Parashat: Nitzavim-Vayeilech

Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30

“Be strong and resolute, do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is Adonai, your God, who will go with you, who will not fail you nor forsake you.”

~Deuteronomy 31:7

When we are at a precipice in life, things can seem frightening. Looking out over the unknown, we can feel how little we know, how small we are, how vast the opportunities ahead of us expand. For those who prefer the comfort of a secure steady ground, new changes and choices can seem daunting, especially when we feel the weight of our own responsibilities. The Israelites, who for years have been able to lay their worries, fears, and blame on a family of leaders are about to head into the unknown “Promised Land” without the leader who’s been guiding them for decades.

And yet, Moses reminds them, despite his own pain at being literally left behind—“be strong and resolute, do not be afraid…” He has already deputized Joshua in front of all of the people. He knows that there will be difficulties and nations that will challenge the Israelites for generations to come. And yet…the understanding is that fear should never stop people from doing what it is that they need to do.

Moses softens the blow, not alluding to Joshua’s leadership, but reminding the people that the same God who had gone with them through their wilderness wanderings will be beside them in the next part of this journey—not to desert them in the final frontier. Our Israelite forebears are expected to look to God as a steadying hand in an uncertain and volatile world; a foreshadow of our own celebrations of the Yamim Noraim that are rapidly heading our way. It is, I hope, a comfort to know even in our own times, that bravery and resoluteness can be deepened by the surety of a secure presence in our corner.

~Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss