Torah portion

TORAH PORTION

Our COVID Autonomy

The sight of Jews congregating again is beautiful. And that’s not just my opinion. Many Jews around the world during the month of Elul recite Psalm 27 after services. In it, Dovid HaMelech first declares his confidence in surviving his enemies because he knows Hashem will assist him.

The one thing he seeks, however, is to simply dwell tranquilly in the “House of Hashem for all my life; to perceive the beauty of Hashem and frequent His Sanctuary” (27:6).

Rav Moshe Sofer (“Chasam Sofer” 19th century, Hungary) explains that the “beauty of Hashem” is a reference to what Hashem perceives as beautiful, namely, those “frequenting His Sanctuary.” In the words of the Chasam Sofer, “When one sees during the Holy Days how all Jews come together and pray from the depths of their hearts, despite each having different intentions … that is what he (Dovid) rejoices over — the joy of Hashem.”

Of course, each congregation and individual has determined their best practices in the current iteration of COVID-19. Regardless, suffice it to say that we have, as a people, had opportunities to reengage with congregational life, in one way or another. As we reenter this former reality, however, we should keep in mind how our responsibilities remain a personal pursuit, not simply a congregational one. This, I believe, is one of the profound lessons we have hopefully learned during “quarantine” — that we must make our Judaism personal, for ourselves. We read in Parshat Nitzavim that one should not ask “who will go to the Heavens to get [the Torah] for us, and teach it to us? … Rather, the matter is very close to you — in your mouth and in your hearts to accomplish it” (Devarim 30:12-14). In a conventional way, this means that we should have the confidence in ourselves to keep the mitzvot properly, and we do not need a leader like Moshe to guide us through every behavior. Looking closer, however, there’s a shift in these verses which

Rabbi is also fundamental. When

Shaya Katz saying what not to do, the

Parshat Nitzavim: verse speaks in the plural: “get [the Torah] for us.” Deuteronomy When explaining what one 29:9-30:20; should do, however, it is Isaiah 61:10- framed for the individual: 63:9. “your mouth and your heart.” It is truly beautiful to have a High Holiday season together in large, communal groups. But let that not deter us from the true medium of repentance and commitment — a personal, internal desire to improve. We cannot assume that our joining with a community fulfills our duties through the congregation’s activities. Every individual will be judged, not by who else is around them, but by what they themselves have accomplished, with their own mouths and their own hearts. We cannot know for certain the reason why Hashem brought a pandemic, but one lesson is the importance of our own Jewish autonomy. We, as individuals, are the stewards of our spiritual destiny; and no one else can accomplish it for us. Rabbi Shaya Katz is rabbi of Young Israel of Oak Park. 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