“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.'” – From Martin Luther King’s I had a Dream, quoting Amos 5:4
וְיִגַּ֥ל כַּמַּ֖יִם מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה כְּנַ֥חַל אֵיתָֽן׃
But let justice well up like water,
Righteousness like an unfailing stream.
I would like to take this opportunity, on MLK Day 2025, to announce AARC’s Year of Water. We will be bringing attention to water justice and infusing water wisdom from Jewish tradition into our prayer services and other programming during the rest of 5785. We do not have to wait until Shmitta years to shed light on the importance of the miztvah of taking care of our planet.
It is my hope that turning our attention to the theme of Water will not interfere with our other efforts of Tikkun Olam, but rather, that such holy work will sustain and nurture us in all our endeavors, for if we work toward purifying and cleansing our waterways, we also purify and cleanse ourselves. As we already know, 60% (give or take) of us is made up of water.
I know that our community is deeply invested in Tikkun Olam, which has many many different faces, as there is so much brokenness in the world. Our community’s commitment and interest in Tikkun Olam is one of the things that I cherish most about us. May we continue on that path of repairing and healing the world with strength and resilience, as a community and as individuals.
B’ahavah,
Rav Gavrielle
