Thought of the Week: Tetzaveh - 5778

WE ARE HERE!

After centuries of hatred, persecution and pogroms, we gratefully can still say with pride, "Am Yisrael Chai." Despite Haman, Chmielnicki, Hitler, Stalin and the others, we as a nation are still shining brightly and filling the world with light.

Yet, before we enter Purim and express our gratitude for our existence and survival, we need to remember that evil entities in the world, which want us to vanish, unfortunately still exist. The Shabbat before Purim is Shabbat Zachor, a time to remember and a time to remind ourselves to be mindful of realities, even those we would prefer to ignore.

Anti-Semitism has not vanished. We must be grateful to organizations that monitor hate, and do their best in fighting it. At the same time, we must remember what our tradition teaches: that Torah, Avoda and Gemilut Chasadim are the foundation of our existence and, to keep ourselves alive, we need to keep them alive. On Purim, let us celebrate with gratitude and commitment to do our part in having a positive impact on the world.

Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach