What can we do about what is happening now?
This week’s Torah reading offers a direction in the Nazirite vow:
A man or a woman, who sets oneself apart…to set oneself apart for Adonai. (Numbers 6:2)
As a nation of priests, people called to a higher set of ideals and practices, we can use the model of the Nazirite and “set ourselves apart” in attending to what faces us today.
Today, a number of area clergy and faith leaders gather with VOICE Buffalo to peacefully demand justice and reform on the steps of City Hall. We aimed to set ourselves apart through our good conduct, walking the walk of our shared call: justice and integrity for all.
We must all figure out how we can consecrate ourselves, make ourselves holy by raising what we expect of ourselves and one another, go out and connect with new and different people, change our thinking and behavior, and stand up for the better society that we need.
We don’t have to shave our heads like the ancient Nazirite in order to elevate ourselves for a higher cause.