We were at a proverbial standstill.
We were in arvot Moav, on the Plains of Moab, on the precipice of entering eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel.
Moshe gathers bnei Yisrael, the nation, to enter them into a covenant with HaShem that will be binding for future generations. Moshe warns the people of severe consequences for breaking said covenant with HaShem.
atem nitzavim hah’yom kulchem lifnei HaShem elokeichem rosheichem shivteichem zikneichem v’shotreichem kol ish Yisrael tapchem nisheichem v’geircha asher b’kerev machanecha maychoteiv eiitzecha ad shoaiv meimecha l’avricha b’brit HaShem elokecha u’v’aloto asher HaShem elokecha koreit imcha hayom l’ma’an hakeem otcha hayom lo l’am v’Hu yihiyeh l’cha laylokim ka’asher diber lach v’cha’asher nishba la’avotecha l’Avraham l’Yitzchak u’l’Ya’akov. (Deuteronomy:29:9-12)
You are standing this day all of you before the HaShem your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the stranger that is in the midst of your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water; that you should enter into the covenant of HaShem your God–and into His oath–which HaShem your God makes with you this day; that He may Establish you this day unto Himself as a people, and that He may be for you a God, as He spoke unto you, and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
And we waited… To go into eretz Yisrael.
The Land that we were promised.
We were also promised…
Going back as far as we can, our family has always followed HaShem and His Torah.
Not that HaShem should work via the dictum of quid pro quo…
But HaShem tells Moshe to tell bnei Yisrael that ‘you will be blessed with the fruits of your body’… aka, your children.
v’ahavta u’veirachecha v’hirbecha u’veirach pree vitnicha u’free admatecha digancha v’tiroshcha vi’tzarecha sh’gar alafecha v’ashtarot tzoncha al ha’adamah asher nishbah la’avotecha latet lach… v’hayseer HaShem mimcha kol choli v’chol madvei Mitzrayim ha’raim asher yadata lo yisimem bach u’nitanam b’chol sonecha (Deuteronomy: 7:13, Deuteronomy: 7:15)
And He will love you, and bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the offspring of your livestock and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your fathers to give you… HaShem will take away from you all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, He will put on you, but will lay them on all those who hate you.
And there is a threat of sorts… For those who don’t keep the mitzvot… if they worship other gods, HaShem will “will not pardon him, but then the anger of HaShem and His jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie on him, and HaShem will blot out his name from under the sky.” (Deuteronomy: 29:19)
And it is a quandary.
Because, my family, we keep the mitzvot.
Even though our feelings might be forlorn… lost… questioning.
We might even be angry.
Because this doesn’t make sense…
We keep the Torah… Because that is who we are.
It is in our bones.
ki ha’mitzvah ha’zot asher anochi mitzavcha hayom lo niflate he mimcha v’lo richoka he lo ba’shamayim he mi ya’aleh lanu ha’shamyma v’yikacheha lanu v’yish’me’u ota v’na’asena ki karov eilecha ha’davar me’od b’ficha u’vilvavcha la’asoto re’eh natati lifanecha ha’yom et ha’chaim v’et ha’tov v’et ha’mavet v’et ha’rah asher anochi mitzavcha hayom l’ahava et HaShem elokecha lalechet b’drachav v’lishmor mitzvotav v’chukotav u’mishpatav v’chayita v’ravita u’veirachecha HaShem elokecha ba’aretz asher ata va shama l’rishta (Deuteronomy: 30: 11-16)
For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?” But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it. Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command you this day to love HaShem your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that HaShem your God may bless you in the land where you go in to possess it.
And so, we are at a standstill.
Because we are Torah Jews who follow the mitzvot, and they are not far from us… And yet we are not seeming to reap to the benefits.
We can’t even stand to perform the mitzvot.
Nor do we understand.
But that’s not the point. The point is li’ahava et HaShem elokecha li’shmoah b’kolo u’l’davka vo ki hu chayecha v’orech yamecha lashevet al ha’adamah asher nishba la’avotecha l’Avraham l’Yitzchak u’l’Ya’akov.
To love Hashem your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for He is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which Hashem swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (Deuteronomy: 30:20)
That’s what we are doing.
And we just have to trust the game plan.
If you would like to help make our time easier in this game that we call life, there is a link to help: https://thechesedfund.com/herzfeld/the-herzfeld-family
Rivka Herzfeld earned an M.A. in Tanach from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Judaic Studies. She enjoys teaching Tanach to all ages and backgrounds. Rivka is also a respected disability awareness educator. She is personable, easygoing, has a terrific sense of humor, and loves sharing puns. She is passionate about politics, human rights, and “liberty and justice for all.” Rivka is determined to make her voice count.
