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Parsha Perspectives: It is Closer Than You Think (Nitzavim/Vayelech)

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“For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, it is not far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell it to us, so that we can fulfill it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell it to us, so that we can fulfill it?” Rather, this thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.” (Devorim 30:11-14

Which “commandment” was Moshe Rabbeinu referring to? Many of the commentaries explain that Moshe was not referring to one specific mitzvah, rather to the Torah in its entirety. Moshe was telling the people, “although there are many mitzvos and expectations – do not get overwhelmed.  There are many obligations and responsibilities, but you will succeed.” Others explain that the mitzvah (commandment) refers to the mitzvah of Teshuva (repentance and return). Although we may stray far from God, the ability and opportunity to return and rekindle the relationship is always available to us.

Whatever the precise definition may be – the message is the same. Creating personal holiness, cultivating a spiritual identity, cementing a passionate relationship with God may seem difficult, but all our spiritual aspirations are within reach

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) advances an alternate insight. Moshe says to the Jewish people:

Lo Ba’Shamayim Hi, It is not in the heavens – God does not ask you to live in the heavens. God does not expect us to achieve angelic perfection. He does not ask us to stop being human and live in the celestial sphere. He does not even demand of us to be wholly righteous

What does God ask of us?

Ki Karov Eylecha HaDavar, this thing is very close to you – Just reach a bit beyond yourself. Hashem wants us to grow. It does not have to be dramatic or heroic growth, just be a little more, just become a bit holier each and every day. When Yaakov fled from home to escape the wrath of Esav, he received a magnificent vision. He saw a ladder with its base on the earth, yet its top extended into the heavens. What was the meaning of this vision?  Yaakov was to be the father of the 12 tribes, the father of Bnai Yisroel, and God was communicating to him the Divine expectations of Yaakov’s offspring. God says to us: “Life is a ladder – all I ask is that you try to advance up the rungs. You need not climb two at a time; you need not ascend at a quick pace, just climb. Just take the opportunities that are within reach (karov- close) and find a way to move yourself and your life forward.”

This was one of the last messages Moshe gave to our ancestors. Moshe who taught us so much, provided us with the Divine framework for successful living, concluded his tenure of leadership with a simple message. God does not expect perfection, God does not need us to be angels. He just wants us to grow. All Hashem desires is for us to climb the ladder of personal development and self-actualization

As we enter the Yomim Noraim we must feel confident and excited for the year ahead. There is much we must accomplish and much we must rectify. There are things which work well, things which need repair and things which must be fundamentally changed. But we must remember Rome was not built in a day. People are not built in a day. To fully actualize our potential takes years and for some, an entire lifetime. Yet, all God asks of us is just a little growth every day. All my Father desires is for me to try to climb up another rung. And if I fall, all He asks is for me to find the courage to begin the ascent once again. Ki Karov Eylecha HaDava, (it is very close to us) – happiness, fulfillment and self-actualization are all closer than we think. All we need to do is reach a bit beyond ourselves.

I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you Kesiva V’Chasima Tova. May each us, together with our families and our nation, be inscribed for year of life, growth, holiness, health, happiness, and redemption.

Sourcesheet

Parsha Perspectives: Vayelech/Yom Kippur – Start Dreaming

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If there is one prayer that resonates in the heart of every Jew it is Kol Nidrei. The very tune is haunting yet enchanting, saddening yet uplifting. Yet, when one looks at the words – they seem to be anything but inspirational. Kol Nidrei is a form of Hataras Nedorim, revocation of vows. We begin the holiest day of the year by releasing ourselves from the vows of the past and proactively annulling the vows of the future. On a legal level this is very important as violating one’s vow is considered a severe transgression. We do whatever we can to repent and absolve ourselves of sin as we enter this sacred day. And still, we find ourselves confounded by a basic question: of all the beautiful prayers we have in our liturgy, why begin the holiest day of the year with revocation of vows? There are many prayers with moving words, prayers that capture the true essence of Yom Kippur; prayers that speak to the theme of purity and repentance. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to use some of these prayers as the liturgical introduction to this holy day? Why do we begin with Kol Nidrei? What is the message?

Perhaps, to answer this question we must strive to understand the purpose and power of a neder (vow). The paradigmatic neder is the Nazirite vow. A person takes a vow to abstain from wine and cutting his hair. The Nazir is forgoing certain physical pleasures and choosing to place less emphasis on his “self.” Why would a person do such a thing? The Rabbis explain – because deep down he knows he can be something more, deep down he knows he possesses greatness within but needs the proper framework to extract it. He needs to shift the focus from pleasure seeking to purpose seeking. Sometimes in life we need a push; we need some level of tension to actualize our potential. This is the neder – the binding promise which creates the framework to allow the individual to access his internal reservoir of potential.

To take this one step further, perhaps, the neder can be viewed as a personal aspiration or dream. I know where I am now, and I know where I need to be; the neder is the vehicle to help me bridge the gap. The neder creates a legal reality in which I must actively work to actualize my dream/aspiration. But there is a danger in dreaming – many dreams fail to materialize, many dreams come crashing down, many dreams end in disappointment. When one experiences too many failed dreams, one loses his resolve and courage to dream any more. It is too hard to leave oneself open to hurt and feelings of failure; better to live without dreams than to dream and fail.

This coming Tuesday night when we enter the hallowed sanctity of Yom Kippur, we reflect on last year and realize that many of the things we wanted to do, we didn’t. Many of the dreams we had remain unrealized or worse, ended in failure. And so, the first thing we do on this sacred day is revocation of vows, Hataras Nedorim – we let go of our failed dreams. We let go of the unrealized dreams of last year. We let go because we will not allow ourselves to be burdened by the yolk of failed dreams. Carrying around these failures can be stifling. We let go in order to dream anew.

This is our mandate over Yom Kippur – dream a new dream! Ask yourself, who do I want to be? What do I want my life to look like? What do I need to accomplish? We unburden ourselves in order to fill our hearts and souls with new, magnificent and holy dreams for the coming year.  There is no better, more appropriate way to start this special day than with the recitation of Kol Nidrei.

I hope and pray that we will each find the courage to dream a new dream. Let us hope that God sees the beauty in our dreams and gives us the strength to make them come true.

G’mar Chasima Tova and Good Shabbos

 

Sourcesheet