I was recently reminded of the lesson a beloved and gentle professor of mine taught about the Biblical prophets. He said their message was “Despair is a sin and hope is a duty.” Now, millennia later, this prophetic teaching emerges as an extraordinary lesson for us all. Among COVID-19’s collateral damage, hope should not be a victim.

Leo Baeck, a 20th century German theologian and scholar, called Judaism a religion of “ethical optimism.” What an amazing affirmation for a German Jew who had been deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Despite attempts to attain Baeck’s freedom he chose to stay with his community in that concentration camp. He would not leave them in the time of their greatest despair. He knew he had to hear their stories, hold their hands and listen to their prayers. And he knew that his presence gave them hope.

I am not parochial regarding “eternal optimism.” I choose to believe “ethical optimism” is at the root of most of our religions and faiths. Optimism and its consequences bind us to each other. Though we can’t help but be realistic about the health challenges we presently face, let us hope and, perhaps, even pray for our own well-being, that of our family and friends and all humanity.

This is a time in which it would be best to be both realistic and hopeful and, as well, to envision better days ahead. This is also a time that demands the best of each of us as individuals. Decency, kindness and generosity of the spirit are defining elements of our character when we’re pressured or annoyed, preoccupied or angry. It defines how we behave in adversity.

Hope is our duty, a gift we can offer to each other and the human community in which we live. Above all, hope along with optimism is a gift we can give ourselves.