Dear Friends,
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to the celebration of love. While it may not be a religious holiday, it can be argued that the primary focus of Valentine’s Day is religious to the core, for expressions of love is central to every religion and hardwired into the human soul.
Love is the seat of goodness, kindness, compassion and understanding. It forms the foundations for human intimacy, drives empathy and generates caring. Love keeps us grounded and helps establish a sense of the sacred in our daily interactions. Love opens the heart to possibilities of healing, growing and learning. Indeed, every faith seeks to nurture this divinely given attribute, and yet, despite our boundless efforts to cultivate love, our world continues to be plagued by hatred, mistrust, anger and violence.
Valentine’s Day reminds us that there is value in celebrating love in a world that is so fractured. There is value in dedicating one day every year to honor an emotion that transcends the tumult of society.
In the spirit of love and a desire to spread its power beyond the conflicts that divide us, join us tonight for a free concert of classical music performed by Arab and Jewish musicians who seek to generate peace through love. Details for this concert may be found in the information below.
Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!
L’Shalom,
Steve