We are in the week leading up to Rosh Hashanah. As such, it is understood to be a week of preparation. Now, one might ask, what kind of preparation is necessary? The month of Elul serves as a time to reflect on what has happened throughout the past year and to lay the groundwork for the coming year in terms of areas where one can improve (and there are always areas for improvement...).
The weekly Torah reading has a profound connection to the time of year in which that particular section is read. Prior to Rosh Hashanah, the parashah Nitzavim – standing (sometimes also Vaielech – was) is always read.
The Baal Shem Tov used to say that God blesses the month of Tishrei, the first month of the following year, directly. That is, on every Shabbat before the beginning of a month, the new month is blessed in the synagogue. But on the Shabbat before Tishrei, this blessing is not recited. Because God Himself blesses the months, and with that Divine power, the Jewish people bless the other eleven months.
What does the blessing consist of? The name of the parashah tells us: Nitzavim – standing firm. The Torah recounts that Moses spoke to the Jewish people and said to them, "You are standing firm today before God, your Lord," and goes on to detail all the types of Jews, from the lowest to the highest levels.
The blessing is precisely that: the strength to stand firm before God, our Lord. In other words, we live in times when genuine Jewish identity is being diluted by the customs and idiosyncrasies of society (God forbid). Schools don't teach properly, and homes lack a "Jewish atmosphere" (such as affixing mezuzot, eating kosher, observing Shabbat, etc.—actions that create a different ambiance within the family). This inevitably leads to the loss of our values and, consequently, of our people. Where can we find the strength not to succumb to the overwhelming majority?
We need to know that, before Rosh Hashanah, God blesses us firmly, with an inner strength to overcome the difficulties of living in Exile (whether diasporic or not) and to lead a genuine Jewish life, based on the study of Torah and the observance of the Mitzvot.
May it be God's will that, along with this firmness, we may all be blessed with health, children, and abundant sustenance, both spiritually and materially, and both united, so that we may all have a ktiva veJatimá tová, leShaná tová uMetuká – that we may be inscribed and sealed for good, for a good and sweet year.