For the last couple of weeks, I have had many different thoughts and ideas swirling in my head. Over the weekend, as I attended one of our community’s youth becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I realized they all revolved around the same idea… justice.

 

In the Bat Mitzvah’s speech, she reminded me of a very simple yet profound teaching found in the Torah. Tzedek, tzedek tirdof….loosely translated to mean justice, justice shall you pursue. When a word in the Torah is repeated, scholars have surmised that it is done as a way to emphasize its importance. The fact that tzedek is repeated means that justice, or the idea of what justice means, is really important.

 

In my opinion, this concept governs how we are supposed to act as humans; the idea that we must do what we can to help bring about justice. Justice can be defined in a few different ways, but the definition I believe captures the true essence is “the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness.” Seeking and acting morally correct and equitably is at the heart of pursuing justice. In other words, treating people fairly and providing opportunities to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance is what justice is all about.

 

Yesterday, I attended my monthly LA County Commission on Human Relations meeting. In the room, I was surrounded by my fellow commissioners, all with the same passion, desire, commitment, and drive to ensure that every citizen of LA County is treated fairly and with respect.  The commission’s mission is to promote better human relations in Los Angeles County and help build vibrant, thriving communities by working to transform prejudice into acceptance, inequity into justice, and hostility into peace. I am honored to be a part of this extraordinary group of people who embody the idea of tzedek, tzedek tirdof each day. One of the ways it does this is through one of its many programs – LA vs. Hate. The program aims to address the normalization of hate and inspire people to stand up to it, build understanding about what constitutes a hate act and how to report it, as well as support individuals and communities as they heal from the trauma of hate.

 

We all know that there’s much hate and animosity in our world today. I believe that this hatred targeting groups of people is only coming from a very vocal minority and that the vast majority of people and society are trying to do what they can to make the world a better place. Knowing that a program like LA vs. Hate is doing what it can gives me hope and a belief that the tide of hatred we see can turn as more people join this effort. It is why when I contacted our area school district superintendents to let them know about the upcoming High Holy Days, I also encouraged them to participate in United Against Hate Week (Sept. 21-27), which is a program of LA vs. Hate and is part of a statewide initiative.

 

Each one of us can and must continue to do our part by pursuing justice through the way we treat one another. As the days get closer to Rosh Hashanah, I encourage you to continue to reflect on this past year and begin to think of ways that you can increase your pursuit of justice in the year ahead.