I have never seen an earthly leader
As God-sent.
As a Messiah.
As a chosen one.
Everyone one of US chooses
To do right.
To do good.
To stand up.
To join together.
To show respect.
To be honest and truthful.
To be humble by the tasks of ending conflict and making peace.
Why should we not expect the same of our leaders?
So many times, people have tried to cast questionable statements and actions of
Leaders they see as “chosen ones”
In a light that excuses them their foibles
Because they want to see them as
Upright, good, honest, and respectful even of those who disagree with them.
Seven nights we have been lighting the Chanukah menorah/Chanukiah
Watching its increasing light
And gazing as its multicolored candles burn down
Leaving us to consider what it means to us to remember
An ancient fight for freedom
Not just for our ancestors
But also for us.
For me, it means
Acceptance and equality
Not ridicule
Not narrowness
Not an insistence that there is only one way to believe or to think
Whether that relates to a faith
Or to an approach to one particular person.
God is God
We are reflections of God
When we let the holiness, goodness and light of God in.
We will know where God is
When we see that light
In each other’s eyes.
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