We are a community based in Woking and the surrounding area who meet weekly in groups to study scripture (Genesis to Revelation) from a Hebraic perspective and come together on Shabbat .
We follow primarily, but not exclusively, the Torah reading cycle and seek to understand and live it out.
People can join us either through a midweek group or on a Shabbat or both. You are welcome
To join our Shabbat meetings on zoom, click on the members area, for the password ask Jon N
This Week
Nitzvaim
נִצָּבִים
Parashat Nitzavim: Covenant Renewal, Return, and the Choice of Life
Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20
Parashat Nitzavim opens with Moses gathering all Israel—leaders, elders, men, women, children, and even future generations—to stand before the LORD and enter into a renewed covenant (Deuteronomy 29:9–15). This covenant binds not only those present but also those yet to come.
Moses warns the people against turning their hearts away to serve other gods. Anyone who secretly follows idolatry will bring upon themselves and the land the curses described in the Torah. The land will become desolate, and the people will be scattered among the nations (Deuteronomy 29:16–28). These words serve both as a warning and as a prophetic vision of exile.
Yet the portion also offers a message of hope and restoration. In Deuteronomy 30, Moses speaks of a future return (teshuvah) when, after experiencing blessing and curse, Israel will turn back to the LORD with all their heart and soul. God, in turn, promises to:
1. Gather His people from every nation and bring them back to the land of their ancestors (Deuteronomy 30:3–5).
2. Transform their hearts, “circumcising” them so they may love the LORD fully and live (Deuteronomy 30:6).
3. Reestablish obedience to His commandments, blessing the work of their hands as they listen to His voice (Deuteronomy 30:8–10).
Moses emphasizes that God’s commandment is neither distant nor unattainable: “It is not in heaven… nor is it beyond the sea… but very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it” (Deuteronomy 30:11–14).
The parashah concludes with a call to decision. Moses sets before Israel “life and good, death and evil,” urging them to choose life by loving the LORD, walking in His ways, and keeping His commandments, so that they and their descendants may live in the land promised to their ancestors (Deuteronomy 30:15–20).