Parsha_Push Parshat Nitzavim Vayelech
Rabbanit Dr. Adina Sternberg
The period of violence surrounding the Oslo Accords occurred while I was in high school. I remember my head of ulpana, Rav Baharan z”l, repeatedly insisting: “We are living in the best time that the Jewish people have ever known!”
Our sages instruct us to respond to troubles with introspection, but not only troubles demand this reflection. In fact, when we take stock, we might succeed in seeing more than just the hardships.
In our Torah portion, the commandments of repentance are presented, stating: “And it shall be when all these things come upon you—the blessing and the curse—which I have set before you, and you return to your heart…” Repentance should not only arise as a consequence of a curse. The ability to see and experience God’s blessings, both when things are good and when they are not so good, is a crucial component in the capacity for repentance.
The root Y.D.H appears in both the commandments of confession and those related to gratitude (the sages referred to the first fruits reading as an acknowledgment to God, the confession of first fruits).
Part of the ability to thank God is to confess before Him. The ability to say thank you and the ability to apologise are deeply connected. Faith in God should come not only from fear of punishment but also (and primarily) from recognition of goodness