Justice is the Air We Breathe

Shabbat Terumah Sermon. Rabbi Sharon Brous

Some dominant voices in our community have chosen to ignore or forgive anti-Semitism– not to mention threats to other vulnerable communities– for the sake of currying favor with those in power. But history has taught us that in times of challenge, we are called to be even more committed to our core Jewish values. (Sermon followed a study of Brakhot 61b: Rabbi Akiva explains that Jews must continue to learn and teach Torah even under threat of death, because even despite the danger that nets pose to fish, the even greater danger is fish abandoning the water and trying to live on dry land, where they will surely die.)