Rabbi's Teachings

We are approaching the month of our greatest luck coming out of a few weeks of horror.

On Wednesday morning, the Bibas family, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir, were laid to rest, together in one coffin. The Jewish world has come to a standstill.

This past Saturday, I spoke about holding space for horror. When emotions are so large, and are so raw, the only thing that one can do is to pause and to allow the feelings to flow. In the aftershock of horror, of tremendous loss, it is not the time to act. After the initial shock waves have subsided and grief begins to become true mourning, that is one when can act. 

After my sermon this week, a congregant reminded me that the next step in unpacking horror is to do mitzvot. It was a simple and powerful reminder of how our tradition begs us not to necessarily understand “why”, but to figure out “what’s next?”.

Rabbi Sacks teaches us that when moments like this happen, God helps us do the next right thing. Using this moment here, now, in these circumstances, to do something that God needs to happen.

https://rabbisacks.org/videos/rabbi-sacks-on-coincidence-and-providence-jinsider/

It’s in these moments, when we are shaken to our core, that we are reminded of our capacity to turn pain into purpose. We cannot control the forces of the world, nor can we explain the unexplainable, but we are charged with the sacred task of responding to these challenges with kindness, with action, and with love.

As we stand on the cusp of Purim, let us remember the courage and resilience of our ancestors. They too faced times of horror, yet through their faith, they turned their trials into triumphs. Let us take this as a call to be agents of change in our own time, to be partners with God in shaping the world into a place of justice, peace, and compassion.

We are a community built on mitzvot. With each act of kindness, with each prayer, and with every small step we take toward healing, we rebuild the world in God's image. This is our shared responsibility, and it is how we honor those who are no longer with us.

May this month, the month of our luck, inspire each of us to reflect deeply on what we can do next, to commit to bringing light into the darkness, and to continue moving forward together.