Tag: Parsha
-
Imprisoned Childhood /Holy Justice
Right before a judge decides a sentence, they should be reminded they are sentencing that man’s children, too. Prison is full of fathers. Midjourney AI-Generated Image Some are the “stereotypical” 20-somethings who got a girl (or girls) pregnant on their way to prison, but most I’ve met are men in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and…
-
Donkey Empathy
This week’s Torah Portion, Mishpatim, is perhaps my favorite. Like a great standup bit, it seems to be random observations going nowhere in particular, until the final revelation. Hot off the giving of the Ten Commandments, we have a Parsha that is different from many which came before it. There are no spectacular miracles, no…
-
Asking for help
Hi guys, Now that I have some breathing room, a bit of a longer note… Before I begin: Next visiting day is SUNDAY. Please message my dad [email protected] if you’d like to visit and haven’t filled in a form. (G-d willing those who have will be approved before this Sunday and we’ll update you this…
-
Heritage of Spirit
“Most people are standing, here, with one foot in the past and one in the future,” Zater says, drawing a man on a lined notebook sheet, “But they’re looking and leaning back, like there’s a mattress against the wall in the past, and they fall into it and it bounces them forward, but they just…
-
Family & Forgiveness : Reuben’s Voice (Abortion)
One of the simultaneously most-painful and most-beautiful moments in prison is watching a small boy or girl cling to their father, grab him one last time, before visiting day hours are over. It may be the last time they see him for the week, or months if they live far away. You don’t want to…
-
A Hopeful Shabbat
In this week’s Parsha, our forefather Yaacov promises Laban to work seven years to earn Rachel as his wife. The Torah says that because he loved Rachel, the seven years “seemed like little time to him” (Vayetse, 29:20). The Shadal (Trieste, Italy) explains that “those days were days of tranquility and pleasure, for he took…