This week we read parshat Mishphatim (Laws) and learned the middah “Create Fair Rules.” The parshah and its middah are most appropriate for a week in which we commemorated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Heschel and King were friends who were inspired by their religions to fight for “fair rules.” Both saw the biblical journey of the Israelites from slavery to freedom, and by the prophetic tradition of Justice and Equity as models for the Civil Rights movement. When Heschel marched alongside King in Selma Alabama, we said that he felt as if his “legs were praying.” This week, our Junior High Student Council Tikkun Olam committee created wonderful programming throughout the school to teach us all about the importance of standing up for fairness and justice. Throughout the school are footprints that testify to commitments to fairness that each student in the school made. This Shabbat may we all find sources of inspiration in our tradition that inspire us to work towards a fairer, more just society.
Shabbat Shalom
Moreh Greg
