Untaneh Tokef for a Polarized World

On Rosh Hashanah, this is written;
and on Yom Kippur, this is sealed:

 

How many will walk through synagogue doors,
how many will walk away;
whose identity will be questioned and who will face no barriers;
who will be embraced,
who will be scolded;
who by ignorance and who by misunderstanding;
who by fear and who by trauma;
who by prejudice and who by pride;
who by shame and who by selfishness;
who by hatred and who by silence;
who will build bridges and who will sew division;
who will speak with compassion and who with anger;
who will ask questions and who will follow blindly;
who will feel safe in their place of worship and who will not;
who will be found and who lost –

 

But through:
tshuva – returning one another with compassion,
tfilah – rooting in Oneness,
and tzedakah – righteous betterment of the world,
we can rise above the instincts that divide us
and discover the holiness that binds us together.