This week I merited to see two Jews happily put on Tefillin outside the synagogue context, who ordinarily wouldn’t do it. One was the talented juggler at the Shalom Festival in Saratoga’s Congress Park. He rolled up his sleeve between shows, while still in his juggler’s outfit. The other was the leader of the long-distance Israeli cycling team “Bike for the Fight” before leaving the Maimonides School in Albany and heading out towards Springfield MA on bike. He, too, was in costume, in that cycling shirt emblazoned with the logs of the team and sponsors.
Jugglers mostly juggle in place. Sure, they may move around the stage, and even juggle atop precarious objects (as this juggler did) but they juggle where they are, in their own prepared “comfort zone”. Long-distance cyclists on the other hand, never stay in one place. They continuously move on, from one place to another, progressing from situation to situation, with ever-changing terrain, weather and surroundings. For now it may be downhill, soon uphill; one day in the rain, another day in scorching sun.
The title names of Parshas “Nitzavim” means to stand tall and strong, be rooted and stick to your values. “Vayelech” on the other hand means to go on, to move ahead. They may have opposite, paradoxical meanings, but as they are combined in this weeks’ Torah reading, teaches us that these opposing directions are compatible. We can and ought to be at the same time deeply rooted and stand strong, and also be progressively moving forward.
One more thing about jugglers. Even as they stay in one place, they do go beyond their “comfort zone”. They juggle more than they can handle, for every ball in the hand there’s more balls in the air. They take risks and play on the edge, pushing their talent and capability. Even “Netzavim” needs a little “Vayelech”. We can never be satisfied with spiritual (or any type of) accomplishment, there’s always a new frontier and horizon.