"It’s important to remember that Jewish law commands us to take time to heal our souls and to focus on reducing our anxieties by finding moments of joy and purpose amidst the chaos."

Last winter, during the Q&A portion of a panel I’d participated in at B’nai Jeshurun, a synagogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a 5-year-old Black girl’s question punctuated the evening’s conversation with a question that pierced my heart like an arrow.