Social Justice: Leadership and Philosophy

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.

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.

For those who are experiencing darkness today, light will come — we just need to commit to the belief that darkness is unacceptable.

Ethical perfection is not possible in an imperfect world, and running away from reality to seek private peace is not an option. Instead, we must act with love within our spheres of influence. There are opportunities for coalition-building across disagreements.

In the aftermath of trauma, there is a natural desire to protect, to retaliate, and to secure our own safety at all costs. But in seeking safety, in seeking justice for our own pain, we can risk perpetuating cycles of violence that dehumanize others — and ultimately ourselves.

Like Abraham, we are called to step forward, raise our voices in defense of those whose rights are being violated, and advocate for a more just and compassionate world.

We are not only here to receive blessings but to redistribute them, to share them with others. In a time of profound global instability, we must remember that true blessing is found in the act of blessing others.

We must continuously strive to implement justice, as it is so easy to backslide when our attention and our resolve falter. Even during a time of war, when we are at our most vulnerable, we must still check ourselves to see if our conduct is as moral as possible.

[The Torah] asks us to take seriously our power and ability to create change. It asks us to get off the couch, and to use the best of our spiritual and political wisdom to challenge the injustice of our time and transform the world.