In this week’s Parsha, Parshat Nitzavim, Moses is saying his final words before the children of Israel enter the holy land. This very parsha includes some of the most important values of Judaism. It discusses everything from the unity of Israel, the future, torah, and the freedom of choice. It states “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life—so that you and your offspring will live”.  

This parsha is probably my favorite and the most important to me, not only because I chanted this verse six years ago at my Bat Mitzvah. This one line is one of the most crucial lines of all time, as it tells us the meaning of life. Every time you have wondered “What's the meaning of life” well this is the answer. The meaning of life is choice. We are given choices every day in our lives. We choose to wake up. We choose what to wear. We make big and little choices every day in our life. But all choices have their consequences, and sometimes we need to experience these to grow. We need to choose to ignore our untied shoes, so we can experience the fall. Next time, we will make that choice to tie them, since we now know the consequences of our actions.

As the Torah tells us, we all have the opportunity to choose what direction our lives go in. We have the liberty to create our own path. We can take our falls, our failures, our pain and suffering, and turn it into good by the power of our choice. We have choices of  life and death, light and darkness. We have all chosen “death” or “darkness” before. That one time where you decided to do something even though you knew it was wrong. We all know how that feels. It is important to follow the words of the Torah, and choose life. Choose to do mitzvot. Choose to be the bigger person in hard situations. Choose to be a leader, to lift others instead of putting them down. Choose life, so you can be that guide for others in your life. By making these choices, you are creating what you want to be in your life, and creating what you and future generations' futures will be like.

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Shabbat Shalom,

PWR Shlicha, Zoe Green