Dear all,
I spent much of this week in the Bay Area at the CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) annual convention, alongside colleagues committed to asking the hardest questions about 91传媒 life right now.
Through presentations, plenaries, and prayer, we wrestled with the realities facing our communities鈥攁nd searched for ways to respond with clarity, courage, and hope.
With all the powerful ideas and tools we encountered, the image that has stayed with me most wasn鈥檛 from a lecture hall. It was a bus 鈥� connected to a power line overhead.
Why this image?
Because it felt like a metaphor for everything.
We don鈥檛 move on our own. Not fully. We draw power from something beyond ourselves.
Sometimes we need a jolt of energy to motivate us.
Sometimes we need an invisible hand to accompany us.
Sometimes we need to channel our energy in just the right way.
Sometimes we need to stay on track.
Sometimes we need to connect.
Sometimes we need to disconnect.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that our engines need nourishment.
Sometimes we need to take a moment in time to 鈥渦se the force鈥� – because it is always there, whether we realize it or not.
Yes, the power is constant. The question is whether we are.
This week, the convention was my power line. It steadied me, energized me, and reminded me that none of us is meant to carry this work alone.
What will be your connection this week?
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro
