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We are living in a terrifying moment to be trans in America. When those in power try to take away your rights, being your authentic self is the most revelatory thing you can do. It is revolutionary and holy work.

From Rabbi Seth Goldstein: We know that this is a nation founded by massacre, built by slavery, maintained by exclusion, defined by inequality. And we also know that this nation promises equality, exercises resilience, evolves continuously, practices teshuvah.

Adar is a month that invites us into an ancient, collective experience. It calls us to cultivate joy, even when we do not feel it naturally. Our ancestors knew there would be Adars when joy was hard to find, yet they committed themselves to honor the spirit of the month, to dare to seek joy even in the hardest times.

By performing this mitzvah [of helping your enemy], we create an experience of cognitive dissonance, causing our enemy to question the assumptions of conflict between us.

There are plenty of authentic versions of “God’s voice” out there if we would only pay attention to them. It is the voice that has been speaking from inside ourselves since time and space began. Now, more than ever, we need to hearken to it.

With the sea in front of them and the enemy army behind them, [our ancestors] must have been terrified. Nachshon ben Aminadav began walking into the water and only when he could no longer breathe did the sea part. He took a step, not knowing how the story would proceed. Like our ancestors, we stand at the precipice of the unknown, but they model for us what it can look like to step into the breach and tell the next chapter with hope.

For those of us feeling as if we only see evil and darkness in the other, it might be helpful to sit a while in the silence of the Divine Void where we are invited to join with God to look at the ways in which we ourselves may contribute to societal evils. Grappling with our own complicity could be just the impetus for us to seek common ground with those we label as evil. May we find a new way forward, together, for the old ways are no longer serving us.

There are moments when we know that we can make a difference. Do we let those moments pass? [Or do we listen to] that "still, small voice" [that] calls us to respond, to take a stand, or to lend a hand?

The Torah deems Shifra, Puah, and Moses worthy of being named on the basis of their efforts to subvert the injustice that surrounds them. These leaders should push us to ask ourselves if we are fully inhabiting our named identities as we face today’s moral challenges.

May we protect one another with whatever vision and creativity we can muster and continue to teach hope and dignity to our children. Let us be strong and strengthen each other.