Nitzavim/Vayelech Drash

It is not hard

I love the Parashat of Nitzavim. It Seems to me HaShem, through Moshe is really making the obedience personal to the individuals. As well it seems he is really removing any and all excuses from disobedience to the the Torah. Part of what I learn from this is nothing has really changed with humanity in regards to needing things broken down to the most basic principles. As such I am always glad to read this, as I often times need to review the basics.

1st Who is HaShem even talking too?

Deuteronomy 29:9 “You are standing today, all of you, before Adonai your God—the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officials, all the men of Israel, 10your children, your wives, and the outsider within your camp (from your woodchopper to your water carrier). 11Each of you is to cross over into the covenant of Adonai your God that He is cutting with you today, and into His oath.

So he is talking to everyone as in everyone as in everyone. The Israelite and the non-Israelite.

2nd Why is HaShem doing this? Well...

12“This is in order to confirm you today as His people. So He will be your God, just as He promised you and just as He swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.

It is this simple nothing else is needed this confirms the people as his.

Just in case we forgot or there is any confusion of what he meant by everyone.

13Not with you alone am I cutting this covenant and this oath, 14but with whomever is standing here with us today before Adonai our God and with whomever is not here with us today.

He includes everyone there and everyone not there. So again everyone as in everyone as in everyone.

Then continuing to chapter 30 we get to my most favorite part. What does HaShem want and can we even do it?

Deuteronomy 30:11–16 ““For this mitzvah that I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, ‘Who will go up for us to the heavens and get it for us, and have us hear it so we may do it?’ Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross over for us to the other side of the sea and get it for us, and have us hear it so we may do it?’ No, the word is very near to you—in your mouth and in your heart, to do it. “See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil. What I am commanding you today is to love Adonai your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His mitzvot, statutes and ordinances. Then you will live and multiply, and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are going in to possess.”

It is not hard, it is not a great mystery, it is not difficult, it is not just for knowledge sake, it is not a historical curiosity, it is not that we need someone from heaven to come explain it, it is not that we need people from over the sea to come explain it, but it is very near to us to do. We even are given a helper in the Ruach Chodesh the very same Ruach Chodesh that was at mount Sinai when the Torah was given. Romans 10:6-8 even ties this with salvation through Yeshua. They thought it went hand and hand.

I study the Torah to do it and it is easy to do, … if I can submit myself humbly to HaShem. The means letting go of every excuse and bit of ego. This means stopping with the idea that this is the modern day and society has changed and so these things do not mean the same thing. It means I no longer let my emotions and desires drive me and instead put my G-D where he belongs at the forefront of all my existence.