Perashat Nissabim

Perashat Nissabim

Perashat Nissabim is always read before Rosh HaShanah. Moshe tells the Children of Israel that they are “standing firm today before G-d: the leaders, the elders, the officers, the children, the women, and the converts… to be part of the covenant that G-d is sealing with you today”. Of course, Moshe, in his last Sermon prior to handing the mantel of leadership to Joshua, reminds Bene Israel of their responsibilities with Hashem, described in the Covenant, as they would be entering the Land of Israel.

Our Sages, established the reading of this Perasha right before Rosh HaShanah, to allude to the fact, that on Rosh HaShanah, the Day of Judgment, we will all be standing firm in front of G-d, ‘having our day in court’ regarding our fulfillment of that Covenant. The words ‘standing firm’ are used to suggest that we believe in the Covenant, in its convictions and we are committed to it.

For the last several months, since the signing of the Iran Nuclear Agreement, we have been ‘standing firm’ against it, and all what it stands for. The countless  rallies, meetings, letter writing and ads, demonstrate our resolve that this Agreement will be dangerous for America, Israel and the rest of the world. This week, we had several thousand people “standing firm” in the lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.  Speaker after speaker explained the reasons why the Agreement is detrimental to the world and why it is wrong to implement it. It seems however, that it all ‘fell on deaf ears’, despite the polls showing that Americans overwhelmingly rejected it and the majority of Congress opposes it.

Our position is to still ‘stand firm’, for as long as the votes have not been counted, hope remains. For even, if our wishes and desires will not be fulfilled, our position will not change and we will not regret our actions for even a second. We believe in the righteousness of our position and the integrity of our resolve.

We have won no matter what. We made sure to show the world our opposition; we displayed our disapproval, and we demonstrated our dissatisfaction. We taught our people and the next generation that we will not remain silent in the face of danger, notwithstanding antagonizing the major leaders of the world, including the leader of this country.  History will judge us right, as we stood firm to prevent a disaster against our people and the world. We will do it all over and over again, if need be. We have learned from the mistakes of the past, when many American Jewish leaders not only did not ‘stand firm’ in the face of the tragedies imposed on our people by the Nazi Regime, but abetted the silence and indifference of the American and the world political leadership.

We shall remain silent no more, we will continue our fight and we shall say ‘Never Again’!

Let us hope and pray to G-d to redeem us from such an Agreement and enlighten and illuminate the world leaders to see the foolhardiness of their position and the consequences of their actions.   תכלה שנה וקללותיה, תחל שנה וברכותיה -  May the old year end with its curses and the New Year begin with its blessings.

Shabbat Shalom, Shanah Toba and Tizku LeShanim Rabbot