Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

It is good to be back with my Kol Ami family! While much of my time away was spent with wonderful family celebrations — weddings in New York and Chicago for two of our nieces, seeing old college friends as we dedicated a memorial to another dear college friend — plus a little downtime, I missed our time together and sharing life together.

Of course, amidst this important time to celebrate the simchas in our lives (and we all should take time to celebrate joyous occasions), the rest of the world did not stop. Long-held reproductive and privacy rights are now in serious peril. While Congress finally passed some form of reasonable gun restriction and safety laws, the Supreme Court abrogated a century-old restriction on guns; all this as another mass shooting occurred in Highland Park near Chicago. Highland Park, which is one-third Jewish, is where many Jews who formerly lived in Kansas City were attending a Fourth of July parade.

With recent news, there has been much grieving and despair. I have not been immune to such feelings from time to time. There have even been discussions entertaining the possibility of moving out of our country. Some days, it is just hard to hear an onslaught of bad news, seemingly without end.

Yet, we know from our own history and our own Jewish stories that we have always persevered during difficult times. By engaging in the work of pursuing justice, as we are commanded to do in the Book of Devarim/Deuteronomy, we lean on our hope and fight off despair. We not only bring ourselves to a better place but also serve as a light to the nations, and give hope to others.