Congregation Beth Israel

This week we read the Torah portion Mishpatim, “the laws,” where the Torah moves from the drama of revelation at Mt. Sinai into the messy realities of human life. And tucked within laws about property and damages, we find a passage that has shaped Jewish thinking about reproductive autonomy for thousands of years (Exodus 21:22–23).

When a pregnant woman is injured and miscarries, the Torah distinguishes between financial damages and “life for life.” For centuries, our sages -- from Rashi to Maimonides -- understood this to mean that potential life and actual life are not the same, and that the life and wellbeing of the pregnant woman takes precedence. In Jewish law, abortion is permitted, and in some cases required, when a person’s life or health is at risk. Reproductive freedom is not a modern political invention; it is rooted in Jewish text and tradition.

On Reproductive Rights Shabbat, we join with synagogues all over the world to explore what Mishpatim demands of us: to protect the vulnerable, to defend pluralism, and to ensure that no single religious belief is elevated above others. Join us as we recommit to justice, dignity, and bodily autonomy as Jewish values.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Rachel Joseph
Senior Rabbi Designate