Born in the shadow of the Holocaust,
we hear in Charlottesville
the echoes of Nazi Germany.
Born in the wake of Jim Crow,
we see in Virginia
the resurfacing of white supremacy
that once terrorized the American South.
Hate summons us
to call out,
to cry out,
to commit to walking and working with others.
To shatter falsehoods with truth
to replace moral relativism with moral certainty.
May hate not silence us.
May hate not harden us.
The Talmud teaches that when the Temple was destroyed
the gates of prayers were locked,
the direct line of communication between us and God was fractured,
but the gates of tears, Rabbi Elazar taught, are always open.
(Bablylonian Talmud Bava M’tzia 89a)
May tears flow that leads us to chesed, to compassion.
May truth flow that leads us to tzedek, to justice.
May prayers flow that lead us to action,
that lead us to love.