“It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.”
“.לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה”
Pirkei Avot 2:16
Tonight we will be joined at services by Pastor Michael Fisher from Greater Zion Church Family in Compton. He will speak from the heart about racism and offer concrete suggestions about ways that each of us can make things better.
Here’s what makes these efforts especially difficult: we know that we cannot solve this problem alone and that progress in this arena takes time, decades even. Our tradition reminds us though that when it comes to work like this—sacred, holy work—it is not incumbent upon us to complete the task. We won’t eradicate hatred or xenophobia in our lifetimes but we can, little by little, bit by bit, be part of the change that we wish to see in the world.
—Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback