I love our sanctuary. Sometimes I come in here during the week just to find some quiet, some peace from the noise and the clatter of the world. I especially love when the light is just right, and the colors from the stained glass windows splash across our Mikdash Me’at, our miniature temple, our most sacred space. And it’s even better still when the kids are playing in the back, or yes, wreaking havoc on the bimah. And when I see people chatting and catching up– yes during services! But today, there’s a different quality in the air. This place feels like a refuge, a place where we can come truly as we are and say to our hearts and our minds, to each other, “sshh, you can rest now.” Because the world out there isn’t just loud, it’s cruel, and broken, and all too much. Do you know that? Do you see that? 

But we have been here before. In fact, our story as Jews is one that is built on building and rebuilding time after time. We are masters of redefining who we are in moments of crisis and tragedy, and we are preternaturally built not only to meet the moment, but to redefine our Jewishness specifically so we can preserve Judaism and ensure that it not only survives, but can thrive and flourish in new and unprecedented times.