This weekend, in a Chabad house not that different from my own Synagogue, a man opened fire and shot and killed a woman who dove in front of her Rabbi, saving his life.  several others were injured.  They were there celebrating the last days of Passover, much like I was, thousands of miles away.  They were there celebrating the Jews miraculous deliverance from slavery, the freedom to be who we are.  Instead, a man filled with hate opened fire.  He also shot the Rabbi in the hand, a young girl from Israel, and her uncle.  The woman he killed acted selflessly even in the face of his selfish hatred.

This evening, in our shul, we celebrated the feast of Moshiach, a taste of the ultimate redemption that is yet to come.  It’s bittersweet that on a night like tonight, we also come face to face with the great imperfection of this world, that there is still so much work to be done before it is ready for G-d to dwell among us once more.

My heart is weary and yet, even in the midst of this, we’re urged to look forward and continue to try to raise up ourselves and the world around us.