Our Torah reading this week, Nitzavim-Vayelekh, opens with the following:

אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ You stand this day, all of you, before the Adonai your God: your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials—every man of Israel— 

טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃ your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from the chopper of your wood to the drawer of your water,

לְעׇבְרְךָ֗ בִּבְרִ֛ית יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּבְאָלָת֑וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כֹּרֵ֥ת עִמְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם׃ to enter into the covenant of Adonai your God, which Adonai your God is concluding with you this day;

(Devarim/Deuteronomy 29:9-13)

There is no more all-inclusive and all-embracing statement, no more equalizing a declaration anywhere in the Torah. None.  And this covenant embraces every single type of Jew regardless of their position or station in life, and regardless of gender, age or origin.

And then the Torah makes an astonishing declaration:

כִּי֩ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֶשְׁנ֜וֹ פֹּ֗ה עִמָּ֙נוּ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד הַיּ֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה עִמָּ֥נוּ הַיּֽוֹם׃ For, both those who are standing here with us this day before Adonai our God and those who are not with us here this day. (29:14)

In other words, the all-inclusive human catalog applies not only for those who were living at that time, but for ALL time.

And yet, one type who would seem very important, indeed vital (at least according to themselves), is conspicuously missing here, namely RABBIS. The word “rabbi” means master. There is no mention of rabbis, not here and not anywhere in the Torah. Even our reflexive association of the term rabbi with Moshe, i.e. “Moshe Rabbeinu,”  appears NOWHERE in the Torah and was first assigned to him by … rabbis. It is doubtful that Moshe – that most modest of men – ever considered himself anyone’s “master”.

Indeed, the concept of a rabbi first appears in Mishnaic times. It is a totally invented title that had absolutely no precedent.  And, yet, we have been conditioned over two millennia by these self-selected men and their religio-academic heirs to accept their rulings over every aspect of our lives; religious and temporal, spiritual and material, social and sexual. Indeed, not only have they sought, successfully, to control our lives but they have literally stunted our own development and cauterized our independent agency by rigging a system whereby it is nearly impossible to make any move without getting their approval.

What’s more, these rabbis have come to monopolize Judaism, literally displacing God, and effectively disenfranchising every single Jew from their Torah-ordained agency.

For as it says later in our parsha:

כִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹ֥א רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא׃ For, this Instruction that I command you this day is not too bewildering for you, nor is it out of  (your) reach. 

לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֙יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃ It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)