whole pattern of the universe, or know what part our piece plays in it. But we do fathom what it might mean to be near to God, nearer than we are. By striving to make God's will central to our lives, we increase the possibility of calling God nearer to us, which will nourish us and keep us on the path of righteousness. Susan Gulack

News and Views

Land of Confusion – A Response to R. Broyde on Women Leading Kabbalat Shabbat
[ opinion @ YUTOPIA ]

A Time to Ban, A Time to Defer
[ reflection @ Hirhurim-Musings ]

Rethinking 'stam yeinam'
[ opinion @ Jewschool ]

New article on the Hazon Ish by Yakir Englander
[ review @ The Book of Doctrines and Opinions ]

The Best Insurance
[ gratitude @ Lazer Beams ]

Drink Your Honey This Rosh Hashanah – Mead and Hard Cider Cocktails
[ alcohol @ the Jew & the carrot ]