January 15, 2010 - Hearing the sound of hope

Shabbat Shalom!
When it comes to seeing into the future of the economy, the environment, health care, or aspects of our own lives, it is sometimes difficult to be an optimist. There may be facts and figures that preclude the possibility of proceeding into the future with a feeling of underlying hope. Some leaders may claim that attempts to improve current realities with new policies or strategies will necessarily fall short. There may be experts, advisors or a voice inside of us telling us that a supposed fix for a personal challenge won’t work. We know that there are some proposals for progress that may seem “too good to be true,” and, in many cases, they are (just watch television advertisements on all sorts of matters that make big promises). Yet, we can still maintain a well-founded trust that, when we face situations that call for our own perseverance, patience and ingenuity, there are always constructive and realistic solutions within our grasp.

We will be able to see those solutions as long as we can hold on to a glimmer of hope. In the Torah portion for this week, VA-ERA, Moses and Aaron went to the Israelites and told them that God would deliver them from slavery and bring them to a place where they could live in freedom. The people couldn’t hear this positive message because of their “shortness of spirit” and the hard work imposed upon them. They had no strength to truly appreciate the promise of liberty being presented to them, much less to allow this promise to renew their faith and spur them to action. Much later, they would rejoice at their liberation, only to fall back into pessimism when they faced yet another crisis.

As we consider the life’s work of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the day and weekend when we celebrate his legacy, we are reminded that “having a dream” is a prerequisite and a foundation for solutions that are realized only after years of hard work and commitment to a cause. May we, in our own lives and as a community, continue to dream, to plan, and to sustain a spirit that will always keep us moving forward with hope.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry