Parsha for Kids: Nitzavim 2023
Below is the transcript for this week’s episode of Parsha for Kids, Nitzavim 2023.
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Season 5 Episode 8:
Hello! My name is Chana, and this is Parsha for kids. The parsha of the week is Nitzavim. Nitzavim means “standing.” Moshe is speaking to everyone in Bnei Yisrael, who were standing in front of him as he spoke. He spoke to them about something very important - the idea of Brit, or covenant.
In Moshe’s words, “You are all standing here today before the Lord your God- the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, your young children, your women, your converts from your woodcutters to your water drawers.” Every single person who comprised the nation of Israel, no matter how exalted or lowly their status, was present.
And this was important. It had to do with the Brit. A Brit is a two way promise. It is where one person promises to do something, and other Being promises to do something in return. This is also called a covenant. The Brit between Bnei Yisrael and God was between all of the members of the nation and God. It did not matter whether you were a child or a king. Each person, so long as they were an Israelite, was bound in the covenant between man and God. This was the covenant that declared that Bnei Yisrael would worship and serve the One God of Israel, keeping his Laws and His Torah, and that in turn, God had chosen them to be His nation and treasured possession.
Moshe added that God was not only making this covenant with those that were physically present that day. He was also making the covenant with all the people who would join Judaism in the future, whether through birth or through choice. Even those who were not present yet because they had not yet been born were included in the covenant. That means you and I, who did not exist at the time that Moshe spoke to all the Jews, were still included in the Brit, or covenant, between us and God. An example of something that might make this clearer is that if you are born in America today, you are bound by the laws of the US Constitution even though you weren’t alive when the Constitution was written.
Moshe made clear that every single one of us, every single Jew and every single person who ends up converting to Judaism, was considered, desired and invited by God to join Him in an everlasting relationship.
And this is perhaps the most important point of this section- that each one of us is in a relationship with God. Every single one of us. We are connected to God and He is connected to us. The Torah outlines the ways in which we can show God our love and appreciation for Him. In turn, He will demonstrate His love and care for us. It is a relationship that lasts beyond our lifetime.
TRANSITION
Moshe warned that there were some present at his speech who might be thinking to themselves that they were above the law. “I will have peace,” they might think to themselves, “even if I follow my heart’s desires.” In this case, their heart’s desires refer to things that are forbidden, like eating non-kosher foods or worshiping idols.
Moshe cautioned that people should not lie to themselves in this way. God will see this person and will punish him accordingly.
Moshe also warned that over time the nation might decide to abandon the covenant, the Brit. They might feel like they don’t really need to do all the things God told them to do, perhaps because everything is going so well for them. Ultimately, this will lead to their doom. God will bring destruction upon the land and ultimately He will exile Bnei Yisrael from Eretz Yisrael, such that they would no longer be able to live there.
It is important that Jews continue to follow the laws of the Torah.
But Moshe also understands that the nation needs hope. And so he explained that even if Bnei Yisrael sinned and were ultimately exiled, cast out of the land of Israel, God would bring them back. If Bnei Yisrael did teshuva, returning to God and dedicating their heart and soul to Him once more, God would bring them back and have mercy on them.
Some Jews believe that the fact that we have the modern state of Israel is a fulfillment of this promise. After thousands of years, Bnei Yisrael were once again allowed to return to Israel and even to make it into their own country. This is very special and not something we should take for granted. It is amazing that for many of us, Israel is only a plane ride away- and that we are allowed to walk and stand in the places that our ancestors stood.
TRANSITION
Moshe wanted to make clear to Bnei Yisrael that the Torah was accessible.
“The commandment that God commanded you is not hidden and it is not far away. It is not in heaven, such that you would need to say, “Who will go up to heaven for us to tell it to us so we can keep it?” And it is not beyond the sea, such that you would say “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us?” Rather, this thing is very close to you - it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you can fulfill it.”
There is a belief brought down in the Talmud, or Oral Law, that every Jewish baby is taught the Torah in utero, while they are still growing in their mother before they are born. When they are born, they forget their learning, and they spend the rest of their lives studying in order to reclaim it. But this goes to show that the Torah belongs to us. It is our portion. We learned it once, and now we are simply finding our portion - what we already had. This is one way of understanding what Moshe is saying here. Every single one of us has access to Torah- it is close to us, possible for us to understand, and available for us to reclaim. It is something we own and that we just need to discover once more.
TRANSITION
Moshe explained that God was giving each member of Bnei Yisrael a choice. They could choose life or death, good or evil.
There is a very simple way to understand this. If you believe, as I do, that God designed us, then it stands to reason that God has the best understanding of how we as His creations work. It’s the same way that Alexander Graham Bell would have had the best understanding of how the telephone worked since he was the one who invented it.
By giving us the Torah, God was giving us the key to how to live well. Imagine a toaster that was instructed by its creator as to its purpose. Remember, says the creator, that you exist to toast waffles and bread. But you aren’t intended to cook pasta.You weren’t designed for that and you don’t have the ability to survive it if you try. If you fill your toaster slots up with water and try to cook pasta, not only will you not succeed in cooking the pasta, but you will actually probably damage yourself and cause your electric system to short out. Similarly, God was explaining to us what we as Jews were designed for and what we were not designed for. Follow these laws, God was saying, and you will maximize your blessings. You will live happy, productive and meaningful lives. Deviate from these laws, however, and it’s like breaking your system. If you follow your desires and do things that are not written down in this instruction manual, the results will not be good.
Moshe advised us all to choose life and to love God.
TRANSITION
So here’s what we learned this week!
Even those of us who were not physically there when Moshe spoke about the Covenant are still included in it. The Brit, Covenant, was made with all of us- with every single Jew.
The Torah is very close to us. It is not far away, hidden in the sky or across the sea. It is right here, accessible, and every one of us can learn and keep it if we so choose.
Since God is our designer, He knows the best way for us to live- remember the toaster! A toaster cannot make pasta.
If you have any questions or comments on this week’s episode, please email me at parsha4kids@gmail.com. That’s parsha the number 4 kids at gmail.com. Good Shabbos