Some of you probably saw
Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe. It is the dramatized version
of boxer James Braddock who, after a short successful career, broke
his right hand and retired from boxing. His retirement coincided with
the Great Depression and Braddock could not support his family. At age
30, an old man in boxing, he staged a comeback and enjoyed several remarkable
upsets. In 1935, he got a title fight against Max Baer, the (Jewish)
heavyweight champion of the world. Celebrated as the hardest puncher
to ever enter the ring, two of Baer’s opponents actually died as a
result of punches to their head by the champion, Baer.
Braddock was a 10-1 underdog
in the title bout at Madison Square Garden in NY. In the early rounds,
Baer hit Braddock with everything he had but he could not knock Braddock
out. In a famously reported moment, and the highlight of the movie,
though Braddock was barely conscious, he decided between rounds that
he would not sit down on his stool to rest. Braddock would psych-out
the younger and stronger Baer and let him think that despite taking
Baer’s best punches, he would never go down. James Braddock went on
to win the bout in 15 rounds in the biggest upset in heavyweight championship
history.
This boxing match is a fitting parable for today’s Torah reading whose subtitle is often rendered: “Choose Life”. Later, during our Torah reading, we are going to hear from three members of Adat Shalom who have overcome great adversity and who will give personal testimony for what it means to “choose life”. The Deuteronomy selection
replaces Leviticus ch. 16 which
is the source for the Avodah service this afternoon, recounting the
sacrifice of the scapegoat in the ancient Temple rite.
The first line of our reading
seems unremarkable. Atem nitzavim, “you are all standing here
today…”. But to explore the deeper meaning of the words, one must
look at the context. Just before this selection, there is a long
litany of Israel’s shortcomings and sins (Parshat Ki Tavo). The section
is so filled with curses and the consequences of God’s wrath that,
in many congregations, people will pay just to not get that
aliyah as it is considered bad luck.
The Biblical context leading
up to Moses’ declaration of Atem nitzavim is this: God
tells the children of Israel, “You have been disloyal; you have betrayed
the covenant; you are so morally weak that you prefer the slavery of
Egypt to the freedom that I promised to your ancestor, Abraham; you
whore after other Gods and pagan practices; I chose you to bring spiritual
truth into the world and all you care about is your next meal!
And then God says: Now I am going to decide if you should live or die!”
Heavy duty!
What might be a contemporary
reading of this same passage? It is very similar to the theme of the
Unetanah Tokef prayer said on the High Holydays. God says: “You
have lied; you have been greedy; you have not taken care of the vulnerable
in your midst; you have not been respectful of your parents; you have
been negligent in your civic duty to your community and country; you
have not lightened your footprint on this endangered planet; you
have taken for granted the legacy of Judaism. And then God says:
Now I am going to decide if you should live or die!” Heavy duty!
With that as background, think
of how empowering the opening line of our Torah selection is: “You
are still standing!” In saying “atem nitzavim” Moses is
offering the ultimate affirmation of life. He is saying to the children
of Israel, “OK, you have had a lousy year and God is pretty ticked
at you. But hey, you are still standing and you have another chance.”
There isn’t one of us this year who has not:
Others, here among us, have lived through more:
And yet we are here today,
at the dawn of another year, choosing life. We are James Braddock!
We have experienced untold obstacles on our life journey this past year
and yet, here we are. Still standing.
I’m imagining 20,000 fans
in Madison Square Garden, on their feet as James Braddock is about to
enter the 15th round against Max Baer. Bloodied, staggering, and against
all the odds they look at each other in disbelief. “He is still
standing! He is still standing!”
Atem nitzavim, Atem nitzavim.
And so are we. And so are we. Still standing despite everything, and being given yet another year to savor the wonder, the miracle, the blessing of what we call “life”. Let’s make the best of it.