(Nitzavim-Vayelech)
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
In Nitzavim-Vayelech, as Moses prepares to leave the people he has led, Torah itself becomes the center of communal life. Deuteronomy commands "Hakhel," the gathering of the entire people once every seven years: “Assemble the people, men, women, children, and the stranger in your midst, that they may hear, and that they may learn and revere Adonai your God” (Deut. 31:12).
It is striking to consider how different our experience of Torah can be. We are accustomed to its regular presence: on Shabbat, on Mondays and Thursdays, in classrooms and sanctuaries, in study partnerships, and now across distances through technology. For our ancestors, gathering was difficult. Travel required sacrifice. A shared encounter with Torah was rare enough to be commanded as a sacred national assembly.
And yet, the purpose of Torah has not changed. Torah is not meant merely to be mastered in private. It is meant to gather us, to bind us to one another, and to shape the way we live together. The mitzvah is not simply to learn Torah; it is to “assemble the people.” Torah is for people. Life is for living together.
As this year draws to its close and the work of Elul deepens, The mitzvah of Hakhel offers us a spiritual instruction: our self-accounting must lead us back toward one another. We are called to improve not only our ritual lives, but also the ritual of being human: how we listen, forgive, show up, and repair.
What a privilege it is to have Torah so available to us, and to have one another. May we never take that gift for granted. May our learning deepen our practice, our practice deepen our love, and our love help weave a stronger community in the year ahead.
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
In Nitzavim-Vayelech, as Moses prepares to leave the people he has led, Torah itself becomes the center of communal life. Deuteronomy commands "Hakhel," the gathering of the entire people once every seven years: “Assemble the people, men, women, children, and the stranger in your midst, that they may hear, and that they may learn and revere Adonai your God” (Deut. 31:12).
It is striking to consider how different our experience of Torah can be. We are accustomed to its regular presence: on Shabbat, on Mondays and Thursdays, in classrooms and sanctuaries, in study partnerships, and now across distances through technology. For our ancestors, gathering was difficult. Travel required sacrifice. A shared encounter with Torah was rare enough to be commanded as a sacred national assembly.
And yet, the purpose of Torah has not changed. Torah is not meant merely to be mastered in private. It is meant to gather us, to bind us to one another, and to shape the way we live together. The mitzvah is not simply to learn Torah; it is to “assemble the people.” Torah is for people. Life is for living together.
As this year draws to its close and the work of Elul deepens, The mitzvah of Hakhel offers us a spiritual instruction: our self-accounting must lead us back toward one another. We are called to improve not only our ritual lives, but also the ritual of being human: how we listen, forgive, show up, and repair.
What a privilege it is to have Torah so available to us, and to have one another. May we never take that gift for granted. May our learning deepen our practice, our practice deepen our love, and our love help weave a stronger community in the year ahead.
