This week once again we witnessed incomprehensible acts of violence, in Israel and shockingly, also in our own province and capital. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the soldiers and victims of these acts of terror.  As always, we stand behind Israel and we stand proud of our country that supports the fight against terrorism.  All the craziness in the world right now gives us an interesting perspective on this week’s parsha, Parshat Noach, where G_d felt the need to press the reset button on the world where so much evil was residing.  While we have no spontaneous “reset button” to take us immediately out of these precarious times, as we move ahead into an uncertain future, we can take comfort in two things. First, that our Akiva students are thriving every day in a safe and secure environment where the emphasis is on building positive relationships for learning.  Second, we can rest reassured that we are giving our students the tools and strengths that they will need to help repair the world in which we live. We are pressing a slow but gradual and powerful “reset button” of our own by helping to inspire and motivate strong future Jewish leaders.

Shabbat Shalom.