Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, inasmuch as I command you this day to love the Lord, your God, to walk in His ways, and to observe His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, so that you will live and increase, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land to which you are coming to take possession of it. But if your heart deviates and you do not listen... I declare to you this day, that you will surely perish, and that you will not live long days on the land...     (דברים ל טו-יח) 

The conferring of life is contingent on the doing of that which is good — observing the commandments. Death awaits those who embrace that which is evil — the abandoning of His laws. It seems very simple, as clear as black from white. 

Yet, the Torah, then adds what seems to be a mere repetition of this reality. 

This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live; To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For that is your life and the length of your days...     (שם שם יט-כ) 

Aside from the element of heaven and earth serving as witnesses to this reality, nothing more is added, merely reasserting that life awaits those who pursue blessing, and death is in store for those who live a cursed life. 

One other aspect though is missing from the earlier presentation — the directive to choose life. 

Perhaps there are two diverse approaches being presented here. 

One who fathoms the depth of Torah, the pure good and benefit that it represents, needs no encouragement to ‘choose’ life. Is it necessary to convince someone to avoid ingesting poison? One who grasps the ‘evil’ that a life devoid of Torah comprises, instinctively avoids any contact with it. 

But many of us have difficulty fully comprehending many of the precepts and prohibitions to the extent that we can readily accept the dangers that await those who avoid doing what is deemed ‘good’ and indulging in that which is labeled ‘evil’. 

To them, Hashem turns and reveals a much more effective approach. 

Look at the heavens and the earth and observe how the very nature of ‘life’ is embedded within it. 

Water that flows from a wellspring is termed מים חיים    , ‘live’ water. Water has no life force per se but is called chayim because it is dynamic and vibrant. The constant flow of movement with force is what defines life.  

This is the deeper meaning in the Sifrei quoted by Rashi that explains the ‘testimony’ of heaven and earth in the following manner. 

The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Israel, Look at the heavens which I created to serve you. Have they ever changed their ways? Has the sphere of the sun ever failed to rise from the east to illuminate the entire world, as it is stated, The sun rises, and the sun sets? Look at the earth which I created to serve you. Has it ever changed its ways? Have you ever sown [in] it that it did not grow? Or have you ever sown wheat and it yielded barley? Now, they [heaven and earth] were created with neither reward nor loss in mind-for if they are meritorious [by fulfilling their purpose for which I created them], they nevertheless do not receive reward [for this]; and if they sin, they are not punished. And yet [even with this lack of incentive], they have never changed their ways! So you, who will receive reward if you are meritorious and who will be punished if you sin-how much more so [should you fulfill My will]! 

The obvious flaw in this argument is that stars, planets and trees aren’t invested with an ‘evil inclination’, so of course they never rebelled? 

I believe that what Hashem is telling us, is that wired into creation is the dynamic called ‘life’ which is evident in the incessant movement of the heavens and the endless growth processes among plant life. 

By the same virtue man must be energetic in connecting to that which is instinctive to us — life! 

The adherence to a life of Torah, independent of a full understanding of every last detail, is nevertheless the pipeline through which the elixir of life enthuses our being. 

The advice to ‘choose life’ isn’t merely an instruction to select a path that guarantees longevity and avoids death. It is rather the impassioned plea to be dynamic, to become excited, to flow with vibrancy and joy. 

Here the Torah aligns חיים    , life, with ברכה    , literally ‘blessing’, in contrast with the earlier association of life with טוב , good.

The word ברכה in its most literal sense doesn’t mean ‘blessing’ but relates to its root connected to the notion of a בריכה, an overflowing pool and reservoir that generates from an endless wellspring. Beracha then means more accurately, a flow of increase and bounty.

קללה, the word used for curse, is related to word קלה, meaning light and insignificant, like a flimsy speck that floats aimlessly taken by whichever external force acts upon it, bereft of a energy of its own.

Life or death in this context is not referring to the longevity of one’s days, but rather to ‘living’, being dynamic, or selecting to be stagnant, merely floating through life.

One can choose to simply go with the flow, performing mitzvos out of duty and tradition. That though, is not really ‘living’ by choice, merely by default. A life of adhering to Torah simply because that’s the way one was brought up, it’s what one’s peers and community abide by, is a lifeless Judaism.

It is only in this second approach that the Torah assures ‘that you and your offspring will live’.

It is only the dynamic observance of Torah that assures our children will likewise be inspired.

As we head into a new year and all the opportunities that await us I would like to thank all of our members who contribute so mightily to the vitality of our community and fill the atmosphere with an infectious enthusiasm and joy that gives life to our kehilla.

I would also like to express gratitude to the Almighty for the syata d’shmaya in being privileged to produce weekly essays of Torah and inspiration, with this article numbering the six hundredth one. כן ירבו!

I thank all of you who have taken the time to read my efforts and who have graciously shared with me their appreciation.

May we continue to inspire one another and merit to be inscribed into the Book of ‘Life’!

לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו לאלתר לחיים ולשלום

באהבה ובהוקרה,

צבי יהודה טייכמאן