Standing, with Attention

Introduction to the Torah Service, Yom Kippur Morning 5783

Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon

Atem Nitzavim Hayom, you stand here today, all of you, our Torah reading begins his morning. And you, who are all here now—standing or sitting—represent the Israelites to whom this great teaching is addressed.  It is intended for every generation of Jew, now and always, as the text makes explicit.  But what does it really mean when it says that we all stand here today before God?

The Hebrew word Nitzavim has the unusual root, for the Bible, of matzav, to stand firmly, to be grounded; it is related to many important modern Hebrew words, including HaMatzav, the situation—this usually describes Israeli politics and means, of course, a difficult situation—mutzav, a military post, and matzevet, a standing headstone on a grave.  It’s a serious and powerful word, used as well when Jacob dreams of the ladder going up to heaven.

Here in our reading, nitzavim means you aren’t just standing in an ordinary way.  That word would be omeid, which is used much more commonly throughout the Torah and the Tanakh, the Bible.  It means you are standing here and you stand at attention—that is, you pay full attention.  You are actively listening.  You are focused on the experience of Teshuvah.  You are vested in what happens today. 

It means that you—that I—that all of us—are fully present. 

I wonder, in our so heavily distracted lives today, how often we can say that we are fully present?  I wonder how often our phones are off, our devices muted, our attention truly focused on what we are supposed to be doing?  On those we care about?

I know it’s a challenge for me.  I suspect it’s a challenge for many of us.

Yom Kippur—by removing so many distractions from our lives, food, water, TV, and so on—gives us the rare opportunity to truly be fully present.  For God.  For our families.  For our friends. 

The Torah reading this morning climaxes with the great words, “I, God, set before you today a choice: life and blessing, or death and curses.  Choose life.” 

That’s a choice we must pay particular attention to.  May we all find our focus on this Yom Kippur, and nitzavim, stand, fully present, for teshuvah and life.