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This week's Shabbat table
The parsha's big idea and discussion questions, already prepared for your Friday night. The same guide the app produces, surfaced here every week.
Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech
כִּֽי־קָרֹ֥וב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֥ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֹֽו׃
“No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.”
Deuteronomy 30:14
We all stand together in an eternal circle of community, holding a precious choice that is never out of reach: to choose life, love one another, and always find our way back home.
Table Discussion
- 1.The Torah introduces a beautiful but heavy concept: collective responsibility. We stand together as one, and the actions of an individual can affect the whole community ('to the utter ruin of moist and dry alike'). How do we balance modern personal autonomy with our deep, covenantal responsibility to the collective Jewish story?
- 2.Moses addresses the people 'who are not with us here this day'—meaning future generations, including us. How does it feel to think that a leader thousands of years ago was thinking about you specifically? Do you feel connected to that long chain, or does it feel distant?
- 3.Moses says that everyone is standing together in a big circle—from the leaders to the people who chop wood and carry water. If our family made a giant circle of friends and helpers, who would you want to invite to stand with us, and what would we all do together?
The full Shabbat Table guide includes 20+ sections, sources for every discussion point, and a printable PDF, all in the app.
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About this guide
Derekh Learning prepares a full Shabbat Table guide each week: the parsha overview, discussion questions, sources and commentary, and a printable PDF, for app users. The questions and big idea shown here are a teaser of that same guide. The full guide, plus audio, your learning voice, and cited chevruta, lives in the Derekh Learning app.