Tragedy is what we see around us; how do we respond? This is not a time for long sermons or columns, so I will keep this brief.
The answer lies in this week's Torah portion, Acharei Mot, which means "after the death." These words refer to the death of Aaron's two sons, who brought incense in the holy of holies when it was forbidden to do so. Yet, the rest of the portion focuses on Aaron's service on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. This sets a precedent for how we handle tragedy as Jewish people; we increase holiness.
Throughout our history, we've faced hateful people time and again, and our survival and success have always been based on our commitment to grow in the face of challenge, not shrink.
Today, we, too, must rise to this newest form of intolerance and ignorance and say clearly the louder you scream, the stronger we become. Am Yisroel Chai!
Good Shabbos & Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mendy Dubrowski
Mission: Increase your Jewishness by performing an extra Mitzvah this Shabbat, and may our collective light banish the darkness around us.