Parashat Nitzavim: Choose Life

As we move toward the conclusion of the book of Deuteronomy, we read the continuation of Moses’ speech to the Israelites who are preparing to enter the land of Canaan. Moses reiterates the importance of keeping God’s mitzvot in order for the people to live and prosper and warns them of the consequences if they do not follow God’s covenant. 

Moses notes that the covenant is being made not only with the Israelites who were then present, but with all future generations. He emphasizes that the Israelites’ responsibilities to God are not unreachable abstractions, but are “very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, so you can fulfill it.” And at the end of this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Nitzavim, he stresses that God has given them free will, the choice to follow God’s ways toward the good or to stray from God’s ways and be led toward death. 

“I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse,” Moses says. “Choose life — so that you and your descendants may live.”

After the death of a loved one, it is often hard to choose life. In fact, we may feel that we don’t have much of a choice at all. We toggle between the realms of death and life. How can we go on living when we feel so much grief? How can we allow ourselves to find joy and laughter when our deceased is no longer by our side? 

In the midst of such sorrow, the words of Nitzavim call out to us, propelling us to recognize that we have a choice. We can choose whether to sink deep into death and despair or to lift ourselves up toward life. We each have the agency to decide how we will live. 

The medieval French commentator Rashi explains God’s teaching like this: “It is like a man who says to his son, ‘Choose for yourself a good portion of my real estate,’ and sets him in the best portion saying to him, ‘Choose this!’” We too can decide what kinds of experiences we will seek — those which are arid, dry and will deplete us or those which are life-giving, fertile and enrich us.

Once we decide to choose life, this choice will express itself differently for each of us. For some, it may mean prying ourselves out of bed or ensuring that we are deeply nourishing our bodies and souls. For others, choosing life may include travel, making art or learning a new skill. Still others might define choosing life as a way to do good in and for the world. 

This last idea found expression in the writings of the great Hasidic master Rabbi Menachem Mendl of Kotzk, who taught that “life was given to you to do good because that is its purpose.” When he was approached by a frustrated disciple who was having troubles with his studies, Rabbi Menachem Mendl reassured him that “the purpose of learning is not to become a Torah scholar, but to be good and do good.”

We too can incorporate this wisdom into our own lives. We choose life when we do good. Whether we treat ourselves with kindness during challenging times, choose to help a friend or volunteer in our community, we can always search out ways to be good and do good. Doing good is a win-win, as it positively impacts both the giver and the recipient. Numerous studies show that doing good (specifically through volunteering) improves our mental health, decreases stress levels and increases one’s feelings of meaning and appreciation.

Even with our broken hearts, we retain the ability to choose life. We can find ways to be good and do good. Each of these ways is a vehicle forward, helping us see that while God has placed before us life and death, we have the responsibility (response-ability) to “Choose life!”

This article initially appeared in My Jewish Learning’s Reading Torah Through Grief newsletter on Sep. 19, 2025. To sign up to receive this newsletter each week in your inbox, click here.

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