Shabbat Greetings
This week, in our portion, Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31:1-30), we find Moses at the very end of his journey. He is about to leave the people he has carried for forty years, and he knows they are standing on the threshold of something both wondrous and frightening: a new land, a new leader, a new chapter. And Moses tells them words that feel as if they are spoken not only to Israel then, but to us now:
“Chizku ve’imtzu, al tira’u v’al ta’artzu – Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or broken, for God goes with you.” (31:6)
As I shared during Rosh Hashanah, fear is part of being human. The Israelites were afraid—afraid of what lay ahead, afraid of being without their teacher, afraid of change. And we, too, know that fear. Sometimes it takes the form of anxiety about the future, sometimes regret about the past. And during these High Holy Days, when we are called to look inward, fear can whisper: what if I can’t change? what if I’m not enough? what if God or the people I’ve hurt can’t forgive me?
On this Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath that sits between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Moses’ words rise up as a blessing: do not be afraid. Not because there is nothing to fear, but because we are not alone in our fear. God is with us. Our tradition is with us. Our community is with us.
Teshuvah—return, renewal—takes courage. It means daring to imagine that I can be different tomorrow than I was yesterday. It means trusting that broken relationships can be healed, that God’s love is larger than our mistakes, and that our souls are never beyond repair.
These are the yamim nora’im, the Days of Awe. And awe, like fear, makes us tremble. But awe also lifts us. Awe reminds us that our lives matter, that our choices matter, that who we are—who we are becoming—matters.
So in this sacred season, may we meet our fears with compassion. May we hear Moses’ words as if they are being spoken to each of us: Chazak ve’ematz—be strong, be courageous. Step forward into the new year, not with fear that paralyzes, but with awe that opens the heart.
And may that strength carry us through these holy days, toward forgiveness, renewal, and peace.
SHABBAT SHALOM