By Betzy Lynch
LA JOLLA, California — Today, while sitting in synagogue, about 15 minutes into the service, I glanced down at my dress and noticed that the neckline was gaping in a strange way. It took another minute or two to realize what was wrong: the tag was facing me. My dress was on backwards.
I do make mistakes like this from time to time, but I rarely make it out of the house without noticing. I am one of those people for whom an improperly aligned sock seam can ruin the entire day. So, the fact that I made it all the way to shul, took my seat, and sat there comfortably without noticing, or feeling any discomfort at all, was genuinely shocking.
I had encountered a few people on my way into the synagogue, but there’s no way they would have noticed. From the outside, the front and back of the dress are nearly indistinguishable. But to the person wearing it? It should have been obvious.
I sat for a few more minutes, and suddenly what had been perfectly fine became deeply uncomfortable. Once I knew the dress was on backwards, I couldn’t stand it. I excused myself, stepped out for a few minutes, and fixed my mistake.
When I returned to my seat, I took a deep breath and settled in comfortably again.
Isn’t it funny? For nearly an hour, I had no idea anything was wrong and I was fine. But once I realized it, I couldn’t ignore it. I had to act.
Jewish tradition asks us to do the same in the world. Achrayut is often translated as “responsibility,” but it means more than that. At its core is the idea that once you become aware of a problem, you can no longer look away. Awareness creates obligation.
Our sages understood that the injustices of the world are often far too large for any one person to solve. That reality does not absolve us of responsibility. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most influential Jewish thinkers and activists of the 20th century, taught that indifference in the face of injustice is itself a moral failure, that awareness demands response. As he famously wrote, “Indifference to evil is more insidious than evil itself.”
At the same time, Heschel understood that lasting change does not come from outcomes alone, but from inner integrity. He taught that our obligation is not measured by success, but by faithfulness and effort. Even when we cannot personally change a situation, we are still responsible for how we respond to it. In his words: “Few are guilty, but all are responsible.”
Many of us entered 2026 with a sense of optimism, hope that something better was possible. Perhaps some of that hope has already been shaken by events in the world this week. But Heschel reminds us that “moral indignation is not a substitute for moral responsibility.” Discomfort alone is not enough. And yet, it is often that very discomfort that has the power to propel us into action.
I think many of us are living with that discomfort the way I lived with my backwards dress. We move through the world without fully recognizing how accustomed we have become to outrage. We ignore the tag, the quiet signal telling us that something is backwards, not only in the world, but within us.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches that the world, and each of us, is broken. But he also offers this essential reminder: “If you believe that breaking is possible, believe that repairing is possible.” Repair begins inward, and it continues through small acts of goodness in the world. These gestures may not change the state of the world overnight, but they may give us just enough imagination, courage, and hope to believe that change is possible.
As Shabbat fades and a new week begins, pause just long enough to notice what feels “backwards” in front of you. Find the tag. Take a small step to make it right.
*
Betzy Lynch is the CEO of the Lawrence Family JCC.