As Shavuot approaches, I offer one more midrash – a midrash that’s important because it calls us to action.

The rabbis taught that when we stood at Mt. Sinai, the Holy One said, “How can I be sure that you will keep the Torah? Bring me guarantors who will guarantee that you will keep it, and I will give you my Torah.”

The Israelites offered a list of guarantors – the prophets, the rabbis, the sages. But each time they answered, the Holy One asked for more. Finally, the Israelites said, “Our children will be our guarantors.”

“Very well”, said God. “For the sake of the children, I will give you the Torah.”

Judaism has always been at child-centered religion. One our most important prayers tells us that we should love our God, with all, our heart, and with all our might. And then on the very next line, it tells us how: by passing our values and our traditions unto our children.

Our children have always been our hope, and our children have always been our most important responsibility. But there are children who don’t have it easy – many of them from good Jewish homes.

All over the country, there are bootcamps for troubled teens – teens who have drug problems, LGBT teens whose parents don’t accept them, teens who just don’t fit in. And while the marketing for these bootcamps seems kind, the reality is often often different.

In many of these bootcamps, teens are held incommunicado. They are tortured and starved. And some of these bootcamps give the kids a number and take away their names.

Many of these teens commit suicide or die from the abuse. But the ones who survive are amazing people – passionate, resilient, caring, working hard to help the younger survivors and to create laws to protect them.

And this fall, these wonderful people will have the celebration of a life time. They will gather in Los Angeles for the prom they never had. The “Survivors’ Prom,” they call it. There will be music and celebration, as survivors with ages from twenty to seventy gather to celebrate life.

Judaism teaches that we must recognize the brokenness of the world. But we must also find joy. We must take hold of every moment. And no matter how dark the world can be, we must take the time to celebrate life. That is exactly what these survivors are doing.

All of these people have been battered by life, and many of them have limited incomes. So I will ask you do something that I have never asked before. If you can, help them. Give a few dollars, so that one of these survivors can celebrate a long-awaited prom. You can find their Instagram page here and donations can be made here.

The rabbis taught that God gave us the Torah for sake of the children. And for sake of the children, we need to act.

Chag Sameach,
Art