Nitzavim, Shofar & Mezuzah: The Buffer We need to start anew

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Date:
September 26 2019
Length:
50min 14s
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Venue: Young Israel of Oak Park Young Israel of Oak Park

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Despite the Gemara saying that Ki Savo’s curses must be read before Rosh Hashanah, why do we also always read Nitzavim? One possibility might lie in the parallel the Rambam seems to draw between shofar and mezuzah: it serves ‘to wake up those who slumber’ in the futile pursuits of life. We suggest that perhaps it’s not good enough to transition ‘on-the-go’, but that one needs a buffer, a pause, to regroup and recalibrate a new frame of mind. This is the “matzevah” of Nitzavim, the threshold of the mezuzah, and the alarm of the shofar- stopping in your tracks to reset before starting anew.

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    Anonymous: 

    Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Judy & Mark Frankel & family l'ilui nishmos מרדכי בן הרב משה יהודה ע"ה and משה יהודה ז"ל בן מאיר אליהו ויהודית