18 Jan Staying Calm
Dear Friends,
Tanya and I were shocked, Saturday night, to learn about the four people taken hostage at Shabbat Services in Colleysville. It is such an awesome blessing that they all escaped unharmed, and also that there appears not to have been a larger organization behind it. My heart is also warmed by a few voices in the Muslim world calling for their community to take responsibility for the rampant anti-semitism that is a ripe breeding ground for such hateful acts. It also makes me thankful for every single day when my family and I make it through without any worried, safe and unharmed.
I was impressed by the way that Rabbi Cytron-Walker stayed level headed and applied his training to the situation. He positioned himself and the other hostages near the closest exit, identified items he could use for weapons, planned the escape, and executed it, thank God, without any harm.
These three men escaped, in large part, because of a combination of preparedness and staying level headed. In an interview yesterday, Rabbi Cytron-Walker compared it to staying calm in emotionally charged pastoral situations such as comforting someone whose loved one has died. When we are in emotionally charged situations, we are often tempted to react, which is not always helpful. Thank God, most of us are not in dangerous situations like Saturday, but we all are in situations with difficult people which make us want to react. If we think through situations, we can find the best course of action, and calmly do it. We always need to be prepared for the best but also for the worst, and to stay calm in the face of upsetting or even terrifying experiences.
Shabbat with all your Heart-RSVP
Please join us for Shabbat services this week, including:
- Musical service, including reading the Ten Commandments from the Torah, 10:00
- Childrens’ program 10:30
- Kiddush in honor of a milestone birthday for Tanya Siff
Please RSVP by tomorrow (January 19th) so we can plan accordingly
I pray that you and all your loved ones are safe and healthy,
Rabbi David