January 2018, Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend

Last academic year, two days after our wedding Emily and I began our job as the List College Jewish life directors. We joked that we went from being long distance to suddenly mothers of 150 children. One of our children, Hannah Weiss, tragically died over the New Year, along with her brother and parents in a plane crash in Costa Rica.

The enormity of that loss washes over me in waves. Detachment. Avoidance. Acceptance. Disbelief. Grief. Anger. Now I feel a deep sadness. A void in my heart. Missing something I didn’t realize I was missing.

Hannah was, simply put, a sweet and inspiring young woman. She was the kind of person who saw a problem and took action. No fanfare needed. In her one year and a few months at JTS, she saw to it to make the school more environmentally friendly. She did so with a giant, contagious smile.

I can tell you how this loss has brought the JTS community closer. Made young students appreciate their lives more and make better choices. Perhaps inspire them to appreciate life as a sand mandala, that is intricately and lovingly worked on until it is finished and then the mandala is wiped away.

But we aren’t there yet. The loss is just beginning. This is also where we are in this week’s parasha—Parashat Vaera. Redemption has not come. The Israelites are enslaved to Pharaoh. Not only that, their work has become more burdensome and the land is plagued.

According to some opinions, the first three plagues: blood, frogs, and lice—reached the entire country of Egypt, including Goshen where the Israelites slaves lived. I can’t even begin to imagine the state of mind the slaves must have had.

Yes, the redeeming God through the hands of Moses and Aaron was revealed in the miracle of the plagues—but these same plagues added to the slaves’ burdens. Perhaps the slaves experiencing blood in their water, and frogs and lice in their clothing temporarily lost all hope—or at least were not able to really see into the future. Their loss was just the beginning—both of the plagues, and their eventual freedom.

I can’t help but think of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well. After he was assassinated, there were riots. There was mourning. There was a fear that his message would be lost. The loss was just the beginning—both of an outpouring of anger as well as an opening to passing the Fair Housing Act.

I am not sure what good will come in the wake of this tragedy and it is still difficult to see beyond the pain of a life so short lived and suddenly ended. But I know good will come. The Israelite slaves, having survived generations of slavery, crossed the sea to freedom. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., having prayed with his feet, changed our country for the better.

In her short life, Hannah made a huge impact. In her memory, I will continue to strive towards making this world what Hannah believed it could be—a world of love. Love for the world and its inhabitants. 

As The Rev Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”  May we be a congregation that always strives for light instead of darkness and love instead of hate. And may the memories of Hannah, along with her younger brother Ari and parents Mitchell and Leslie eternally be for a blessing.

And let us say, amen.