5780 is the year of breath denied.

George Floyd ז׳׳ל was murdered while saying, “I can’t breathe,” which has become the heartrending rallying cry of the movement for racial justice. Floyd’s terrible death came as thousands of Covid-stricken patients struggled to breathe, many attached to ventilators that tried to breathe for them.

In the background of this national tragedy, the murmuring Greek chorus of a planet on fire continued its rhythmic chant of destruction, even as our attention turned to other urgent issues.