Parashat Nizavim/Vayelech– Erev Shabbat 09 September 2023 (5783)
Week of 2 – 9 September 2023.
Torah portion: Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 Haftarah: Isaiah 61:10-63:9
Theme: The boundless love and the faithfulness of the Lord.
The reading for this week is compact with abundant promises not only to the chosen people of the Lord but also to those that are not present and probably to those that do not belong to the group. This is evident in the two initial verses of the reading as it was written: “But it is not with you alone that I am making this covenant…, but with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord, our God, and with those who are not here with us today.” The Inclusivity of the covenant with the almighty does speak personally to us, in a manner that one can see the universality of the creator and the covenant.
On the other hand, Deut 31: 3,6,8 have taken the reader into some mystical analysis for it does elevate the covenant into precision, the verse; “It is the Lord, your God, who will cross before you” were repeated thrice in the same chapter and in the verses given above. And it is not for nothing that the number of days comprises of 368 days (about 1 year) and 31 days (about 1 month) assuring the validity of the blessing of the Lord before his people all throughout the year, until time and days exist. Surprisingly Isaiah 62:12 speaks of the promises inside the covenant and what it is to be called the people of God. As the verse was written: “They shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord. And you shall be called Cared For, A City Not Forsaken.” It is also important to notice that the number 12 might pertain to the number of months of a year and the number of the tribes. And since this is the case one might conclude that the promise of the Lord inside the covenant is active throughout the year and in the people to whom it was promised.
To sum up the exclusivity of the covenant from the very beginning up until the restoration of Zion showed us nonetheless the faithfulness of the Lord to his promise and as well as the responsibility of the creation regardless of whether one is present during the oath. For to be able to call God, one is necessarily in the state of grace and at the same time one is before the presence, and it is nonetheless the effect of the covenant. And this action forces the beseecher to act in the manner that is in coherence with the grace of the beseeched, because through it one can received the full benefits nonetheless one does not want the benefits and or wanted to contradict himself, if this is the case one is distancing himself from the grace and it is sin to do so. For everyone, the call is to be holy like the beseeched. And doing the contradiction leads the beseechers into perdition for he/she is acting against his knowledge and will.
For Reflection and Discussion: 1. when beseeching the name of God does, I put myself in the grace and act in the demand of grace? 2. Am I aware of the active presence of my Lord all throughout the year?
Bibliography: The Catholic Study Bible 3rd ed. New American Bible Revised Edition (2016) Oxford University Press.
This week’s Parasha Commentary was prepared by
Jefferson Philip Jacob Reyes, France, Bat kol Alumna/Alumnus:2018
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