Over the last few months, like Jonah, we have each descended into the murky depths. And as we peered out at our world — through computers and TV screens — we, like Jonah, were dumbstruck as we witnessed the histories upon which our nation was built: the ongoing racial violence carried out by our institutions, a living legacy of slavery and dehumanization; the disparities in health care that have resulted in disproportionate losses to COVID amongst communities of color; environmental degradation wrought by corporations built on greed and plunder.
Read MoreAs Jews, on Yom Kippur, some of us dress in white, or fast and abstain from water, to intentionally wake ourselves up to life’s fleeting nature. As we observe Yom Kippur this year, we can’t help but think about how many people do not intentionally choose to be reminded of this, but instead have it forced on them by unjust policies and hateful acts.
Read MoreAs a new generation rises, and demands justice, its declaration “Black Lives Matter” demands our policies and institutions root out racial injustice in order to authentically uphold the value of human life. This week’s Torah portion gives us a three step model for how to respond to this historical moment: when our God is confronted with injustice, The Holy One responds: the daughters of Tzelofechad speak rightly! It’s time for things to change!
Read MoreThis week, Torah instructs us to hold a commemoration, each year, of our people’s liberation, called Pesach. It is to take place bein ha’arbayim: at twilight. Why? To recall the uncertainty and chaos before we were free, that only afterwards marked the tipping point in getting free, and an inspiration for future liberation movements of other oppressed peoples. That night, Moses instructed our people to be ready. After so many attempts to get free, no one thought this night would be different than any other night. Even so, we prepared ourselves at twilight: in that space between day and night, between freedom and captivity, between what was and what could be.
Read MoreAs I look at the headlines, I see continuing fallout from police killing another black man, this time in Baltimore. It’s easy for me to forget that humans are created with a soulful wholeness, what the Torah calls tzelem Elohim, or “the image of God.”
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