Four years ago, the world shut down. I remember during the Seder that year, there was a global call to open our doors and windows and sing Eliyahu Hanavi, welcoming the prophet into our Passover in hope for a time of redemption.
Yesterday morning, many of us participated in the global recitation of the Shema. Jews around the world, no matter their denomination, all recited the Shema at once.
Our Bat Mitzvah led us in this recitation in Kohn Chapel as hundreds of students from Sinai Akiba Academy lined the halls saying these same words. Simultaneously, we streamed the Shema from the thousands standing at the Kotel, praying for the return of our hostages.
This moment was an intense sign of unity. We must remember: We can be unified without uniformity. Each Jew practices their Judaism in the manner in which they are most comfortable. Is that not why on a deserted island there are two synagogue? One in which I go, and the the other to which I do not go?
Yet, no matter what synagogue you attend, the observance of mitzvot, and the theology you carry in your soul, the unity comes from our shared text, ultimately the Shema, the declaration of our faith.
As we celebrate Purim this weekend, may we seek to continue to discover moments of unity without uniformity.
