A Good and Sweet Year - Nitzavim 5785 - Pre-Rosh Hashanah

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Parshat Nitzavim is always read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah.  Our Sages taught that one connection between the two is a mystical interpretation of the first verses of the Parsha.  The simple meaning is that right before Moshe passed away, he charged the people with a covenant and an oath between Hashem and all the people: “You are all standing today before G-d, your G-d — the leaders of your tribes, your elders, your sheriffs, and every Israelite man, your young children, your women, and your converts who are in your camp, from your woodcutter to your water-drawer — in order to perform a ritual by which you will enter into a covenant with G-d, your G-d — and to take His oath to uphold it—which G-d, your G-d, is making with you today.” (Devarim 29:9-11)


In addition to the actual event that happened then, there is an eternal message here that relates to all times.  “Today” refers to the special day of Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world.  On this day the entire Jewish nation stands in unity, recommitting to our connection to Hashem and and our acceptance of His :Malchut” - His sovereignty over the world and over us.  The word used here for standing - “Nitzavim” - means more than just standing on our feet.  It has the connotation of standing strong and victorious.  These words, therefore, are Hashem’s blessing to us that on the Day of Judgment we should receive a positive judgment and all good things for the New Year.


We need it now as much as ever.  The blessings for a good year for all Jews everywhere, and the need for unity amongst all our people.  As the Talmud (Megillah 31a) says explaining why we read the curses in the Torah just before Rosh Hashanah (last week), “May the year and its curses end.”  May the new year and its blessings begin.


Rosh Hashanah is a very uplifting time.  The sound of the Shofar evokes our essential bond with Hashem, representing the cry from the depths of our soul that says that no matter what, we are one with Him.  The prayers, the special meals and foods like apples in honey and pomegranates, the Tashlich prater at the water, the extra Tehillim that it is customary to say, all of this lifts us to new heights and “resets” our priorities and who we are.


I encourage you to take some time over the next few days to read and study as much as you can about the Holiday, its laws and customs, its deeper meaning and the lessons we can take with us for the entire year.  Rosh Hashanah means not the beginning of the year but the “head” of the year.  Just as the head controls the entire body, so Rosh Hashanah impacts the entire year.  


One custom we have during the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah is to adopt a couple of new Mitzvot, a positive and a negative, or to enhance the Mitzvot that we are already doing.  This means actually committing to start doing a positive Mitzvah and refraining from something forbidden.  We all have areas we can improve, and a down to earth specific commitment carries the emotion of the holiday forward in a lasting way.


(By the way, this is a perfect time to order your Four Species.  We will have our famous “Etrog market” open as usual before Sukkot, but it is best to order in advance.  chabadpaloalto.com/lulav.)


You can find a wealth of information here.  At Chabad, everyone is welcome to come and participate in the services, the Kiddush and the community spirit.  Donations are voluntary and there are no tickets.  I hope to see you, and may we all be blessed with a truly sweet year, freedom for our hostages, an end to our enemies, to violence and anti-Semitism, true peace and tranquility in Israel and around the world, and the coming of Moshiach when the world will be as it should be.


Feel free to respond with any questions or comments you may have,  Ketivah Vachatima Tova.

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