On Wednesday, I attended an early morning meeting with representatives of the Tigard Tualatin School District and area faith leaders. The gathering was convened by our own congregant, Karen Twain, who serves as the district’s assistant superintendent.

At the end of one of our healing services last week, I mentioned from the bimah (pulpit) that we knew that Pittsburgh would not be the last mass shooting. The next one might not be a synagogue, but it would certainly come. Little did any of us know how little time would elapse before this latest travesty in Thousand Oaks.

Each one of us has been affected by the horrible murders of our Jewish brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh this past week. An attack in a synagogue just feels way too close. Whether grief, anger, a combination of both….or the myriad of other emotions that have grabbed us…..we know that we need to come together and be with one another.

Because even when we are committed to comport ourselves in a respectful manner, the best of us still stumble. None of us get this right. Even if our public behavior is exemplary, we might find that our thoughts remain a jumble of rage.

There’s something about being new in a place. It takes a while to get settled and learn the figurative lay of the land. Many professional athletes often endure a semi-nomadic existence. Spend a few years in one place, then pack up your tent as you seek greener pastures. This is the week Jews read parshat Lekh L’kha, where Abraham and his entourage do just that.