Simon Says, September 22, 2022

Moses says to the Israelites in this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, “I make this covenant, with its sanctions, not with you alone, but both those who are standing here with us this day before the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here this day.”

Moses probably referred to future generations.  Thirty-four hundred years later (if you count that Deuteronomy was written 2600 years ago) we are still standing. 

“Standing” is a pun.  Nitzavim always comes before Rosh Hashanah.  Approximately 15.2 million Jews are in the world, and about 13 million observe the High Holy Days in some fashion, about 80 percent.  We are still standing.

But there is another meaning of “standing.”  I coined the phrase about High Holy Days, “yo-yo holidays.”  Stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down.  We are still standing.

To all of my friends, Shana Tova.  I hope the next year will bring to you joy and blessing.