Praying That Love Trumps Hate On Yom Kippur.

On the holiest day of the year, a day of reflection and prayer, when we Jews are closest to G-d, praying and repenting for our sins, evaluating how we can become better people and do even more to help others, I have spent the morning with love in my heart and thinking about the future year ahead… I then made the mistake of turning on the TV.

I was suddenly plucked out of a calm inner peaceful sense of prayer and shocked as I was thrown into the world of reality by being bombarded with nasty, vile ads from Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton. Not ads discussing policy differences but clips of her coughing and tripping when she was ill.  Attacks on her that were based on falsehoods and that made me so very sad. Not angry, but saddened at the level of barbarity I was seeing.

I quickly turned off the television because the disgust at the nastiness was just too overwhelming when I was trying to forgive all those around me who may have wronged others. So, on a day when I am trying to focus on how I can continue to grow as a human being, become a holier person on a daily basis, do more mitzvah’s (good deeds) for others, witnessing such negativity just reaffirmed that “Love Trumps Hate”.

Perhaps G-d’s lesson here is that we must look evil in the face and rise above it. We must see hatred and bigotry and learn from it that we can NEVER let our lives be consumed or manipulated by others to feel hatred, or think anyone is better than anyone else just because they may have power or money. So, while the ads are detestable and out and out lies about a candidate I admire, I have to learn that the righteous thing to do to become a better person, is that every time I see shallowness and bigotry, I have to pray even more than ever that Love will trump hate! I have to work even harder in my community to see that every person is cared for and has a voice. I have to forgive those who spout evil and understand that they are mentally unwell and need our help and our pity. And I have to pray for them to become better human beings and find peace. Amen.