Yom Kippur: Time for Justice and Hope

Dear Friends,

In the shadow of history and to the echo of the prophets, we find ourselves united, imbued with a profound truth: “A law is not the mirror of a society; a law is an ideal, a beacon for us to be a better version of ourselves.” This truth, this beacon, illuminates our dialogue and our discontent in the face of legislation that seeks to obscure the essence of our collective conscience.

On this sacred Yom Kippur, I wish for all the righteous to be inscribed in the Book of Life, and if divine justice indeed exists, may it manifest against the impure, the racists, the Kahanists, and any other group that dares to pervert the most fundamental concepts of Judaism. Jewish custom is as obligatory as any law. Judaism values generosity, hospitality, a willing hand to help, honesty, and respect for one’s parents. It imposes upon us the duty to love our neighbors as ourselves, as expressed in Leviticus 19:18.

Laws embody our eternal aspirations, the pillars upholding our noblest intentions. They are the compass guiding our journey toward a society imbued with enlightenment and humanity.

The legislation we debate today does not seek to elevate our spirits or illuminate our paths. On the contrary, it seems to obscure our aspirations and cast shadows over our ideals, diverging from the foundational principles that constitute the bedrock of our nation – the principles of freedom, justice, and peace.

Our struggle is a manifestation of our deepest moral and ethical convictions. It is our unswerving belief that laws should be the harbingers of justice and the seekers of truth, reflectors of our highest moral ground, and not mirrors of our societal frailties.

We stand united, not in rebellion but in proclamation, not in dissent but in affirmation. We are the precursors of hope, the bearers of the eternal flame of truth and justice, representations of resilience and indomitable convictions.

And, with this spirit, we must fight the good fight. We must advocate for an egalitarian society where the beacons of law guide us to our higher selves and our shared ideals illuminate our path towards enlightenment and humanity.

May our united voices be the heralds of change, our united steps, the bearers of progress. May our fight be the good fight, our battle be the noble battle, and may we be the builders of a society where equality is a reality and our laws are the beacons of our higher selves.

Ketiva v’chatimah tovah! כתיבה וחתימהטובה