The following is adapted from Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt’s devar Torah sermon, delivered to Congregation Schara Tzedeck in Vancouver on the Sabbath following an arson attack during daily services on May 30.

In this week’s Torah reading, the Jewish people are told, “You shall proclaim liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants.” These words seem to speak for themselves as a rallying cry for freedom. However, they are more than that. They are a bulwark against polarization, against a kind of polarization that erodes freedom.