{"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\/nl\/reflections-on-parshat-nitzavim-5785-choosing-life\/","title":{"rendered":"BEZINNING OP: PARSHAT NITZAVIM 5785 \u2013 HET KIEZEN VAN HET LEVEN"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Torah in je leven integreren door reflectie en conversatie kan een ongelooflijk leuke en boeiende ervaring zijn. Het is een ontdekkingsreis waarbij oude wijsheid en tijdloze leringen tot leven komen in onze dagelijkse ervaringen. Door reflectie hebben we de mogelijkheid om diep in het rijke tapijt van Tora te duiken en er diepgaande inzichten en lessen uit te halen die resoneren met ons moderne leven. De vreugde ligt in de 'aha'-momenten, die momenten waarop een Torah-vers of -verhaal plotseling verbonden is met onze persoonlijke uitdagingen, aspiraties en waarden. En wanneer we met anderen over Torah praten, wordt het een interactief onderzoek, waarbij verschillende perspectieven en interpretaties ons begrip vergroten. Deze dialogen wekken vaak opwinding en intellectuele nieuwsgierigheid op, waardoor het leerproces zowel plezierig als bevredigend wordt. Tora wordt een levendig en dynamisch deel van ons leven, dat niet alleen leiding biedt, maar ook een bron van eindeloze fascinatie, verbinding en groei.<\/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