Matir Asurim’s Guiding Jewish Concepts: Sources and Expanded Discussion

  • B’tzelem Elokim [divine image]: All people are created in the image of the Divine. We all carry a spark of divine goodness as well as the capacity for creative action and transformation.

    • SOURCE TEXT: וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בָּרָא אֹתָם

    • “And God created humankind in the divine image. In the image of God did the Divine create them.” — Genesis 1:27. More on MA and Btzelem Elohim

  • Teshuva [repentance/return]: We believe in human resilience and transformation, in our ability to make amends after experiencing and/or perpetrating harm. We practice this relationally as conflict arises within our organizing, and also strive to create a world that uplifts restorative accountability processes rather than punishment.

    • SOURCE TEXT: Text by Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav, a beloved Eastern European rabbi in the late 18th century:

    •  אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין, שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן

    • “If you believe that you can damage, believe that you can repair.” — Likutei Moharan [collected teachings] Part 2:112

  • Refua Shleima [Complete Healing]: We work towards collective healing and wholeness, striving to restore balanced relationships within the broader interconnected web of creation and to heal the traumatic effects of white supremacy, colonization, and other systems of oppression that affect our minds and bodies.

    • SOURCE TEXT: Amidah Prayer, the oldest composed liturgy in Jewish tradition:

    • רְפָאֵֽנוּ יְהֹוָה וְנֵרָפֵא הוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה כִּי תְהִלָּתֵֽנוּ אָֽתָּה וְהַעֲלֵה רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל מַכּוֹתֵֽינוּ כִּי אֵל מֶֽלֶךְ רוֹפֵא נֶאֱמָן וְרַחֲמָן אָֽתָּה

    • R’fa’einu, Adonai, v’neirafei

    • Heal us, Adonai, and we shall be healed… More on MA and Refua Shleima

  • Panim el panim [face-to-face]/Approaching: Seeking “face-to-face” interactions, despite difference, distance and bars; approaching one another as equals and striving to work in genuine relationship.

    • SOURCE TEXT:

    • כַּמַּיִם הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים כֵּן לֵב־הָאָדָם לָאָדָם׃

    • “As face answers to face in water, So does one person’s heart to another.” — Proverbs 27:19

    • …וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה

    • “Then Judah approached him… “– Genesis 44:18. More on MA and Panim El Panim

  • Learning from every person: Learning from every person requires honoring the contributions and voices of people who have been systemically silenced, including through incarceration. In our conversations, we strive to hold awareness around differences in identity and power dynamics.

    • SOURCE TEXT: Jewish legal text from ~200 CE, Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Ancestors), 4:1:

    • בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי

    • “Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? One who learns from every person, as it is said: ‘From all who taught me have I gained understanding’ (Psalms 119:99).”

  • Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh Bazeh [All Jews Are Responsible, One to the Other]/Communal Responsibility: “All Yisrael is responsible, one for the other.” Jews have many universalist obligations, but we also have a special duty to other Jews.

    • SOURCE TEXT:

    • שכל ישראל ערבים זה בזה

    • “All Yisrael is responsible, one for the other.” — Shevuot 39a. More on MA and Aravim Zeh Bazeh