Weekly Parsha

Mazal Tov to: Rabbi W.Ovadiah Tank, Joseph Brienza and Chris Waller for their birthdays.

Pray for Refuah Sheimah: Yossefa bat Sharon and Rafael ben Gladis.

Continue Praying for: Mariana bat Zulay, Heidi bat Sarah and Yosefa bat Sharon.

Nitzavim

Deuteronomy 29:9 - 30:20

On the day of Moshe's death he assembles the whole Jewish people and creates a Covenant confirming the Jewish people as the Almighty's Chosen People for all future generations. Moshe makes clear the consequences of rejecting G-d and His Torah as well as the possibility of repentance. He reiterates that Torah is readily available to everyone. He warns us against idolatry (thinking anything other than G-d has power) and assures us that eventually the Jewish people will do Teshuva (repent) and will be redeemed and brought back to the land of Israel -- and those who hate the Jewish people and pursue us will get their just recompense.

Nitzavim concludes with perhaps the clearest and most powerful statement in the Torah about the purpose of life and the existence of freewill: "I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil ... the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life that you may live, you and your descendants."

People don't fail -- they give up!

Every ending is a beginning. We just don't know it at the time.

Believe in G-d. Don't give up!

Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah Umetuka! A Happy and sweet Year!

Rabbi W.Ovadiah Tank

Online Learning

Rabbi Tank is a professor at the American Jewish College of New York where he teaches classes on Talmud, Chassidism, Jewish History, Contemporary Jewish Law and Jewish Music. Rabbi Tank is dedicated to finding modern usefulness and meaning in ancient wisdom texts, providing spiritual, cultural, social and educational programming for communities around the world.

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The wise man seizes the opportunity to do mitzvot" (King Solomon). The lazy person says -- someday I'll do it.