“To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope in a world serially threatened by despair. Every ritual, every mitzvah, every syllable of the Jewish story, every element of Jewish law, is a protest against escapism, resignation or the blind acceptance of fate. Judaism is a sustained struggle, the greatest ever known, against the world that is, in the name of the world that could be, should be, but is not yet. There is no more challenging vocation. Throughout history, when human beings have sought hope they have found it in the Jewish story. Judaism is the religion, and Israel the home, of hope.”
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
We are all agents of hope. Think about what you are struggling with right now and consider how can your community lift you up, give you strength, and bring you hope. Similarly, think about ways in which friends, family, and community members might be struggling and commit yourself this week and forward to acting in ways that will help others. Being an agent of hope isn’t a title – it’s an occupation. It requires the work of our hearts and the work of our hands.
— Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
