May 1, 2026

Don't just sit there, speak. Say something. That's the name of this week's parsha, Emor. The Torah uses a double language, Emor via amira, speak and say. Rashi teaches that this comes to tell us that the adults in the community are responsible, not just for themselves, but for the children. The grown-ups must speak up. They must warn, protect, and advocate for those who cannot yet do it for themselves. That's the entire mission of Amudam in one pasuk. There's a story about Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, zt"l. His Shabbos table was filled with prominent, wealthy men of the community. A desperate woman had come in and thrown herself at his feet that morning, begging for help for a child, and they all sat there. Rabbi Yisrael stood up. He turned to each man one by one, and he said, "You claim to be careful about your esrog? And you claim your shmurah matzah? And yet you sit here in silence? What does that say about you?" And with that, he stood up, and he said, "It is forbidden to remain in the company of people who can do something and choose to do nothing." And he left. He spoke when it was uncomfortable, when it cost him everything, when everyone else at that table had decided it wasn't their problem. He opened his mouth. He said something. Think about what it takes to do that. Not just the courage, but the conviction that silence is not neutral. Silence is a choice. And that sometimes the most dangerous thing in a person's life is not what is being done to them, but it's the silence of everyone around them. One voice, one person who finally said something. At Amudam, we know that a person who's calling has been holding their breath for years, sometimes, waiting for someone to tell them that it was okay to say something, waiting for one person to make them feel like their voice mattered, like what happened to them mattered. If you're watching this, and you know something, and you have been choosing silence because it's easier, it's safer, or none of your business, listen to the words of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. It is forbidden to stand by while someone is suffering and do nothing. Parshas Emor teaches us, Emor, say something today. This is turning the wheel, because the road to healing isn't straight, but no one should have to travel it alone. Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos.