Netzavim -- 5776

The people gather once more to hear Grandfather Moses.  He talks and talks, yet they never tire of listening.  He won’t be with them much longer.  “You stand this day, all of you, before the Eternal your God – you tribal heads, you elders, and you officials, all the men of Israel, you children, you women, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to water drawer, to enter into the covenant of the Eternal your God” (Deuteronomy 29:9-11).

This passage is read this week, and soon again at Yom Kippur.  Why the repetition?

Why did the people bother listening to Moses?  They’ve heard him intone week after week, sermon after sermon.  Why do they show up?

Perhaps the answer to both questions is the same.  We don’t show up for the High Holy Days simply because of the words, and perhaps our ancestors didn’t, either.  We show up to be together – men, women, and children, all of us as one.  On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, like no other days of the year, we experience our peoplehood.   There’s nothing like being in a crowd of folk who share your world views, experiences, values, and commitments.  That’s especially true for us, isolated as we are in the East Valley.  When we stand shoulder to shoulder in our hundreds, five hundreds, and thousands, we remember that we are part of something far bigger than ourselves, our family, or our circle of friends.  We belong to a great and ancient nation, and we are party to an eternal covenant.  There is no substitute for your tribe.

We’ll hear these stirring words this week, and again on Yom Kippur, and again and again (God willing!) in years to come.  We hear them because we need them, and because we need to be with our people.