Marked by Dots, Guided by Crowns (Nitzavim/VaYelech)

The double portion of Nitzavim-VaYelech is concerned with acknowledging the balance between what we understand and what we don’t. “Revealed things belong to us and our children, but the hidden things belong to God. (Deut. 29:28)” There are things beyond our comprehension, the letters above this verse in every Torah scroll marked with mysterious dots, as if to say, “Pause here. Consider.”

Those dots are different from the crowns, which decorate and deepen the meaning of Torah letters (Menachot 29b). These dots are something else—they’re like questions left by our scribal ancestors, marking places where the text might not make perfect sense. It’s a way of perhaps saying, “I don’t fully understand this, but I won’t erase it. I’ll leave my mark without changing the essence.”

Friends, this is how we engage with our tradition. We don’t tear it apart when we struggle with it. Instead, we stand in relationship with it, responding thoughtfully, critically, and carefully. The Torah is alive, and so are we. As we study, we make our marks, our dots, alongside the ancient text, but we do so in love and with reverence.

That struggle, our struggle, is real. We often ask ourselves questions in difficult times like these: “How did we get here?” “Why are things unfolding this way?” There are no easy answers. Some things are within our grasp—our responsibility—and others simply have no discernable answers. But even in the fog of uncertainty, there is a call to action. Moshe Rabbeinu reminds us: the Torah, the necessary answers for every generation’s trials are not in the heavens, nor across the sea. They are here, in our mouths and hearts (Deut. 30:11-14). We are capable of navigating this world, even when it feels impenetrable.

In the urgency of these parshiot, Moshe calls out the word “Today” five times in the first six verses. He knows the stakes. He knows we’re tempted to stray, to let the world’s chaos pull us away from our path. But he pleads with us: Stay the course. The choices we make, the actions we take, have real consequences, both blessings and curses.

As we find ourselves in this month of Elul, preparing for the new year, we are reminded of Moshe’s words: “these blessings and curses will come upon you. (Deut. 30:1)” This is the human condition—life is both bitter and sweet, full of moments that bless and moments that burden. But, Moshe says, we will return to God, and God will open our hearts once again. “Circumcise our hearts,” the text says (Deut. 30:6), but let’s interpret it as “open”—open to feeling fully, to healing.

So much healing is needed right now. So let us take the ancient wisdom of Moshe, the sacred texts of our tradition, and translate them into real, tangible support. We hear you, Moshe. We hear the urgency of your message, and we will continue carry it forward.

Yes, our lives are complex. Yes, we face both blessing and curse. But we are here, alive, today, striving to be agents of healing in this world. May we have the strength to act wisely, to fight when necessary, but to always seek peace and healing. May we open our hearts fully to the world, as you taught us, Moshe.

Friends, may this year bring us clarity, strength, and compassion. May we be full-size in the world, filling every moment with purpose. Let us be the agents of healing our tradition calls us to be.

May it be so.