tasteoflife

By Rabbi Laura J. Abrasley
I drive my son to school most mornings. I am not exactly a morning person, but it is often the highlight of my day. The short ride is filled with precious moments of giggling, loud pop music and real conversation. As we pull into the circular drop-off loop, he gathers his backpack. I remind him to have a good day at school. I watch him walk into the building, trusting that he will learn and grow and be safe. This is the world as it should be!
Yesterday, our country again experienced the world as it should never be! A parent should never doubt the safety of their children when they drop them off at school. And yet the statistics have become so staggering about gun violence in our country that I weep for the soul of our nation. Have we really reached a new status quo in America where the rights of gun owners are more important that the lives of our children? So, please forgive me if I offer in one breath yet another moment of silence for those so unjustly taken too soon and in the next breath issue an overwhelming call for righteous indignation and condemnation that demands immediate policy and change.
May this Shabbat provide us with the deep breath of courage to call out for real justice – for our children, for ourselves and for the very soul of our nation!