Have you ever looked desperately for something? Maybe your glasses, your keys, even a pen or pencil! Only to realize it was right in front of you the whole time? We’ve all been there.
In this week’s perasha, Nisabim, Moshe tells the Jewish Nation: “It is not in Heaven… it is not across the sea… rather it is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it” (Debarim 30:12-14). The Torah, the ability to connect to G-d, is not distant or beyond reach. It is right here. It’s right in front of you!
Rashi explains: “It is not in Heaven” means that if it were, you would have to go up after it, but it is not. It has already been given to you. The Torah is not abstract or inaccessible. It belongs to us. Ramban adds that Moshe is speaking here about teshuvah. Returning to G-d is not beyond our grasp; it is “in your heart” through sincerity and “in your mouth” through confession and prayer. Especially in these days before Rosh Hashanah, the Torah reassures us that change is within reach.
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we often feel pressure: meals to cook, guests to invite, clothing to prepare, the atmosphere to set. It can all feel overwhelming. But Moshe reminds us that the essence of this season, reconnecting to G-d, is simple. It’s already within us. All we need is the desire to reach for it.
In fact, the perasha opens: “You are all standing today before Hashem your G-d… from your leaders to your children… from the woodchopper to the water drawer” (Debarim 29:9-10). The Torah teaches that closeness to G-d is for everyone. Not only scholars or rabbis. Every Jew has the chance to choose life, to renew, to stand before G-d on Rosh Hashanah.
Our Rabbis teach that when we are furthest away, G-d is in fact closest to us (Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshayahu 503). Even when G-d’s presence feels hidden, He is guiding every detail. Sometimes it’s something as small as finding a parking space in a rush, or a few extra dollars when a bill is due. G-d is looking out for each of us. Even when we aren’t looking for Him.
This is why Nisabim is always read before Rosh Hashanah (Megillah 31b). Its message is timeless: the Torah is near, G-d is near, and renewal is possible for all of us. And this year, with the final Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, we can already take that first step. Shabbat is called the source of all blessings (Zohar). The Gemara (Shabbat 10b) says G-d gave us this great gift, Shabbat, which is the channel of blessing for the week. What better way to enter the new year, when we seek blessing and prosperity, than to keep Shabbat as it’s meant to be, as our building block for a year of life, joy, and success.