I took last Sunday as a fast day. It was not a  food fast; it was a  news fast. I watched the weather forecast because I needed to know what to wear for the cemetery service. The rest of the day, until the debate, I deliberately did not watch or listen to the news. There was no reason to as every news outlet was simply rehashing the stories that had been adequately rehashed  on Saturday night from the end of Shabbat through  Saturday Night Live.

     I turned off the media because I needed time to think about all the campaigns, not just for President. With one exception [New York Senate], every contest has been dominated by negative and nasty commercials. Policy and philosophy discussion has been replaced by smears and innuendo. To make matters worse, many of the ads, especially those for Congress, have been paid for by the national political parties.

     What came to mind, because of my sermon on Shabbat, was the list of sins we repeat through the day on Yom Kippur. Consider a few of the misdeeds we confess: We have sinned before God b y: foolish talk, speaking recklessly, being foul mouthed and rejecting responsibility. Sadly, that sounds like a review of the 2016 election season.

     Each of us who votes needs to take a few moments and consider if those we plan to support this season could learn from that list. We have the responsibility to choose those for whom we will vote based on those measures.

     We cannot dismiss one other sin that we noted on Yom Kippur: we have sinned before God by succumbing to dismay. Yes, that sin will likely be more difficult to evade. But if we allow such behaviors to take place without protest, we show that we don't believe in ourselves and the ability that we have to change our world. That, too, is unacceptable.

Rabbi Paul Drazen
rabbidrazen@adath.org
(315) 445 - 0002 x121
450 Kimber Road
Syracuse, NY 13224
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