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You know the old joke, the host of the Miss America pageant asks all of the finalists what their one wish is, and they all answer “world peace.” Although a noble aspiration and certainly something we all hope for and would benefit from, can we really pray for world peace? When we sing the words of Oseh Shalom, we are saying, “May the One who makes peace in the heavens help us to make peace here on earth, to which we will say, ‘Amen’.” World peace doesn’t come from God in a neatly wrapped package with a bow on top. In fact, world peace is an illusion. If you look at the beautiful display in our lobby, a huge picture of our building, you see that up close it is made up of hundreds of small photographs of our members highlighting congregational life. So, it is also with world peace. Each of us has to make peace in our hearts, in our homes and in our local communities. Then, when we zoom out, we will see that when you stitch all of our peace efforts together, it starts to resemble world peace. We can’t be agents of peace unless, we, ourselves, are at peace. We can’t expect peace in our nation, if we can’t make peace in our community. By thinking small, we actually reap big results.

To that end, I would love for you to help me in my efforts to make peace in our community. On March 25^th at 4pm, I am going to perform in concert right here at Temple Sinai as part of the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival. All proceeds for the concert will go to support the Sandy Springs Community Assistance Center. The CAC is a vital organization that helps families as they battle food insecurity, homelessness, unemployment and a myriad of other stumbling blocks that can keep a family from being at peace. Tickets are online at the link below. It is these small acts of lovingkindness that truly make a difference. And although many of us, including me, are part of large scale movements to affect change in our nation, the sacred work really begins right here in our backyard.

https://www.templesinaiatlanta.org/event/beth-schafer-and-friends-in-concert-to-benefit-the-cac.html

May this Shabbat be one of peace for all,

Beth