Beit Yisrael International: Parashat Vayeilech-He Went- 5786-27 September 2025 / 5 Tishrei 5786 Mr. Murthy Gaddi Parashat Vayeilech-He Went- 5786-27 September 2025 / 5 Tishrei 5786 “CHOOSE LIFE: THE ETERNAL CALL OF FREE WILL, COVENANT, AND CLOSENESS TO HASHEM.” The verses from ( Deuteronomy 30:17–19 , near the close of Nitzavim–Vayeilech ) are among the most central passages in the Torah , and the Jewish sages unfolded many layers of meaning in them. Here is an exploration through Midrash , Talmud , Ramban , Chassidut , and Kabbalah : “Choose Life” — Insights from the Sages 1. Free Will and Responsibility Rambam (Hilchot Teshuvah 5:1–3) teaches that these verses are the foundation of human freedom: “Permission is given to every person to incline himself toward good or evil… Do not think that God decrees that a person must be righteous or wicked.” The choice of life and death is given into our own hands; without free will, Torah and mitzvot would have no meaning. Midrash...