The Rabbis in Pirkei Avot teach us, “Emor me’at, v’aseh harbeh - Say little, and do much.” So this message is short because there’s really not much to say. And this message will be short because for every moment we spend speaking we take away time from doing, from action.
This week there was a shooting - another one - this time in Nashville, with children killed. Children. Like mine or yours, or your grandchildren, or your neighbors. There were children killed because of gun violence, which on a grotesque level makes sense because gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in our country. It’s not in any other country.
On Thursday, the JCC here went on lockdown because of an armed shooter in the neighborhood. Gun violence affects all of us. We cannot simply sit here without demanding change. The lives of our children depend on us.
Donate to organizations promoting safe gun usage. Write to your elected officials. Hold the gun industry accountable. Lobby for sensible gun laws. Do something. Anything, really, that redeems us.
As we head into Pesach, this is the freedom I yearn for and the freedom I await. The freedom to not worry about sending our children to school. The freedom from worrying about another person becoming a statistic. The freedom from mourning the lives of our children. I pray that redemption is near. I pray that it can truly be a z’man cheiruteinu, a time of our freedom.
