The courage to say “Here I am” when the world feels broken

By Melanie Sturm | Commentary, Think Again USA Substack

Rosh Hashanah reflections inspired by Christian grace and a Buddhist parable about what we “carry in our cups.”

Each year, I write my High Holiday reflections as an offering — a search for inspiration that might move us to be blessings in a world that needs them. This Rosh Hashanah message struck a chord, so I’m sharing it here — at the end of a momentous week of hope and release, and on the eve of Shabbat — a little Sabbath reading to help recharge your spiritual batteries.

Below is the video of my Rosh Hashanah remarks and below that is a lightly edited version of what I shared that evening.

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In this sixth year of sermonizing at Temple HilMel, I thought I had it down. My plan was to spend Elul — the month of preparation prior to Rosh Hashanah — reading, reflecting, and gathering inspiration.

But grief — and events — got in the way.

First, my heart was heavy. I lost two dear friends this summer, and grief dulls the mind. Then came the assassination of Charlie Kirk — a 31-year-old husband and father of two. I’ve been haunted, distracted, heartsick… and confused.

What kind of world are we living in, when a straight-A student from a good family can become an assassin whose bullets were engraved with the words, “Hey fascist! Catch!

Why is it that some tragedies — like 9/11 — provoke near-universal condemnation, while others — like October 7th or Charlie Kirk’s murder — are met with equivocation, even justification?

To collect my thoughts and steady myself, I did what I always do: I wrote. Over the past week, I poured myself into an essay for my Substack, published just yesterday. It’s called Prove Him Right. And it asks a simple but urgent question:

Can we restore the American Idea — the radical notion that people of differing backgrounds, beliefs, races, and religions can come together in the public square, not to destroy one another, but to forge a “more perfect union?”

So, I decided to use my essay as a launching pad for my Rosh Hashanah message. Its themes of forgiveness, hope, and dialogue are precisely what Rosh Hashanah is about: beginning again — saying Hineini, here I am — to be present and prepared to repair what is broken.

That was Charlie Kirk’s rationale for his work on college campuses, which he called the “Prove Me Wrong” tour. He welcomed questions and engaged in thoughtful dialogue with “friendlies” and “hostiles” alike.

As Charlie explained:

“When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilizations stop talking, civil war ensues. When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group.”

Isn’t that the same dynamic we saw in the morally confused responses to October 7th — and again, to Charlie’s murder?

Since Charlie’s assassination, millions have watched him online and noticed the civility with which he engaged. That’s heartening, because what the world needs now is more curiosity and less judgmental stridency.

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THE THINGAGAINUSA SUBSTACK

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