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Nitzavim (2025)

Shabbat Nitzavim

Dvar Torah
This week’s Torah portion touches on themes of Jewish history and destiny — including exile from the Land of Israel and the promise of return. In one passage, the Torah offers a remarkable vision: “Even if your scattered ones are at the ends of the heavens, from there Hashem your G-d will gather you, and from there he will take you back. And Hashem your G-d will bring you to the land of your ancestors…” (Deut. 30:4–5).

The promise is sweeping in scope: even Jews who are as distant as the “ends of the heavens” are not forgotten. All remain part of the story.

Remarkably, we have seen this play out in modern times with over 4 million Jews around the world from New York and Paris to mountain villages in Yemen and Ethiopia returning to our ancestral homeland in Israel, illustrating the continuous fulfillment of this ancient promise and reminding us that no Jew is too distant to belong

Trivia
Nitzavim is the second-shortest Torah portion with only 40 verses – or about six times shorter than the longest portion, the double Parsha of Matot-Masei

Shabbat in/out times
Yerushalayim 18:03/19:15
Tel-Aviv 18:19/19:17
Milan 19:08/20:09
London 18:47/19:53
NYC 18:39/19:37
Mexico City 18:17/19:07
More times here

Picture below: Jews make their way through the Yemini desert in 1949 on their way to Israel
(public domain image from the national photo collection of Israel)



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