In this week’s portion Moses gives his last speech to the Jews. This is the last day of his life and he wants to stress that their fate is in their hands. That we are not fated by our birth or status. We can overcome our difficulties through keeping the commandments.

We Are Not Prisoners of Fate

Good morning. Now for a quick Devar Torah.

This week’s parsha, Nitzavim, takes place on the last day of Moses’ life. The Jewish people have been out of Egypt for forty years. They are no longer slaves. They have spent forty years in the wilderness under God’s protection, with their needs provided for.

Now everything is about to change.

The Jewish people are preparing to enter the Land of Israel. They will have to conquer the land, establish a government, build a society, work the land, and live as an independent nation based upon the Torah.

So what does Moses choose to emphasize in his final address?

One of his most powerful messages is that we are not prisoners of fate.

The Torah tells us:

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”

And then Moses tells us:

“Choose life.”

That is an extraordinary statement. We have choices. Where we came from does not necessarily determine where we are going.

There is a famous Talmudic story about the daughter of Rabbi Akiva. Astrologers predicted that she would die from a snakebite on her wedding day.

The wedding took place, and the next morning Rabbi Akiva discovered that his daughter was alive. During the wedding festivities, a poor person had come looking for food. While everyone else was busy celebrating, Rabbi Akiva’s daughter noticed him and gave him her own portion.

Later, when she removed the pin from her hair and stuck it into the wall, the pin pierced and killed a snake that could have killed her.

Rabbi Akiva understood the lesson: “Tzedakah delivers from death.”

Her destiny was not sealed. Through an act of righteousness, she had changed the outcome.

That is a profoundly Jewish idea.

We are not told that our circumstances are irrelevant. They certainly affect us. But they do not have to define us.

You may have been born into poverty. You may have grown up in difficult circumstances. People may tell you that because of your background you can only go so far. But the Torah rejects the idea that your past must dictate your future.

History gives us many examples. Andrew Jackson was orphaned during the Revolutionary War and came from very modest circumstances, yet eventually became President of the United States. Harry Truman came from a family of modest means, struggled in business, and never graduated from college, yet he too eventually reached the presidency.

If you had looked at either of them early in life, you might never have predicted where they would end up.

That is Moses’ message to the Jewish people as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

You have choices.

You can choose how you respond to your circumstances. You can choose whether to follow the Torah. You can choose whether to perform acts of kindness and righteousness. You can choose whether to allow your past to define your future.

God gives us the Torah and shows us the path, but ultimately Moses says:

“Choose life.”

Your starting point does not have to determine your destination.

Something to think about.