Nitzavim – Once Upon a Week

Read the transcript below, or watch a video of the teaching by Yehuda Bachana.

Even though, the final Torah portions are relatively short, they are full of excitement. Each week, we come closer to completing the Torah cycle, and with it the High Holy Days.

Usually, Parashat Nitzavim - Which means standing up straight, is seen as a continuation; or more precisely, as the calming Torah reading that follows, after last week’s horrifying curses. The Midrash explains:

The Midrash continues, by saying:

This same Midrash continues with a topic that is connected, and speaks about the redemption from those curses. However, the approach is from a slightly different angle:

This Midrash is very rich in content, and begins with a description of the pale faces of the Israelites, as they hear the terrible curses that would befall their descendants. Therefore, they ask:How can we get saved? Where is our hope? …Is there any hope, at all?

Then Moses answers them, and says:

Between the lines, there is a hint of criticism, that - especially in times of prosperity – we begin to worship idols and to abandon God's Torah. So, when do we tend to return to God, and to His Word? When do we stand firmly and proudly on our identity?

We tend to do so, especially in the difficult and dangerous times. That is why we are told that these troubles serve the goal:

According to the Midrash, the meaning of this verse is to guide us back to the good way. Then we will stand, back on our feet, and stand straight before God.

The second half of this Midrash, speaks about salvation through the light of God. Especially when we are surrounded by darkness, when we are alone, and in great distress: God reveals Himself to us in those very moments. As He revealed Himself to our father Jacob, who was on the run from his brother Esau, who wanted to hurt him.

Truly,

Jacob declares:

The literal meaning of Jacob’s declaration, is that God also exists in Beth-El. However, when reading between the lines, the verse could also be read with an additional meaning.Maybe… perhaps… Jacob is surprised to discover God is there, in the darkness.

Perhaps God reveals Himself to us, in such a crystal-clear way, during the scariest and darkest hours of life, at the very moment that we are completely exhausted, worn out and unable to go on.

And God is there, and reveals Himself in that darkest moment. And not only is God present in that place; but He also lifts us up, and brings us back on our feet.

The light mentioned in that Midrash is a clear hint to the Messiah, as Yeshua says:

According to Yeshua, redemption means victory of the light over the darkness. The Gospel of John begins with this victory:

The New Testament develops the concept of light, and declares that we, too, are light. ‘We’ refers to those faithful to Yeshua and to the Word of God. ‘We’ refers to those who study and implement His word:

In fact, the New Testament declares, that we are a display case of faith in God, and of faith in Yeshua the Messiah. When our lives, and we too, create a positive atmosphere - people see God, faith and the entire Torah in a good and positive light.

The Midrash we read earlier, continues by telling, that redemption will come when we are united:

The idea of a joint connection, that together we make-up a stronger and more resistant unit, reminds us yet again, of light. Every person, and within everyone, is light. In some of us, this light shines stronger and brighter; while in others, the light is smaller and more modest. Yet, together? Together we are a united force that is able to light up our surroundings and defeat darkness.

The importance of this connection to one another, and the importance of our mutual responsibility and unity is also expressed in the Biblical holidays. The feasts are meant to teach our history, culture and the Torah to our children; but perhaps also, and especially, to instill a sense of belonging in the future generation.

It is for this very reason, that we are commanded to involve the children in every feast. Our Biblical feasts are far from being ‘religious ceremonies for God-fearing adults’; rather, they are learning activities, for the benefit of our children.

And here we approach the High Holy Days, including Sukkot - Feast of Tabernacles. Every day during this feast, our children and we wave the four species, including: the lulav (a date palm branch), 3 branches of myrtle, 2 branches of willow and an ‘etrog’, a citron. Each of these four species characterizes the qualities of taste and smell; however together, they represent different types of people:

- the ‘etrog’ - a citron - has both a good taste and a nice smell. The etrog represents people who have: faith (or: knowledge of the Torah), as well as, good deeds;

- the ‘lulav’ – the date palm branch - reminds us of the sweet taste of the date (fruit), but it has no fragrance. The lulav represents people who have faith (or: knowledge of the Torah), but who are without good deeds;

- ‘Hadas’ – the myrtle - has a nice smell, but no taste. It represents good people, who do good deeds, but who don’t have faith, or knowledge of the Torah;

- ‘Aravah’ – the willow - has neither taste nor smell. It represents those who have no Torah, and no good deeds.

At Sukkoth, we hold all four species closely together, and teach our children that we should not only wish for the etrog, not only for those who have both faith and good deeds. Instead, we tell our children, that the commandment cannot be fulfilled with the etrog alone.

We need to add the willow, the one without smell or taste. We put those together, and add the date palm branch, and the myrtle. Only when all of those types of people are joined together, or as the Midrash puts it:

, and only then, are we able to fulfill the commandment for Sukkoth. When we are united together, all of us have a good taste, and all of us have a pleasant smell.

This is how we teach our children, and also, how we internalize that we’re a part of a community. Gatherings and a shared social life have always been part of the Jewish culture. Such approach is fundamental for the Messianic world, as it is a branch of Judaism.

For us, as believers, the congregation is our house of prayer and fellowship. The kehilla, our congregation, is the basis of our faith and life-style. The congregational life unites us, and when we are united in faith, nothing can break us.

As a believer, I am not alone, nor am I lonely - I am part of a community. One way to express this unity, is to help each other, to pray for one another and to strengthen each other.

According to the same Midrash, we all fall. And so, the role of the congregation, is to help us get back on our feet. In our congregation, as in any other congregation, we see people from all the four species. We see people we love more, and those we love less. There are people of prayer and faith, and there are those who are active and helpful.

However, together we are a community, a community that belongs to God and that is sanctified and purified by the redemption of Yeshua the Messiah.

Our Torah portion declares that Israel makes a covenant with God. At that very moment, and up until today: we all stood (and still stand) together, Israel and those who join themselves with Israel. We stand up straight before God, and everyone is equal before Him.

The leaders of the tribes, stand next to those who draw water. That includes us today, as we also stand in this covenant before God. We are all under this covenant, throughout many generations:

In my opinion, this verse places a great responsibility on our shoulders, a responsibility to bring the next generation under the same covenant, to pass the blessings and the Torah to them.

In general, this Torah portion deals with free will, which truly is a constant choice between good and evil. When we choose the good, we earn God’s blessing. The Word of God is not far from us, it is near, and there we find wisdom and success. The Word of God is a treasure:

This passage reminds me of a well-known Hasidic story: Once upon a time… there was a poor man, who dreamt of a treasure, hidden under a bridge in a distant country. After the dream repeated itself, time and again, this man decides to get up and go on a journey of hundreds of kilometers, to find that bridge and the treasure hidden under it.

After a long and rough journey, the man finally reaches the bridge. He slowly approaches the bridge and examines it from all sides. He is completely focused on the bridge, and sees nothing but the bridge.Suddenly, a stranger passes by and asks about his whereabouts. After hearing the story of the dream, and the journey, the stranger says:

"So what, if you dreamt?! I also dreamt that someplace far, there’s a man named …"At this point, the stranger mentions the exact name and address of our dreamer, and continues:

"there is a treasure hidden under his kitchen floor… Now, do you think I would wander such a distance to find a dream-treasure?”

Our man, who traveled so far, turns back home, where he digs under his kitchen floor and discovers the treasure.

This well-knows Hassidic story can be understood in two main ways: The first being, that this is a lesson for anyone who travels far, in order to study the Torah. It’s a lesson for those who look to find a spiritual teacher or mentor. There is no point in travelling far, the treasure is already within your reach. Our connection with God is personal and direct. We cannot be saved by a coach, nor a teacher. The treasure is right here in your Bible: dig in and study, and not someplace far.

However, there is also another way to read this story. There are those people, who need to search, and literally, reach the end of the world – in order to understand and accept that the treasure was all along at home, under their nose, in their Bible, and not overseas.

This understanding exists in the New Testament, as well. Let’s take a look at the parable of ‘the hidden treasure’, in comparison to the parable of ‘the Pearl of Great Value’, which appear next to each other, in Matthew chapter 13.

One parable tells us about a man, who accidentally found a treasure. He was not looking for it; however, the treasure found him, instead.On the contrary, there are people like the pearl merchant, who actively search for a treasure.

Of course, the lesson here, is the enormous value of the blessing, the complete salvation and the kingdom of heaven. That rich blessing is eternal life in the world to come. Whoever finds such a treasure, is ready to give up on everything else, in order to get it.

Whether you look for it, or discover it by chance, the treasure is here, in the Word of God.Yeshua is the treasure!