05/29/2026
There is something about the beginning of summer that feels different. Even when our calendars remain full, and even when the world around us still feels heavy, summer invites a shift in pace and perspective. The days stretch a little longer. Families prepare for camp, travel, or time together. Some of us find a few more quiet moments at home. And, in its own way, the season seems to ask whether we might make room for a bit more openness, a bit more possibility, and a bit more hope.
Judaism has never confused optimism with pretending that everything is fine. Our tradition knows too much about hardship to offer that kind of easy reassurance. But it does teach us to look for light even when the headlines are difficult, to notice blessing even when life feels complicated, and to believe that renewal is possible even when we don’t yet know exactly what it will look like.
As we enter these summer months, I hope we can do so with that kind of optimism. Not a shallow optimism, but a Jewish one. The kind that comes from community, from memory, from gratitude, and from the stubborn conviction that tomorrow can still hold something good.
May this Shabbat offer each of us a moment to breathe more deeply, notice what is already beautiful, and step into the season ahead with open hearts.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Brad Levenberg
