Torah Connection - Nitzavim/Vayeilech

A few exceptional verses from this double parsha:

First, the opener:

ט  אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם:  רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם, כֹּל, אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל.	9 Ye are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,
י  טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם--וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ:  מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ, עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ.	10 your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the woodchopper to the waterdrawer.

"From the woodchopper to the waterdrawer"??? What kind of an occupational spectrum is that? Two physical laborers, what gamut do they span? Many theories have been proposed. I like the one that looks at the two occupations in the way that they interact with the earth.  The woodchopper destroys nature, while the waterdrawer is in harmony with it.

ד  אִם-יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ, בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם--מִשָּׁם, יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וּמִשָּׁם, יִקָּחֶךָ.

4 If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.

"Uttermost parts of heaven"???  Many translations ignore this strange wording and substitute the more intuitive "ends of the earth".  And yet, the original clearly says "heavens".  This suggests, that if we lose our way in our spiritual quests, that G*d will nonetheless seek us out to bring us back to the correct path.  As we approach the Days of Awe, this is an empowering sentiment.

Speaking of which, Rosh Hashana starts tomorrow night!  I think I will make this, as recommended by my friend Miriam....