Truly righteous people are those who swim against the tide, who despite bad influences surrounding them stay the course. They follow the dictates of a moral code regardless of what everyone else is doing.  They are righteous because they ignore the costs and remain focused on doing right. 

To be honest I have been afraid for Omri and the other hostages’ fates for two years. I have drawn faith and strength from the hostage families who refused to give up hope. And today, I feel like dreamers. The rejoicing of Simhat Torah can haltingly return.

We cannot use Hamas’ lack of humanity as an excuse for our lack of humanity; we cannot blame others for our failure to live up to our moral responsibilities. It is inhumane when we say things like there are no innocent Palestinians or all Muslims are jihadists or there are two million terrorists in Gaza. Al cheyt shechatanu l’fanecha. We have sinned.

The shadow continues.  The pain, and the heartache, do not go away.  We do not really emerge on the other side of the valley.  That is a tantalizing myth.  It is just that over time the walk seems less lengthy.  The shadow appears to no longer to obscure our vision.  It no longer feels like the shadow envelopes every step.  Our walk becomes less strenuous.

We pray despite our reality.  We do not pray to affirm our reality but instead to make our dreams possible.  Our prayers do not mirror our lives or even our views.  They point heavenward and toward our dreams.  We pray for the reality we seek.   We pray for the reality God seeks. 

Maybe the reason why the viddui is said in the plural is to say we want the Jewish people to do better. We so love the Jewish community that we want our family to acknowledge its wrongs and correct its failings.