{"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\/fr\/reflections-on-parshat-nitzavim-5785-choosing-life\/","title":{"rendered":"R\u00c9FLEXIONS SUR : PARSHAT NITZAVIM 5785 \u2013 CHOISIR LA VIE"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Int\u00e9grer la Torah dans sa vie par la r\u00e9flexion et la conversation peut \u00eatre une exp\u00e9rience incroyablement amusante et engageante. C'est un voyage de d\u00e9couverte, o\u00f9 la sagesse ancienne et les enseignements intemporels prennent vie dans nos exp\u00e9riences quotidiennes. Gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la r\u00e9flexion, nous avons la possibilit\u00e9 de plonger dans la riche tapisserie de la Torah, d'en extraire des id\u00e9es et des le\u00e7ons profondes qui r\u00e9sonnent dans notre vie moderne. La joie r\u00e9side dans les moments \"aha\", ces occasions o\u00f9 un verset ou une histoire de la Torah se connecte soudainement \u00e0 nos d\u00e9fis personnels, nos aspirations et nos valeurs. Et lorsque nous nous engageons dans des conversations sur la Torah avec d'autres personnes, cela devient une exploration interactive, o\u00f9 des perspectives et des interpr\u00e9tations diverses am\u00e9liorent notre compr\u00e9hension. Ces dialogues suscitent souvent l'enthousiasme et la curiosit\u00e9 intellectuelle, rendant le processus d'apprentissage \u00e0 la fois agr\u00e9able et satisfaisant. La Torah devient une partie vivante et dynamique de notre vie, offrant non seulement des conseils mais aussi une source de fascination, de connexion et de croissance sans fin.<\/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

Ce que cela signifie pour nous<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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