What is “a controversy for the sake of heaven”? It is a disagreement driven by a sincere search for the common good, rather than ego or a desire to win.

We know that Passover calls on us to "love the stranger," words that carry urgent weight today, as we witness immigrants and citizens alike being detained, jailed, or worse, targeted by the very fear of the stranger our tradition warns against. Yet we must also ask, who around us is oppressed in ways we have never noticed, or never allowed ourselves to notice?

For anyone trying to stand up for justice, or just figure out how, it’s easy to wonder: Can I do the right thing? Will it be enough? It’s especially hard when we compare ourselves to others, people we admire, taking bold actions we feel we could never match. It’s easy to question whether our efforts could even matter.