Parashat: Nitzavim

Parashat: Nitzavim
Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you may live—you and your descendants…”

— Deuteronomy 30:19

For thirteen years (post-bat mizvah!) this was one of three verses that I read to close out our Yom Kippur morning services at Temple Beth El in Spring Valley, NY. The line, “choose life so that you may live” was so important to me that it made its way onto my personalized shtender, which followed me from yeshiva to Hillel to rabbinical school to Columbia, Maryland. We’ve heard the importance of ensuring that our lives are “worth living,” but what does it look like to “choose life” in order to ensure that you and your generations will continue to live?

As we head into the High Holy Days, “choosing life” hits a little harder, acknowledging that this is the time of year where we hope to be written and sealed in the Book of Life. For us, perhaps it means really taking a look at the life we’re living and doing an accounting: are we spending our time wisely? Are we learning with and from those around us? Are we leaving a positive mark on the world? When we acknowledge that every day of life is not only a gift, but also a choice, we are prepared to approach it more thoughtfully with strength and fortitude.

— Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss