Everyone loves a party. Everyone loves getting invited to a party. There’s a party you may not know you’ve been invited to, but don’t worry, there’s still time to RSVP. The invitation was sent 3500 years ago, but you’re still welcome to respond. In this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim-Vayelech, beginning in Deuteronomy 29:9, we read about the wonderful occasion to which we were all invited. It’s found at the start of the portion, “You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God, your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel, your children, your wives, even the stranger… from woodchopper to water drawer.” And, for what purpose? To enter into the “covenant of the Lord your God.”
Did you miss the part about your role in the invitation? Here it comes, in verse 14, “I make this covenant with those who are with us this day and with those who are not with us this day.” That’s a reference to you and me. We weren’t at Mount Sinai when Moses stood before the people to represent God in the covenant, but, Moses alluded to us with expectations for our arrival one day.
Most of you who are reading this message replied to the RSVP years ago and you’ve attended regularly. Some of you responded but forgot to attend. Remarkably, you still wouldn’t be refused. The covenant between God and the Jewish people is eternal. It’s fresh. It’s new. It speaks to us as clearly today as it did centuries ago.
In Deuteronomy 30:15, God clearly set before us what we’ve come to know is true in a lifetime. There’s life and prosperity, and there’s death and adversity. No surprises. No mythology. Just honesty. The path in our life, though marred with challenges, can be navigated by us when we choose well. Torah tells us again, “I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse.” And, then, to be sure we are alert to the promise and the hope of the covenant, Torah tells us without equivocation, “Choose life!”
I like to teach that when Jews hold up a Kiddush cup filled with sweet wine to symbolize joy in life, we say, “L’chayim!” To life! We don’t say, “To despair!” “To suffering!” We say, to life, because we have been offered a gift and a choice by an unconditionally loving God. Some, despite the obvious teaching, don’t choose life. That’s their choice, after all. But, others, and with our support, choose life for themselves and their children. It’s the promise God made to our ancestors, and it’s the same promise God makes with us. That’s why being absent from the party at Mount Sinai was not a social faux-pas. The invitation is good. It has no expiration date. But, don’t simply call in your RSVP. Come. Attend. Participate.
Next week, Rosh Hashanah calls us to be together to welcome the New Year 5770, with the sound of the Shofar. Don’t miss the opportunity to respond not only to the invitation, but also to the call. Tekiah resonates with all of us. It’s the sound of the season. It’s the awakening of our souls to the possibilities God has placed before us in life.
From my family to yours, Shabbat Shalom.
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