Nitzavim VaYelech – Bottom’s Up

.By Rabbi Alex Freedman.

Here’s a paradox: the more we move “up” a certain ladder, the more important people at the “bottom” become.

I remember being a camper at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin and noticing only a few staff members: my counselors, Rosh Aidah (unit head), and Director.  As a kid, that’s who appeared to run camp.  When I became a bunk counselor, though, my perspective widened.  I realized that a whole army was needed to keep the place going smoothly: doctors in the infirmary, assistants to make photocopies, social workers to help deal with difficult kids (definitely not yours).  I zoomed out fully when I reached the “top” as a Rosh Aidah, in charge of 70 kids and a staff of 20.  Now I noticed – and depended on – the kitchen staff who served thousands of meals a day, and the maintenance staff who saved the day time and again.  Without them, camp would go hungry and fall apart – literally.  I only really saw them when I had a position of authority.  Though I was perceived to be a “high-up,” I looked to them as having very important positions as well.  Camp can’t run without people in charge – or without people doing jobs that are “less desirable.”  In that sense, though not all are equally replaceable, all are equally important.

Our Torah reading, Nitzavim-VaYelech, reflects this crucial idea as well, that everybody counts.  We learn that Moses gathers everybody before entering the Promised Land.  “Everybody” includes “the tribal heads, the elders, the officers,” which is to be expected.  He also specifies, “even the wood chopper and water drawer ” (Dt. 29:9, 10).  They have a crucial role in making society work, just like at camp.  Who could live without heat or water?  For a society to function, every role is important.  

With Rosh HaShanah a week away, this is something for us to think about: Who do we see as “beneath” us?  How do we – and how should we – treat them?  Because the sign of a strong cabin, family, and society is how well those “at the top” treat those who are seen as “at the bottom.”  Strong groups know not to aim for a ladder with top and bottom but a circle, with every point equidistant from the center and playing an equal role in preserving the whole.