By Lily Sieradzki

Shabbat Shalom movement! Hope you're all having a great start to your year.

Speaking of transitions, that's exactly what this week's torah portion is about. This is Moses' last speech to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land and leave him behind. He tells them a a lot: that they need to bring the first of their fruits and veggies to the Temple each year as an offering and show of gratitude for this land, how to portion out tithes for the poor, and that they are G-d's chosen people if they, in turn, choose G-d. After listing the blessings the people will receive by following these instructions, Moses lists all the curses (plague, famine, etc), that will happen if the Israelites do not follow G-d's commandments.

In reading this parashah, I've been thinking a lot about transitions. My own life is in a fairly big state of transition right now, but I also think as young people, we're constantly transitioning from one thing to the next. In a way, the movement provides some sense of stability for us - we can return to its values and its comfortable communities in our kvutsot and machanot.

But the movement is also constantly offering us the possibility of radical, transformative change - in ourselves and in the larger world. And this possibility, this belief that we can turn what "is" into what "should be," is deeply rooted in Judaism. Nothing is fixed or taken for granted - slaves can become free, temples can be built and rebuilt, the broken world can be repaired.

But the thing about transition (whether that's within machaneh tafkidim or out in the real world), is that it's really freaking hard. There are always blessings and curses. For me, possible blessings of transition include a lot of personal growth, joining new communities and building new relationships. The curses are discomfort, feeling unsure about my path or direction, and feeling alone. On a larger scale, radical change takes a long time and may

have so many setbacks that it seems impossible. But the point is that we're constantly working towards it.

That's one of the coolest things about our youth movement - it takes into account both the blessings and the curses, turning the harder experiences into possibilities for transformation or growth. The partnership and trust we have in each other creates a system of support. At the same time, we're constantly challenging each other to go out and transform our Jewish communities and the world by educating each other, creating new structures and resisting injustice always.

Moses concludes his speech by telling the Israelites that as a people, they have attained a "heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear." I think this means that they have become aware of themselves and the world around them, and are ready for this transition. They are able to know, see and hear the possibilities for a just, peaceful, prosperous future for themselves in the land of Israel. Now it's just up to them to choose and actualize that path. As the freedom fighters from the Warsaw Ghetto say, they have "the wisdom to see, the courage to want, and the power to act." Going into the new year, I hope that we all - as individuals and as a movement - can have this same wisdom, courage and power to transform our realities for the better.