ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

Parashat Nitzavim

Torah: Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20

Haftarah: Isaiah 61:10 - 63:9 (Seventh Haftarah of Consolation)

Elul 27, 5785 / September 19-20, 2025

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ROSH HASHANAH starts this Monday evening, September 22! Happy Birthday to the world! Happy rebirth to us all!

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This d'var torah is offered in loving memory of my grandmother, Cora Slome, z'l, whose yahrzeit falls on Sunday, Elul 28. Y’hi zikhronah liv’rakhah – her memory is a blessing.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of Rabbi Meier Schimmel, z'l, whose yahrzeit falls on Friday, Elul 26. Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah – his memory is a blessing.

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Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. 

NO LUNCH AND LEARN on September 22.

On September 29, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Yevamot, p. 42 (BT Yevamot 63a) - 

' ...וא"ר אלעזר עתידין'  - "Rabbi Elazar also said: 'In the future...'"

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  
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Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 

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ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

These final few days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe and through Yom Kippur ought to be a time of introspection and repentance. Jewish tradition teaches that during this time, we should repent and make amends for all the wrongs we have done, to God, to our relatives, to our friends, to everyone with whom we have a relationship. The Hebrew word for repentance is "teshuvah". The root of this word, "shuv", appears seven times in our parashah, at Deuteronomy 30:1-10. The word connotes repentance, turning, returning, turning around, and recalling. It has active and reflexive forms.

"... and you shall recall (v'hasheivota) them to your mind ..." 30:1

"...and you shall return (v'shavta) to the Lord your God ..." 30:2

"...and the Lord your God will return (v'shav) your captivity and have compassion upon you, and will return (v'shav) and gather you from all the peoples ..." 30:3

"...and you shall return (tashuv) and hearken to the voice of the Lord ..." 30:8

"... for the Lord will return (yashuv) to rejoice over you for good ..." 30:9

"... if you turn (tashuv) to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." 30:10

R. Shlomo of Radomsk once asked, ‘if the Torah states in verse two that "you shall return to the Lord your God", implying repentance, why does it say so again in verse eight?’ He answers that before a person begins to repent, he doesn't even know what offenses he has committed - he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Only after the first steps of teshuvah, through the process of cheshbon hanefesh (accounting of the soul) does one realize the enormity of their wrongs. So, one begins to ascend, step by step, in spiritual development. It's not a one-shot deal.

The point of this is not to afflict one’s soul, though that might be a small consequence of it, but to return oneself to the good life. What is the good life? It’s a life of goodness, purpose, meaning, ethics, values, service, loyalty, duty – in short, virtuousness without self-righteousness. Each of us, it seems, is a self-improvement project.

Sounds daunting, doesn’t it? What R. Shlomo doesn't say, perhaps because it was obvious to him, is the role that God plays in all of this. It's a two-way conversation. We turn toward God; God turns toward us. We move closer to God; God moves closer to us. We repent; God draws us into greater repentance. And repentance, teshuvah, turning ourselves around, leads us to the good life.

How do we start? The answer is found in the concluding sentence of "Etz Chaim", recited at the conclusion of every Torah service. "Bring us back (hashiveinu), Lord, to You, and we will return (v'nashuvah); renew our days as of old." Lamentations 5:21. We seriously ask God to help us repent, and we are on our way!

Shabbat Shalom! 

L'shanah Tovah Umetukah Tikateivu V'tichateimu - May you be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet new year!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim

הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם

Who is wise?  The one who learns from every person.

Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1

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