February 20, 2026
Over the last two weeks, we have practiced the middot of patience and compassion. As we continue through our month focusing on mussar, this week we turn to courage, in Hebrew ometz lev, which directly translates to strength of heart.
These words were first made famous in the Torah when Moses transfers his leadership to Joshua and blesses him with the words, “Hazak v’ematz – be strong and of good courage.” I often think about so many of our youth who struggle to be themselves and be strong in who they are. There is so much pressure to be accepted that even someone who knows something is wrong may go along with it, simply to gain the approval of their peers.
I also think about courage when we encounter moments where it would be easier to run the other way and avoid the challenge at hand. One moment that has always stood out to me was my experience on a high ropes course. Several weeks ago, I shared this in a sermon. I recall a time when I ascended a high ropes course only to come down immediately. It took me about 15 years to try again. While it would not have mattered to anyone if I had never tried, or if I had gone up and come down again, I wanted to prove something to myself. I pushed forward and overcame my fears.
Alan Morinis explains in Every Day, Holy Day that courage—ometz lev, or a strong heart—boldly pursues what is right and what is called for, without succumbing to anxiety or fear about its own safety or benefit. Does this mean we are called to act justly—even when doing so may place us at personal risk for the sake of what is right? The Torah teaches us in the book of Leviticus that we “should not stand idly by the blood of our neighbor.” When commenting on this verse, the Talmud points out that we should dive into a river to save someone from drowning. However, if we do not know how to swim, we do not have to risk our lives to save that person.
Rabbi Amy Eilberg, in the Mussar Torah Commentary, teaches, when writing about Parshat Sh’mot, that Shifra and Puah’s actions to save Moses were prime examples of courage. The midwives, according to the Torah, held the fear of God in their hearts, and they did not listen to what Pharaoh had told them to do—kill every male child born. In truth, these women were courageous because they risked their lives to save the Israelite children. It is not clear from the text if these midwives were Israelite or Egyptian. Scholars believe they may have been Egyptian women. If that is the case, then their actions would certainly have warranted death. In our times, we might have to do something that goes against our friends, and by doing what is right, we may lose those close to us. Acts of courage may require us to take calculated risks that come with some form of consequence.
How might we know what to do when we are tested? Psalm 27 concludes, “Hope in the Eternal; be strong and of good courage.” Traditionally, these words are read daily for the month leading up to the High Holy Days. They remind us that we need courage to do the difficult work that the accounting of the soul demands of us. The courage we need is not physical strength but spiritual strength. We look inward for the answers, we build networks of support, and we take the calculated risks we know we need to take because, deep down, our action reflects moral courage.
Rabbi Eilberg suggests a practice for the middah of courage when she invites us to think about Shifra and Puah when we are feeling doubtful about the world. If we consider what we might do at a given moment, we might wonder what they would do. What does moral courage look like? In times when we are afraid, we might ask ourselves what we can do to take just one step forward.
In the week ahead, let us reflect on moving forward in a world that has a rocky path.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rick Kellner