We shall not only love Adonai with all our heart,
with all our soul,
and with all our might—
But we shall carry that love into the world.
We shall love our neighbors,
not only those who are close to us,
but those we have never met,
those who speak different languages,
those who believe differently,
and those who are struggling in ways we cannot see.
We shall love our friends—
in Israel,
in Iran,
in Australia,
in Mississippi,
in Minnesota,
in Boulder,
and in every place where hearts are searching for peace.
We shall love even when it is difficult,
even when the world feels divided,
even when fear tells us to turn away—
because love is stronger than fear.
We shall teach this love to others,
in our homes and in our communities,
when we rise up and when we lie down,
in our words, in our actions,
and in the choices we make each day—
just as the Ve’ahavta teaches us to live these values always .
And we shall love our friends at Temple Israel
with all our heart,
with all our soul,
and with all our might—
Holding one another up in times of joy and in times of pain,
standing together as one community,
bound not only by tradition,
but by compassion, strength, and hope.
May our love be wide enough to reach the whole world,
and strong enough to help heal it.
