This Is Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It

In the Mission Impossible series Tom Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, has spent his life trying to fight evil and save the people he loves. Over the years, some of his missions have brought complex consequences in their wake.

Fans across the world have been anxiously waiting for just-released latest installment, The Final Reckoning, wondering how the last mission would conclude.

Ethan hears those familiar words: This is your mission, should you choose to accept it. And he knows that he needs to accept the mission, even if it seems impossible. The world needs him. Too much is at stake. He must step up to the plate once again.

On Shavuot, you and every Jew have the opportunity to return to that moment on Mount Sinai when God said to the Jewish nation: This is your mission, should you choose to accept it.

Your mission: be a light unto the other nations. You will pursue peace and kindness and justice.

On Shavuot God gave you the blueprint for that mission, and however challenging your mission may seem, the world needs you.

Here are three inspiring messages from Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning that can help you embrace your mission as a Jew. (No spoilers.)

1. Impact those around you.

The Jewish mission is not insular and cut off from the world. You have a responsibility to use to uplift others. As a line in The Final Reckoning asks, “What future do you choose? Any hope for a better future comes from willing that future into being. A future reflecting the measure of good within ourselves. And all that is good inside us is measured by the good we do for others. We all share the same fate — the same future. The sum of our infinite choices. One such future is built on kindness, trust, and mutual understanding, should we choose to accept it.”

Look beyond yourself and find a way every day to impact those around you. Commit to taking upon yourself the Jewish mission of bringing kindness into this world in a tangible, concrete way.

2. Take responsibility for future generations.

Life can be so busy and hectic; sometimes it’s a challenge to just get through the day. But as a Jew, there is a redemptive light that you are driving towards even when you cannot see it.

There are future generations and great grandchildren who you may never meet, but who need you to take responsibility for the mission and the world that they will one day inherit.

As a character in the film says, “Driving without question towards a light we cannot see. Not just for those we hold close, but for those we’ll never meet.” Accept the mission to uplift and care for future generations. Learn about your roots so that you can bequeath the legacy of being Jewish to your great great grandchildren.

3. Bring your unique strengths to your mission.

A character in The Final Reckoning says, “Come home and bring the key.” These words reflect the choice being placed before you again today. Come home. Bring your unique gifts and perspectives.

Bring the key that only you have to unlock the goodness and the light. Your mission is challenging but not impossible, and the world needs you to accept it, now more than ever.

This is your mission, should you choose to accept it.

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