Dawn Unity Column: How deciding to step up and take action makes us holy

by Rabbi Cassi Kail, contributing writer

When I was a teenager, I had a near-death experience.

I was waiting on the subway platform in New York City during rush hour when my train pulled into the station. I lost my footing and fell between two train cars.

The conductor closed the train’s door, prepared to pull away when a man ran over and pulled me to safety.

I soon found myself in the back of an ambulance, grateful I had escaped the ordeal with only scrapes and bruises. A stranger saved my life, and I didn’t even know his name.

That day I came to appreciate how interconnected our lives truly are.

I highly doubt the man who brought me to safety woke up that morning thinking, “I will save a life today.”

On the contrary, he had no idea just how impactful his actions would be. He saw a person in need of help and flew into action. That is one of the holiest things any of us can do.

He is certainly not alone.

Over the last twenty months, the pandemic exacerbated homelessness, economic instability, mental health crises and myriad other challenges.

Social workers, health professionals and other service providers were stretched thin even before this crisis, but they have strived to keep up with the growing needs of a community in pain. It is impossible to help everyone, but that didn’t dissuade them from doing their best.

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I was blessed to join with fellow clergy members and community leaders to provide a lunch of gratitude for each of these service providers.

As honored guests ate a delicious meal, received accolades from government officials and connected, I asked them to write down something they were most proud of during the past year.

“Vaccinating our community,” wrote one. “Finding people housing,” wrote another.

They spoke of their pride in coming together, serving the community and being called upon for this sacred purpose.

Upon seeing the immense needs of our community, every person at the luncheon had chosen to step up and act. In so doing, they brought holiness into this world.

I am awed and inspired by each of them.

They are what Rabbi Lawrence Kushner calls “messengers of the Most High. They go about their tasks in holy anonymity, often, even unknown to themselves.”

One need not be a doctor, a social worker or a service provider to bring holiness to our world.

All that’s required is attentiveness to the needs before us and a willingness to act. All that’s needed is the initiative to spread acts of love and compassion.

Years ago, a friend was in a state of despair. A loved one had died. She lost her job, was going through a devastating break-up and began to wonder how she could go on.

“I felt all alone,” she said. Then, she went to the Starbucks drive-thru. She was deeply touched when she learned the car in front of hers had paid for her order.

“It was like the universe was telling me that I mattered,” she said. “I felt a wave of love and support overcome me, and I knew that somehow everything would be okay.”

It took some time, of course, for her to grieve and heal, but a stranger’s act of kindness made a difference.

Whether through our professional work, or everyday interactions, we can each do our part to bring holiness and healing to those around us.

We may never know the full impact of our actions, but that makes them no less significant.

When I was 17, a stranger went out of his way to recognize I needed help, to act and to save my life. I may not know his name or have any means of thanking him, but I can pay it forward.

I can take the time to respond to others’ needs with dignity and care. I can spread love and kindness. We all can. These are, after all, some of the holiest things a person can do.