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![Rabbi Laurie Franklin](https://truah.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LF-Portrait-Sizer.jpg)
Mishpatim: Mishpatim in Montana
Mishpatim teaches that formal justice must be free of influence from bribes or wealth status, and that even the stranger deserves protection. In my home state of Montana, regressive laws recently passed in our 2023 state legislature have revoked rights and freedoms from Montana residents under the guise of “protection” and “freedom of speech."
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Pharaoh and King
Martin Luther King, whose birthday we remember and celebrate this week, confirmed what Pharaoh’s behavior already taught us: God helps each of us become who we are determined to become. Amongst the most obvious differences between the modern giant of social justice and the ancient Egyptian ruler is that MLK had, in his own words,...
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He Shall Then Remain (Parshat Mishpatim)
Commentary on Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1 – 24:18) So, we’re free from bondage! We’ve accepted our lot as God’s chosen people! Now we eagerly move on to… a list of regulations for a hypothetical society we cannot build yet? Why is Parshat Mishpatim here? The essential clue, I think, is in the first topic: rules...
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The Holy Task of Welcoming People Re-Entering Society
The experiences of those returning from incarceration recall the Torah’s description of someone with tzara’at, an infectious and highly stigmatized skin disease.
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Watch: Israel-Hamas War Public Webinars
Since the attacks on October 7, T'ruah has offered public webinars for prayer and mourning, to engage with the moral challenges of the war, and to hear from staff who traveled to the region.
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Criticism of Israel and Antisemitism: How to Tell Where One Ends and the Other Begins
In this time of inflamed passions, it’s crucial both to ensure that criticism of Israel does not cross the line into antisemitism, and to protect the free speech of those protesting Israel’s actions.
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250+ Rabbis and Cantors to Israeli Ambassador: Stop Settler Violence
February 10, 2022 Dear Ambassador Herzog, In recent months, we have seen an alarming increase in frequent and violent attacks on Palestinians by settlers. A recent study shows that the majority of incidents take place in areas near outposts that are considered illegal even by Israeli law. As Jewish clergy and members of T’ruah, a...
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