Devar/5770/Nitsavim-Vayelech
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עברית
English
For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off (Deut 30:12)
At the beginning of my path of becoming a practicing Jew, I was not at all familiar with the Torah -- therefore, I began to read it in order to become familiar with it. When I reached these verses, I was seized by wonder and emotion. I began to understand that the Torah does indeed speak to us, really, in each and every generation and wherever we may be. I began to understand that Torah study is not a dry intellectual pursuit, but rather something very practical -- as it says, it is not far off.
Beyond that, I understood that the Torah teaches us that every Jew is able to fulfill it, because it is not in Heaven (ibid 12). It was given to us as an inheritance in this world -- to fulfill it and to live according to it. It is not beyond the sea (ibid 13), that we need to seek out an exceptional sage to interpret it for us, because it is not just for sages, nor just for the righteous, nor just for the Cohanim -- rather it is every single Jew's inheritance -- both the great and the small together.
And since it is so, and in light of the period of the Days of Repentance quick approaching us, it is worthwhile and recommended to renew our connection to it, not just to learn or teach it, but principally to live it. Because the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it (ibid 14) -- it was given as a practical matter, to show us the path in this world, and to benefit us in the next one.
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