Written by Hindy, יב תשרי תשפ”ב, October 7, 2022
If the Torah’s purpose is to be accessible to everyone, are we all able to grasp it?
Parshat Nitzavim is an introduction to Rosh Hashanah and falls out on the last Shabbos of the year. To recap, Moshe is going on in his farewell address, and seems to drive in one major point this Parsha, and that is to reach for the Torah. Moshe explained that the Torah is for everyone, men, women, children, converts, etc. and that each of us must choose the Torah for ourselves. How could everyone, all on different life paths, with different levels of observance, and different amounts of understanding all be able to access the Torah?
To access the Torah means to reach for it and then grasp it, but if we are all reaching for something different, how would we be able to gain from it (it being the Torah)? No matter our experiences, confidence in our abilities, or where and when we begin our learning, the Torah can be found and taken in. We should not view the Tanach and Talmud as tedious, rather we should approach our learning with the perspective of, “Let me learn some Torah today, some more tomorrow, and a new portion each day until I eventually master it”. This approach shows us that while we progress in our learning and Torah study, hasmada-consistency truly is key.
How do all different people, like you and like me, find something in the Torah and access it…and then furthermore hold on to what they’ve accessed? Moshe Rebbenu mentioned our collective Torah study time and time again, that it may be crucial to look at it as individuals as well. Intentionally choosing to just start learning something, and to hold yourself accountable in hasmada, that is what makes the Torah accessible to everyone. Just getting up and starting. It could be that we are entering this New Year of 5783 with goals in mind, with resolutions, but if we are only telling ourselves of them, or even writing them on paper, we need to go out and act upon them. We can all learn Torah if we go out and put intention into finding our “personal Torah”.
The parsha’s emphasis on Torah this week is not coincidentally read right before Rosh Hashanah. Torah study is one of the main ways of connecting with Hashem, and in a cyclical fashion, God puts all of our efforts in Torah learning back into us. In Mishlei-Proverbs, it is said about the Torah; “It is a tree of life for those who draw near it, and those who come close to it are fortunate. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace”. Going into the High Holidays, we are davening for ourselves and our families to be written and sealed in The Book of Good, the Book of Life. Right here in Parshas Nitzavim we are instructed as to how we get in “The Book”—it is through the Torah,and our study of it.
May we all use the Torah to connect further with Hashem, Ksiva Vchasima Tova, and shabbat shalom,
Hindy