Search Results for "slavery"

There are plenty of authentic versions of “God’s voice” out there if we would only pay attention to them. It is the voice that has been speaking from inside ourselves since time and space began. Now, more than ever, we need to hearken to it.

For those of us feeling as if we only see evil and darkness in the other, it might be helpful to sit a while in the silence of the Divine Void where we are invited to join with God to look at the ways in which we ourselves may contribute to societal evils. Grappling with our own complicity could be just the impetus for us to seek common ground with those we label as evil. May we find a new way forward, together, for the old ways are no longer serving us.

Dear T’ruah Community, By the time we reach this week’s Torah reading, the Israelites have been enslaved for generations. Children are born into slavery to parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who have never known freedom.  No wonder the people have little appetite for Moses’ lofty promises of liberation. “They would not listen to Moses, out of kotzer...

“Exalted and High, Mighty and Awesome, You bring low the proud and lift up the fallen; You free the imprisoned, redeem the humble, and help the poor.” -Blessing after the Shema, Morning service Mass incarceration is a racial justice issue. We cannot achieve real change unless we recognize and name that racism is at the...

“Great is work, as it gives honorto the one who does it.” —Nedarim 49b Our tradition tells us that it is a Jewish moral imperative to treat workers fairly. But we know that in this country and around the world, the workplace is often ground zero for forced labor, exploitation, wage theft, and violence –...

“When the community is immersed in suffering, a person may not say: I will go to my home and I will eat and drink, and be at peace with myself.” -Taanit 11a Racial justice is a Jewish value, and Black lives matter. Period. Unlike the other issues T’ruah works on, the pursuit of racial justice...

Bring human rights to your celebrations of Chanukah and Passover, to your synagogue kiddush, and more. Through partnerships with Divine Chocolate and Equal Exchange, we are proud to offer kosher fair trade Chanukah gelt, kosher-for-Passover chocolate, coffee, and more that come from companies committed to dignified working conditions and environmental sustainability. Proceeds from these purchases...

The most significant moments aren’t those of harsh words, and demonstrations, but rather intimate moments of humble connection. Those are the moments that can change everything.

We are not only here to receive blessings but to redistribute them, to share them with others. In a time of profound global instability, we must remember that true blessing is found in the act of blessing others.

We are returning from the mountain to the plains; from our highest ideals to the practicalities of daily living; from the most fundamental expression of holiness to where we are now.