רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה׃ אֶֽת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּשְׁמְע֗וּ אֶל־מִצְוֺת֙ ה" אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃ וְהַקְּלָלָ֗ה אִם־לֹ֤א תִשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מִצְוֺת֙ ה" אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וְסַרְתֶּ֣ם מִן־הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם לָלֶ֗כֶת אַחֲרֵ֛י אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יְדַעְתֶּֽם׃ (ס)
See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the commandments of Breath of Life your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of Breath of Life your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced.
1. What are your thoughts, reactions, and questions about this?
2. How does this fit with your God concept?
3. What does this mean to you reading this as we begin to prepare for the High Holy Days?
Throughout history, Jews have had the power to choose. But the power to choose doesn't mean that every choice is equally wise, equally sacred or equally conducive to the transmission of Torah and Judaism. We can choose to let the elderly homeless remain on the streets. We have that power. One can choose to elevate our eating to an act of holiness and solidarity with Jews through time. We have that power too. In ritual, as in ethics, we can choose. And we can choose wrongly. And God has given us the choice. "See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the Commandments of Adonai your God... and curse, if you do not." Choose wisely. (Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson)
1. What are your thoughts, reactions, and questions about this?
2. How does your thinking about choice change from reading this text?
3. How does this fit with your God concept?
4. How does this fit with your idea of perspective?
5. What does this mean to you reading this as we begin to prepare for the High Holy Days?
1. What are your thoughts, reactions, and questions about this?
2. How does your thinking about choice change from reading this text?
3. How does this fit with your God concept?
4. How does this fit with your idea of perspective?
5. What does this mean to you reading this as we begin to prepare for the High Holy Days?
May you break out of your narrow vision, your narrow arguments and resentments.
May you enter the place where your soul dwells and respond with spaciousness to all that comes your way.
May you forgive, repair, soften, see.
May you open up. The gift of a great expanse is yours to have. It already resides within you.
May God be with you.
And may God work through you, now and always. Amen.
- Rabbi Naomi Levy, Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul, (New York: Flatiron Books, 2017), p. 97
1. What are your thoughts, reactions, and questions about this?
2. How does your thinking about choice change from reading this text?
3. How does this fit with your God concept?
4. How does this fit with your idea of perspective?
5. What does this mean to you reading this as we begin to prepare for the High Holy Days?