Pray as if everything depends on God, act as if everything depends on you.
This week with heavy hearts we as a nation have again witnessed the ugly face of racial injustice and we are angry. This is wrong. This should not happen in our country. This should not happen anywhere. Ever. We have seen looting and violence in response and there is fear. There are other ways for voices to be heard, for change to happen.
So we speak out in protest, rallying together in-person with our neighbors, and our online community. And we pray.
We pray as a sacred community from our siddur, that “all who hold positions of leadership and responsibility in our national life will be responsive to God’s will so that our nation will be to the world and example of justice and compassion.” We pray that: “God who causes peace to reign in the High Heavens will let peace on us and all the world.” We hope that God will hear our prayers, but we know in our hearts that it is the power of prayer that gives us our strength. Prayer stirs our conscience. Prayer guides us on the right path.
It is up to each of us to take action. Our teachers remind us that “the well-being of our nation is in the hands of all its citizens.” Each of us are partners with God. Our charge must be to model justice and peace in our own lives and always work toward making the world a better place for every person. The Torah commands…Justice, Justice, you shall pursue.
May justice reign. May God bless you and keep you. May you be blessed with a week of peace.
