Rabbi Sam Trief
Over these past many months, I have been wrestling with the question. What does it mean to stand for something without losing my sense of balance?
This election season, like so many in recent memory, has been filled with noise, polarization, and strong emotions. And yet, beneath it all, that same question lingers: how do we stay true to our values without hardening our hearts?
In Vayera, Abraham shows us how. He stands before God and pleads for the people of Sodom, he refuses to give up on the possibility of goodness. Abraham models what it means to protect what is sacred while still holding compassion for the other.
That balance feels harder than ever right now. We see it in our politics, where extremism of any kind is frightening. We feel it in conversations about almost every topic. But our tradition calls us not toward the extremes, rather toward the narrow bridge between them: the place where empathy and courage meet.
As we wrap up this busy and hopeful season of voting, I want to take a moment to congratulate and honor our Temple Sinai members who ran for office. Your willingness to give of your time, your energy, and your hearts to strengthen our city is an inspiration to us all.
May this Shabbat offer a moment of quiet after the noise, a chance to reconnect with our values, and to remember that strength and compassion are not opposites; they are partners.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Sam Trief
