Community Torah Corner, September 22, 2023

Many years ago I lived in the UK. Jamie Oliver was at the height of his fame. Along with the cooking shows and book tours, he was also working as a presenter for Tesco, a large supermarket chain (the equivalent of ShopRite). The slogan most used for his advertisements was "every little helps" referring to the money one would save if shopping at Tesco. Every little amount of discount helps. 

In this week's Torah portion, Ha’azinu, God gave Moshe a layout of B'nai Israel's travels, triumphs and difficulties. When Moshe delivers it to B'nai Israel he concludes with the following: 

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ שִׂ֣ימוּ לְבַבְכֶ֔ם לְכׇ֨ל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מֵעִ֥יד בָּכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר תְּצַוֻּם֙ אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶ֔ם לִשְׁמֹ֣ר לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ כִּ֠י לֹֽא־דָבָ֨ר רֵ֥ק הוּא֙ מִכֶּ֔ם כִּי־ה֖וּא חַיֵּיכֶ֑ם וּבַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה תַּאֲרִ֤יכוּ יָמִים֙ עַל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתֶּ֜ם עֹבְרִ֧ים אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֛ן שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ 

“And when Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel,

he said to them: Take to heart all the words with which I have warned you this day. Enjoin them upon your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching. For this is not a trifling thing for you: it is your very life; through it you shall long endure on the land that you are to possess upon crossing the Jordan.”

The words “For this is not a trifling thing for you: it is your life” caught my attention and reminded me of a verse just two chapters before: 

"כִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹ֥א רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא׃ לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֙יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃ וְלֹא־מֵעֵ֥בֶר לַיָּ֖ם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲבׇר־לָ֜נוּ אֶל־עֵ֤בֶר הַיָּם֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃

“Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, 'Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it? Neither is it beyond the sea…….No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.'"

 

In both verses, we see Moses reassuring the people of Israel that what was shared with them just moments ago might sound intimidating, beyond their abilities.  But it is not. Issaco Samuel Reggio (1784-1855) an Italian rabbi, philosopher and one of the founders of The Collegio Rabbinico Italiano, wrote in his comments on the Torah, that Moshe knew his community. Moshe Rabeinu knew that when hearing of all the hardships expected on the journey, B'nai Israel might choose to opt out. By ending the prophecy with words of encouragement, a clarification of how achievable and manageable the mitzvot are, the people of Israel will not turn away. By reassuring the commitment and plausibility of walking in the path of God, the promises laid out in both chapters will become their lives. 

In the days leading to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, these verses remind us that the work of teshuvah (repentance) is difficult. Our lives are complex, built of many aspects: home, work, friends, family etc. It is up to us to consider every relationship, each experience we’ve had and correct if needed. The act of teshuva has the potential to be overwhelming. Yet, when we break the time down from Elul to Rosh Hashana, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, from asking God for forgiveness to asking the people in our lives for forgiveness, we are moving forward in the Jamie Oliver spirit of "every little helps." Everything we do counts.