Social Justice: Leadership and Philosophy

Torah does not ask us to confuse legality with righteousness. It challenges us to investigate whether our laws serve the most vulnerable, honor human dignity, and reflect the divine spark that exists within every human being.

It is exactly how we treat every person, every animal, every plant, our planet — with reverence — that distinguishes us as fulfillers of the Divine commandments on which the world was formed, and the slaves from Egypt were redeemed.

In a time when manna no longer falls from the sky, its ethic becomes our responsibility. By rejecting the culture of excess, using Shabbat as a tool of resistance, and fostering communities of care, we can work toward building the society that our parshah invites us to imagine.

…I am a refugee. I am an immigrant. I am a person of color. I am a transgender person… [These] words become more than just words when we know that it was YHVH who spoke them.

In the Morning Blessings, we name different aspects of the Divine by acknowledging their presence in our lives. Merely by acknowledging these qualities, through mentioning their names, it is as if we are funneling them into our day.

Jacob’s words remind us that life’s most sacred moments call us to speak truth and to recognize our deep ties with one another. Even when relationships are fraught, even when pain tempts us to turn away, we are bound together.

Although makhlokot (disagreements) stem from forgetting the Torah, Torah thrives and expands as we argue, trying to uncover its truths. When we have different truths, we increase the Torah in the world, and thus beautify it.

The Chanukah lights are intended for people on the “outside” — those on the margins. The internal practice of Chanukah is to turn outward and examine how we help illuminate God’s holiness for people on the outside of our society.

"More and more I begin to believe that we are as defined by those calls for help we do not answer as by those calls that we do."

In this moment, when our communities carry fear, grief, and uncertainty, the identity of wrestling feels especially urgent. Wrestling is a powerful metaphor for faith. It means to hold on — even when understanding feels out of reach.