Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech

The Haftarah selection comes from Hosea 14:2-10 and Micah 7:18-20. Ashkenazic communities add Joel 2:15-27.

The leader of the Israelites is not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

It is time to do no less than to dress the Torah in the language of women.

Moses and God each instruct Joshua according to the different models of leadership each embodies.

The powerful lessons of hakhel and shmita.

Song can remind us of our authentic selves and our genuine power.

The health of the land depends on our responsible behavior.

Every choice we make from birth to death matters.

So that your children may live.

We all need to pick our issues and take a stand.

We need more experiences of community in which we feel connected to members of society whom we don't even know.

The commandment to return to God is always within our reach.

Moses and Joshua possessed leadership characteristics that we continue to look for in our leaders today.

The commandments to destroy the seven Canaanite nations are perhaps best understood as a later generation's struggle with idolatry.

The commandment to gather every seven years for a communal Torah reading reinforces the spirit of unity and commitment among the people.

Moses tells the Children of Israel that the covenant includes all of them, including the pious and faithful as well as the rebellious and confused.

The final commandments in the Torah, to gather as a community to hear the Torah and to write down a spiritual legacy, encourage us to re-engage with our core values.

Why is Moses reluctant to hand over leadership to Joshua?

The Torah and its lessons are always within our reach.

Fulfilling the directive to repair the world begins in our own mouths and hearts.

Before the Children of Israel enter the land, Moses cautions them against self-deception, an appropriate warning for the High Holidays as well.

Parashat Nitzavim teaches us the importance of viewing ourselves as partners in a dialogue with God.

Several commentaries interpret Moses's going to the people before his death.

Even during their long exile from the land of Israel, the Jewish people will retain their covenant with God, despite the punishments God exacts against the land.

Although we might think of the Torah as being about the past, detailing the origins of the cosmos, the planet ...

The text is eternal because of its adaptability — not its unchanging nature.

Nitzavim: A resource for families.

Bearing the ark.

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.

Isaiah offers a hopeful anticipation of redemption.

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.