{"id":23386,"date":"2025-09-19T06:03:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T05:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/?p=23386"},"modified":"2025-09-19T06:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T05:03:03","slug":"reflections-on-parshat-nitzavim-5785-choosing-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/reflections-on-parshat-nitzavim-5785-choosing-life\/","title":{"rendered":"REFLEXIONEN ZU: PARSCHAT NITZAVIM 5785 \u2013 DIE WAHL DES LEBENS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u05d1\u05e1 \"\u05d3<\/strong>I<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Die Tora durch Reflexion und Gespr\u00e4che in das eigene Leben zu integrieren, kann eine unglaublich unterhaltsame und fesselnde Erfahrung sein. Es ist eine Entdeckungsreise, auf der alte Weisheit und zeitlose Lehren in unseren t\u00e4glichen Erfahrungen lebendig werden. Durch die Reflexion haben wir die M\u00f6glichkeit, tief in den reichen Wandteppich der Tora einzutauchen und tiefe Einsichten und Lehren zu gewinnen, die mit unserem modernen Leben \u00fcbereinstimmen. Die Freude liegt in den \"Aha\"-Momenten, wenn ein Tora-Vers oder eine Geschichte pl\u00f6tzlich mit unseren pers\u00f6nlichen Herausforderungen, Bestrebungen und Werten in Verbindung steht. Und wenn wir uns mit anderen \u00fcber die Tora unterhalten, wird dies zu einer interaktiven Erkundung, bei der unterschiedliche Perspektiven und Interpretationen unser Verst\u00e4ndnis verbessern. Diese Dialoge wecken oft Begeisterung und intellektuelle Neugier, was den Lernprozess sowohl angenehm als auch erf\u00fcllend macht. Die Tora wird zu einem lebendigen und dynamischen Teil unseres Lebens und bietet nicht nur Orientierung, sondern auch eine Quelle endloser Faszination, Verbindung und Wachstum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE: Don\u2019t feel obligated to go through every source or answer all the questions\u2014unless you want to. Even one source, or one question will give you plenty of material for discussion and meditation. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parshat Nitzavim: Choosing Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSee, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil.\u201d<\/em>
(Deuteronomy 30:15)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTherefore choose life, that you may live, you and your seed.\u201d<\/em>
(Deuteronomy 30:19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At some point in recent decades, people wore large t-shirts that said \u201cCHOOSE LIFE\u201d in bold letters. Some took it as a slogan to \u201clive it up,\u201d others as a religious message. Either way, the phrase caught on\u2014because deep down, we all know life is about choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moses tells Israel: \u201cSee, I have placed before you today life and good, death and evil.\u201d<\/em> Rashi explains that these are not two separate tracks but two realities that go hand in hand: when a person chooses what is good, they are choosing life. When a person chooses evil, they are choosing death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in the passage, Moses urges: \u201cAnd you shall choose life.\u201d<\/em> This is not only about biological life, but about the quality of life\u2014a life connected to G-d, rooted in moral truth, and filled with meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing vs. Drifting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Notice that the Torah does not phrase this as a strict command. Instead, it says: \u201cChoose life.\u201d<\/em> Why? Because the value of this life depends on the fact that we actively embrace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know this in our own experience. As children, we may have resisted school. As adults, we may choose to learn, and the difference is choice. We are more invested in what we freely embrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rashi gives a parable: A father brings his son into a field and shows him many plots of land. He leads the boy to the best part and says, \u201cTake this one.\u201d G-d points us to the good, but He leaves it to us to make the choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond Israel: A Universal Truth<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Israel, this passage is part of their covenant at the edge of the Promised Land. But the principle is universal. All humanity, Jew and non-Jew alike, is confronted with choices every day\u2014between selfishness and kindness, between truth and falsehood, between G-d and idols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Bnei Noach, the Seven Commandments are the minimum framework for choosing life. But beyond that, every person can choose life by building integrity, compassion, and closeness to G-d into their daily existence. Choosing life means refusing to coast or drift; it means deciding to live uprightly, gratefully, and with moral clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What This Means for Us<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choosing life is not abstract. It shows up in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n