By Marcia Berneger
SAN DIEGO — This week’s Parshah is Nitzavim. That means “you stand” as in “you stand before God.” It begins as many of the Parashot in this part of the Torah, with warnings from God about what will happen if the people turn away and break their agreement with God. But, in this Parashah, there is almost the assumption that, once Moses dies, many people will, indeed, start breaking the laws.
As the people enter the land of Israel and live in “the land of plenty” where there is an abundance of food, land and freedom, they will grow used to getting everything they desire. The choice in front of them will become blurry. If they lose their fear of punishment, will they still choose to obey? God tells them the choice is life or death. They can choose to follow the laws and receive many blessings or they can choose to break the laws and become a cursed people. The good news is, one can return to following God’s laws at any point and resume a blessed life. God is willing to forgive a person who truly wants to do the right thing.
This also brings up an important point. If God is willing to forgive people for making a mistake, we should be willing to forgive ourselves as well. Sometimes we feel so badly for breaking a rule, we get really mad at ourselves. But we all make mistakes. Parents, teachers, and even God understand that. If they can forgive us, we need to do that as well.
What this means: Sometimes when we’ve done something wrong, we feel backed into a corner. If we tell someone, we’ll get into trouble. This could lead to more rule breaking. If we admit to our mistake, it’s easier to change the path we’re on back to following the rules.
What to do: If you’ve broken a rule (examples include telling a lie, making someone feel bad, taking something that’s not yours), tell someone like your parents, your teacher or the person you made feel. Work hard to fix the problem and make up your mind not to do it again. Then forgive yourself and return to following the rules.
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Marcia Berneger is a retired elementary school teacher as well as a teacher at Torah school. She is the author of such children’s books as Buster the Little Garbage Truck, and A Dreidel in Time.