Rabbi Sherman - Honorable Mensch-ion

Do you act upon your dreams? There is a difference between the dreams of Jacob and the dreams of Pharaoh.

I have prayed in many places around the world: Standing in the depths of Auschwitz, at the Kotel with my children, overlooking the Grand Canyon with my family, and in our stunning Ziegler Sanctuary.

I have spent the last two days at Marquette University participating in the Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference.

The first question in the Torah that God asks Adam is ayeka, where are you?

'I have not set foot on a high school campus in many years. I interact often with teenagers at our synagogue. I consult with teens, give them the appropriate resources to combat antisemitism in the classroom and in the halls of their schools, and educate them on the history and the importance of Israel. After they become b’nai mitzvah, complete religious school or graduate Sinai Akiba Academy, we send these young people off to act as Jewish leaders in their high schools, private and public schools alike. If we are lucky, a small majority of teens stay active and deeply connected to synagogue life. It is the reality of the world.

The families of the hostages set up an empty Shabbat table in Tel Aviv. The picture is haunting. 200 seats, each for one hostage that will not be at their Shabbat table tonight.

A cousin, a friend, a sibling, a child. There is not a Jew in the world who does not know someone who has been personally affected by the Simchat Torah massacre in the State of Israel. We try to awaken ourselves from the nightmare, but it is not yet possible.

For the last seven days, we have sat in our sukkot: big and small, tall and short. Our sukkot are filled with friends and family celebrating zman sinchateinu, our holy day of joy. Yes, we go outside in a fragile structure, but we are still protected by walls and a roof representing ananei kavod, God’s clouds of glory.

Sukkot is confusing. Why are we sitting in huts commemorating the Exodus when we know this miracle happened in the spring?

The Talmud debates who is greater: the tzaddik gammur, the fully righteous person, or the ba’al teshuva, the master of return.