Recovering from Sandy Hook

I wanted to talk this Shabbes about the massacre in Sandy point
A massacre shocking in the defenselessness and innocence of the victims
Who could, god forbid, have been our own children or grandchildren
One of the questions this raises is,
Are we ever safe?
If Little 5 year olds in school aren’t safe, who is?
How can I feel safe about my grandkids who are in school?
How can I feel safe about sending Hannah to school?
When it snowed, very late--came home after 6
Generally not worried
But In back of my mind: what if they were hit by a car?
The truth is, we never are safe
Tragedy can always strike
In hospital, I knew a man who was 30, mowing lawn, dropped down, brain tumor
A woman who had turned around to buckle her kids back in the car,
Hit by a drunk driver,
Spent a month in a coma
On one level, we should live like there’s no tomorrow
What if the words I say to my wife today are the last I ever say?
Do I remember to say I love you, even if I’m angry?
But we can’t live like there’s no tomorrow
We can’t function with spectre of sudden disaster
If god forbid you knew your spouse or child would die,
You wouldn’t go shopping
You wouldn’t go out and run errands
You wouldn’t send them to school
You wouldn’t have them go to sleep on time
And your house would be a mess, with no groceries,
You’d be a tired wreck, and worried
So we have to live as if life is safe
And we have to make the most of the gifts god gives us
In the parsha, Jacob thought his son Joseph was killed,
He was a broken man
The entire time he was in Israel, it was as if he was dead
And he would not be comforted, could not move on
Only when he comes to Goshen, and is reunited with Joseph,
does it say vayechi, he lived.
When a loved one dies, god forbid, it tears the fabric of our life
we cannot imagine life without our wife, our husband, our child
I cannot imagine how these families will move on,
Their life has been irreparably torn for no reason.
They will live, they will suffer, but day will follow day.
President Obama, in his talk, asked if we can make something worth the meaning of these children
Of course we can’t
Every death is infinite, an entire world
We can get guns off the streets, out of peoples bedroom drawers.
The NRA treats guns like a toy, like it makes you a real man, an americun
And wave them around like a banner.
The Talmud discusses whether you can wear swords as ornaments on shabbes
Not an ornament or a toy; disgusting
Clearly, we also need to address the issue of violence in our society
Video games & movies make this kind of shooting seem normal
So when someone snaps, they know what to do
Violence is too normal in our culture
But most importantly, there’s something each of us as individuals can do:
we can live our lives with love and nonviolence,
we can live our lives in a way that brings peace and safety to those around us
we can speak to each other so that if god forbid this is the last thing we say,
I can go to heaven feeling good at how I left things
Limnot yameinu ken hoda—teach us to treasure each day, and our hearts will discern wisdom
Teach us to treasure the value of each precious day, in the knowledge that life can be so fragile, is such a precious gift
Teach us to treasure our children, spouses, family members, community members,
Treating them with kindness,
And thanking God for each day we have the gift of their presence in our life.

Limnot Yameinu ken hoda venavi levav hohmah
Teach us to treasure each day, that we may open our hearts to your wisdom