The violence in Charlottesville leaves us with a heavy heart. The media focuses on blame and shame.
Faith, however, asks us to look at our responsibility. What are we doing to bring shalom into our world?
Shalom is right relationship with God and with one another. Before we can have shalom in our world, we need to find it in our hearts.
That takes hard work. It takes prayer.
It takes an evaluation of the purity of our intentions. It takes an honest appraisal of our words.
Indeed, shalom begins not when we focus on the color of our skin, but on the beating heart within.
Sometimes we will come up short. We will realize we have not been the people we hope to be. Sometimes we have to go through the valley in order to reach the summit.
That's when we remind ourselves that every human being is created in the image of God. That is the foundation of Shalom.
It is also the focus of Chapter Nine of The Happiness Prayer: Ancient Jewish Wisdom for the Best Way to Live Today. When you get it, it will guide you in radiating shalom into a world so deeply in need.
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Congregation Solel
1301 Clavey Road
Highland Park, Illinois 60035, United States
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