September 27, 2024 / 24 Elul 5784
הַעִדֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֒רֶץ֒ הַחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה
וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּחַיִּ֔ים
…לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽך
I call-as-witness against you today the heavens and the earth:
life and death I place before you, blessing and curse;
so choose life, in order that you may stay alive, you and your seed…
With these famous words, the Torah opens up the realm of choice. What does it mean to choose life and blessing? My friend and teacher Rabbi David Jaffe offers a mussar perspective on the question:
“The bechirah point (moment or zone of choice) perspective gives us a concrete practice for spiritual growth. We can influence the relative power of our yetzer ra and our yetzer tov through our choices. The more we choose in the direction of urges, the more we strengthen the yetzer hara and the more we weaken the yetzer tov’s hold. The more we choose in the direction of good, clear, balanced thinking, the more we strengthen our yetzer tov. By tracking our bechirah points — those points where we have awareness of a tension between the force of habit and what we know is right — we can chart our growing edge.”
Powerful advice on the cusp of a new year.
May this last Shabbat of 5784 be a time of growth and good choosing for all of us.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi David
