Did you ever want to know how I came to care so much about Tikkun Olam? It all started on a spring day in 1996 at Temple Israel in Columbus, Ohio at a car wash. Back then, the idea of Mitzvah Day was something fairly new for my temple. The teen project that year was to wash cars and donate the money we raised to a local organization. That day, like other days, my mom told my brother and me that we were going to Mitzvah Day and that we could volunteer with the teen group washing cars.
As we arrived, my awareness of awkward situations was high. I was wondering how many hours I would have to wash cars with other washing cars with other kids that I didn’t really know. Even though I was a regular at the temple, I did not feel very comfortable there. I didn’t go to secular school with the other kids, some of them weren’t particularly nice, and I wasn’t particularly outgoing. And yet, after about ten minutes, I warmed up and really enjoyed myself. The other teens were welcoming and the youth group advisor made sure that we had enough to do. It turned out to be quite fun and I knew I was doing something good for other people. At this point in my life, I did not believe in God but the opportunity to be Jewish and do Jewish was refreshing. From that day on, I counted myself as someone who wanted to live Jewishly by doing good for others. Of course, the rest of my Jewish journey has grown and changed but social action and social justice has been at the center of my practice.
We are currently at a crossroads in our collective lives. For so long we have been navigating how to survive the pandemic by making constant choices about our physical presence. As the pandemic is (hopefully) easing once again we might be asking questions about how we want to live the precious life that we have been given. We might be asking the question, like our prophet Micah asked, “What does God require of us?” His answer to his own question is, “Only to do justice and love goodness and to walk humbly with your God; then will your name achieve wisdom.” (Micah 6:8-9) There are so many ways to interpret this verse but one of the ways that I see it is that to make meaning in life, we need to serve others. We need to share our resources, time, energy, and money. We need to go deeper in understanding our own privilege and use that privilege to raise up other people and support causes that make a difference in people’s lives. There are so many issues that need to be addressed these days and it is sometimes paralyzing to choose which is most urgent. But if we go back to Micah’s words, to do justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with God, we can do it. It is simple and we do not have to do it alone.
Let’s get started together. Throughout the pandemic, the PTS social justice team has achieved goals that we were not sure we would be able to accomplish. We engaged in a wildly successful voter engagement campaign. We lobbied our state and federal representatives for criminal justice reforms and supporting garment workers. We participated in workshops about implicit bias and racial justice. We have continued to find ways to advocate for mental health resources. And yet, we need you! Yes, I’m talking to you. We need your skills, your passion, your renewed energy to take our social justice efforts to the next level. We are asking questions about how to make it possible for young people to live in the Bay Area, how to keep teachers teaching our students despite the astronomical cost of living. We are asking questions of how we can make an impact on hunger and homelessness. We are figuring out hands-on ways to help the vulnerable in our larger community and we need you. Let’s start this month with Mitzvah Day and the PTS Blood Drive, just one day where you can live Jewishly helping with projects either at PTS or at home. You never know where it will take you. I certainly didn’t have any idea where it would lead me. Please join us and let’s repair the world together. ♦
