Rabbi Weill's Blog

August 28th, 2025

Dear Friends,

In the spectrum of human-on-human violence, a few children shot to death on a late summer morning doesn't seem noteworthy. If one were to scan the news each morning, one would find a lot of that in this country. It's all horrifically, mind-bogglingly, heart-crushingly tragic. But this week's tragedy at a Catholic school, within a chapel in Minneapolis, has struck a chord in our national consciousness.

Who knows any longer what to say? "Thoughts and Prayers" is a patently inadequate sentiment. 

I am not opposed to gun ownership, but I don't think there is any doubt -- and what reasonable person could possibly disagree? -- that we need the most stringent regulations when it comes to ownership of lethal weapons. 

Yes, violence is woven into the fabric of our society, but we Jews believe in tikkun, repair. As we enter a new year, may we contribute creating a more peaceful (read: less violence-intoxicated) society.

Shabbat Shalom, 

Rabbi Jeffrey Weill