AND I SHALL MAKE YOU A LIGHT UNTO THE NATIONS…
ISAIAH 49:6

Even in the darkest of times, we have always been a people not only striving to see even the smallest rays of light when that did not seem possible but to become the light bringing hope and possibility to a world sorely in need of it. I suppose every generation perceives it is living through the most arduous and dangerous of times. Of course, the world is always filled with strife, brutality and evil. We tend to focus on the world’s troubles both in a macro as well as a micro sense. After all, good news doesn’t make good copy. There are unsung heroes all around us; yet acts of goodness often go, well, unsung.
 
These days we feel bombarded by monumental crises, not mere challenges. There is so much to worry about that we may find ourselves becoming numb to the world’s cries for our involvement and problem-solving ideas. Yet, our future may depend upon our innovative engagement.
  
So, as we sit around our Thanksgiving tables expressing our gratitude for the many blessings of our lives, perhaps our dinner conversations should also include ways we can contribute and constructively engage with the world, with our country and communities to make this tiny speck of a planet a better place.
 
This has been the mission and vision of the Jewish people throughout the generations. It was ordained by God and is a holy endeavor incumbent upon each of us. Our tradition teaches that every one of us has the power to save the world. Let’s believe that we can actively empower ourselves to do so as we give thanks to God and to one another. Our blessings are many but becoming the blessing through our behaviors and actions is always what is called for. Become one of the unsung heroes.

Keyn Yehi Ratzon. So may it be God’s will.  So may this become our will. 
Amen.
 
Warmly,
 
Rabbi Debra Nesselson    
Thanksgiving, 2017