Nitzavim-Vayeilech

Shabbat Selichot - The Shabbat of Prayers of Repentance

“Adon haSelichot - Lord of Forgiveness,
Examiner of hearts.
Revealer of the concealed,
Speaker of righteousness.
We have sinned before You,
have mercy upon us...”

The month of Elul is the sixth month of the Biblical year and the last month of the modern Jewish calendar. This coming Shabbat is the last Shabbat of the 5786 year. Several Hebrew names are ascribed to this month. It is called the month of RACHAMIM — meaning MERCY, in anticipation of God's Judgment, which, according to the Talmudic Judaism, takes place in the month of Tishrei. It is also called YEMAI HA-SELICHOT — DAYS OF PROPITIATORY PRAYERS or DAYS OF REPENTANCE. According to the Sephardic Minhag (custom), these Selichot prayers begin on the first of the month and continue until Rosh haShanah. In the Ashkenazic Minhag these penitential prayers begin Saturday at midnight and early Sunday before Rosh haShanah - this year, September 5th, therefore, this Shabbat is called Shabbat Selichot.

Elul is an appropriate time to reflect on our actions and attitudes of the previous year and resolve to correct our shortcomings as we approach the fall Holy Days. After prayers each morning, it is customary to blow the shofar.

Rachmana:
O Merciful One, who answers
Who answers the poor, answer us
O Merciful One, who answers the broken-hearted, answer us
O Merciful One, who answers
Who answers those in need, answer us
O Merciful One, have compassion on us.

"God makes a covenant not only with ancient Israelis but with all of us"

We are coming toward the last parting words of Moshe. With them he reveals the heart of God and instructs the Israelites, and us, who were not there to hear his words, on how to live a righteous life guided by God’s Torah.

“You stand this day all of you before Yehovah your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and your stranger who is in your camp; that you should enter into covenant with Yehovah your God, and into His oath, which Yehovah your God makes with you this day; that He may establish you today for a people to Himself, and that He may be to you a God, as He has said to you, and as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And not with you alone will I make this covenant and this oath; but with him who stands here with us this day before Yehovah our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day." Deuteronomy 29:9-14

"For this commandment which I command you this day, is not hidden from you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command you this day to love Yehovah your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply. But if your heart turns away, so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I announce to you this day, that you shall surely perish. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live; That you may love Yehovah your God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cleave to Him; for He is your life, and the length of your days." Deuteronomy 30:11-20

In this Parashah Moshe is handing the leadership over to Yehoshua at the guidance of God who will meet both of them in the Tent of Meeting. What an awesome and in the same time frightening site, the Lord Yehovah appearing as a pillar of cloud. But Yehovah does not deliver good news:

“And Yehovah said to Moshe, ‘Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them.’” Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:16

How did Moshe feel at that moment when he heard the words, Moshe you will die and the people will forsake Me? What was Yehoshua thinking at that moment? How is he going to lead these rebellious people?

But the Lord knows our hearts and minds, so He tells Yehoshua:

“Be strong - Chazak - and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Yisra'el into the land which I swore to them: and I will be with you.“ Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:23

God will not leave Yehoshua by himself, He will be with him and guide him as He did with Moshe. But why would God warn Israelites to heed His commandments when He knew that they would not do so? Again, this is the dichotomy of this present world, God is outside of our time constraints and He knows the future and yet we have freedom to choose what to do in this life, to obey God or not. If we disobey, God will hide His face from us.

“I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have worked, in that they are turned to other gods.”

Many people, when disaster strikes them, ask, Where is God? Why did He not protect me from this calamity? God is hiding His face from our collective iniquities. But the ones who obey God, observe His commandments and follow His ethics, even if calamity strikes have the assurance that everything that happens to them is in His hands because:

“It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:24

God is eager and more than ready for us to make teshuvah, to return to Him. He predestined Yeshua to die for our sins so that the ones who believe in Him can have the assurance of an eternal life spent in His presence being sealed with the promise of the Ruach haKodesh, the Holy Spirit:

“...even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before Him in love; having predestined us for adoption as sons through Yeshua the Messiah to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desire... in whom we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation... in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Ruach haKodesh of promise...” Ephesians 1:4-13

But why the Israelites would forsake God? He freed them from the Egyptian bondage, He guided them in the wilderness during the day with the pillar of cloud and during the night with the pillar of fire, He fed them with the manna from heaven, the food of angels, and gave them water for their thirst, and, on top of that:

“I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out.” Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:5

Having seen all these miracles in all those forty years and having received guidance on how to deal with all the issues in their lives through the Torah instructions, how would it be possible for them to forsake God?

“For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat; then will they turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise Me.” Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:20

The Torah does not mince words, they have grown fat in a land of plenty. Look around the world and see where is faith the strongest? In the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was the center of Bible revival. The printing press could not keep up with the demand for Christian literature and the hunger for the word of God, but what happened? They grew fat and then the tsunami of evangelism had moved further west to the New World, but then we grew fat, and the wave of evangelism moved again westerly to China and Korea (Seoul, South Korea has largest church attendance in the world, 200,000 weekly) and now it arrived from where it all started, the Middle East where the persecution is greatest. And yet, there is a revival in Israel, even though there is still opposition, one can openly talk about Yeshua. Israeli’s hearts are being softened up and prepared for acceptance of Messiah through the work of many Messianic believers, so, yes, they need to repent and make teshuvah, return to their God.

But, how are you doing with your walk with God? These ten days between Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur are days appropriate for introspection. How are you doing with the talents that Gad gave you? Do you need God’s gentle calling, Shuvah My beloved? Your eternal life is secure in His loving hands but maybe there is an area from this plentiful and comfortable world that we live in that you need to turn away from and turn to God. Confess it to the Lord and He will open His arms to receive you.

"’Yet even now,’ says Yehovah, ‘turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.’ Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to Yehovah, your God; for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him...’“ Joel 2:13,14

Shabbat Shalom!