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Nitzavim: Zemer of the Week

For if you have young children at the table:

“David Melech Yisrael” – דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל

דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, חַי חַי וְקַיָּם
דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, חַי חַי וְקַיָּם

David, King of Israel, lives and endures,
David, King of Israel, lives and endures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4dvFDLRPro

Parshat Nitzavim emphasizes that we should “Choose life.”  David Hamelech took this to heart, creating a life of Torah, leadership, and enduring partnership with Hashem. By singing this song, even the youngest children celebrate the idea that true life (“chai v’kayam”) is not just existing, but choosing a life that endures through values, faith, and purpose.

Question to ask: As we sing this, think about: What are some choices we can make that will help us live lives that endure – lives of purpose and meaning, not just existence?

 

This week, the Haftorah provides the text for two classic songs that you can sing with children of all ages:

“Yosis Alayich” – יָשִׂישׂ עָלַיִךְ

(From Yeshayahu 62:5, though the original text reverses the two halves compared to how we sing it.)

יָשִׂישׂ עָלַיִךְ אֱלֹהָיִךְ וּמְשׂוֹשׂ חָתָן עַל־כַּלָּה
Your God will rejoice over you, as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nec6ORsAlAY

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) compares Hashem’s bond with Israel to the joy of a bridegroom and bride, showing that choosing God and Torah leads to a relationship filled with simcha, intimacy, and renewal. Singing this line reminds us that choosing life means choosing deep, joyful bonds with Hashem and with each other.

Question to ask: As we sing this, think about: What choices bring more joy and closeness into our relationships with family, friends, and with Hashem?

 

“Al Chomotayich Yerushalayim” – עַל־חֽוֹמֹתַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם

(From Yeshayahu 62:6.)

עַל־חֽוֹמֹתַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם הִפְקַדְתִּי שֹׁמְרִים כָּל־הַיּוֹם וְכָל־הַלַּיְלָה

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have stationed watchmen, All day and all night.

Moshe in Nitzavim urges constant vigilance: Torah is “very near… in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it” (30:14). Yeshayahu’s (Isaiah’s) image of watchmen on Jerusalem’s walls mirrors this, in that life and covenant are safeguarded not by one dramatic moment but by steady, daily watchfulness. Choosing life is about perseverance, being spiritually “on guard” day and night.

Question to ask: As we sing this song, think about: What daily habits can serve as our “watchmen” – i.e., small choices that guard our values and keep us on the right path?

 

For if you like to sing traditional Zemirot:

“Tzama Nafshi” – צמאה נפשי 

 

The zemer for this week: צמאה נפשי 

 

This zemer was written by the Ibn Ezra, whose name (Avraham ben Ezra) appears in the acrostic of its verses.  It focuses on – and yearns for – the closeness between Hashem and Bnai Yisrael, both spiritually (נפשי) and physically (בשרי).  To create the chorus, the Ibn Ezra combined the first half of Tehillim 42:3 with the second half of Tehillim 84:3.

Central elements of this parsha include aligning our hearts with Hashem, making the right choices about how to live, and doing teshuva, but also that there are limits to our knowing Hashem.

Some of the zemer’s connections to the parsha:

  • Chorus: “לבי ובשרי ירננו לא-ל חי” (“My heart and my flesh will sing joyously to the living G-d”) – Both the first and last images in the chorus echo the parsha.  In addition, “חי” is the central word of the zemer, ending every stanza and appearing multiple other times.
    • The centrality of the heart in the parsha:
      • Moshe exhorts Bnei Yisrael to return to Hashem “בכל לבבך” (“with all your heart” – Devarim 30:2 and 30:10).
      • Helping the process, “ומל ד' אלוקך את לבבך” (“Hashem will ‘circumcise’ your hearts” – Devarim 30:6).
    • The centrality of chai in the parsha:
      • Moshe tells Bnei Yisrael they will face a choice between “טוב” / “החיים” and “רע” / “מות” (Devarim 30:15).
      • He also exhorts them, “ובחרת בחיים” (“Choose life!” – Devarim 30:19).
      • Moshe describes Hashem as “חייך ואורך ימך” (“Your life and the length of your days” – Devarim 30:20).

  • End of 6th stanza: “ואיככה ישוב הבשר החי” (“So how can he repent – a living person of flesh?”)

  • Beginning of 7th stanza: “נסוגים אם אבו, ומדרכם שבו” (“Those who strayed, if they desired to repent from their path”) – Teshuva is a recurring theme in the parsha (and of this time of year).

    • On our side, the parsha suggests, “ושבת ד' עד אלוקיך” (“You should return to Hashem your G-d” – Devarim 30:2 and 30:10) with your full heart and soul.

    • In return, the parsha says, “ישוב ד' לשוש עליך לטוב” (“Hashem will return to rejoice over you for good” – Devarim 30:9).
       

  • Last line of 2nd stanza: “מעוד נעלמה מעיני כל חי” (“It is exceedingly hidden from the eyes of all living beings”)
  • Last line of 1st stanza: “כי לא יראני האדם וחי” (“That no man can see Me alive and live”) – The parsha declares that “הנסתרות לד'” (“the hidden things are for Hashem” – Devarim 29:28).