Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld
This time of year we are called on to reflect back. So, I have.
With the pandemic, I haven't gotten a haircut or beard trim since mid-February. My hair is as long as it was back in the late 60's and '70's and my beard is longer still. Yes, most of my hair evaporated over the years. The remainder morphed from reddish brown to white.
Seeing my hair this long and this white, I have taken to comparing the me of then to the me of now. "Back in the day" I boycotted school to end a war. I lobbied for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. I watched as the National Guard patrolled streets being consumed with protests against racism. I mourned the murder of four students at Kent State University by that same National Guard.
Today we are still at war. We continue the fight for women’s rights.. We confront our personal racism and its pervasiveness in our communities. Federal forces are again being sent to put down anti-Racism protests.
And I reflect: Can we ever change? Yes, we can!
This season of reflection and repentance fills me with its message of hope. We each ask; Where do I continue to fall short and how do I move forward? How have I grown through the years and what have I learned that can make my community and my life better for all? If not now, when?
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