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As the People of Israel stood at the plains of Moab, ready to enter the
Promised Land, Moses led them in reaffirming their covenant with God for all
generations to come. The Talmud suggests that the Hebrew name for plains of
Moab, ‘Arvot Moav’, comes from the Hebrew term ‘arvut’, meaning mutual
responsibility. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin explains: “I would submit that this covenant
(that we share with Hashem) is that of mutuality, interdependent co-signership,
but not necessarily between Jew and Jew – that was already incorporated into the
previous covenants – but rather between Israel and the other nations of the
world. After all, when Abraham was originally elected, G-d commanded that
‘through you all the families of the world will be blessed’ – through the
message of Ethical Monotheism, the vision of a G-d who demands justice,
compassion and peace, which Abraham’s descendants must convey to the world. This
is the true mission of Israel! This third covenant is the covenant of Israel’s
responsibility to the world!”
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