Nitzavim/Vayelech | נצבים/וילך | "Standing/He went "
- Deuteronomy 30:1 | God's Fidelity Assured
- Deuteronomy 30:11 | Exhortation to Choose Life
- Deuteronomy 31:1 | Joshua Becomes Moses' Successor
- Deuteronomy 31:9 | The Law to Be Read Every Seventh Year
- Deuteronomy 31:14 | Moses and Joshua Receive God's Charge
- Isaiah 61:1 | The Good News of Deliverance
- Isaiah 62:1 | The Vindication and Salvation of Zion
- Isaiah 63:1 | Vengeance on Edom
- Isaiah 63:7 | God's Mercy Remembered
The name of the fifty-first reading from the Torah is Nitzavim (נצבים), which means “standing.” The name is derived from the first verse of the portion in which Moses says, “You stand (nitzavim) today, all of you, before the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 29:10). In this portion, Moses invites the entire assembly of Israel to take on the covenant. He warns them that if they sin, they will go into exile, but he also predicts that, in the future, they will repent and God will return them to the land of Israel. In some years, Nitzavim is read together with the subsequent Torah portion, Vayelech, on the same Sabbath.
The name of the fifty-second reading from the Torah is Vayelech (וילך), which means “and he went.” The name is derived from the first word of the first verse of the portion: “So Moses went (vayelech) and spoke these words to all Israel.” In this short portion, Moses commands an assembly for a public Torah reading and covenant renewal once every seven years. He then finishes writing the scroll of the Torah and has it deposited in the Holy of Holies next to the ark of the covenant.