We hope desperately that we can control enough factors so that no evil will overtake us. American Jews by the thousands, fearful about violence in the Middle East, have aborted plans for traveling to Israel. Yet life there goes on. Few Israeli civilians and fewer visitors have been injured by the uprising. We cannot eliminate all the risks.
Every waking hour is fraught with danger.
In the end, we have to act as if everything depends on us, even as we acknowledge that the most important factors are never in our control. Even as a theological radical, I warmly embrace this expression of gratitude for the boon of life renewed each day. There, I came to appreciate his wisdom, erudition, and balanced judgement. I am still reeling from the terse, elliptical announcement that, on December 4, Rabbi Zimmerman resigned his post and accepted a two-year suspension from rabbinical functions. We are expected by others, and we expect of ourselves and each other, to be scrupulous in avoiding even the appearance of sexual misconduct, whether by taking advantage of our position with those weaker than ourselves or those dependent upon us, or succumbing to the temptations of willing adults.