This Shabbat, many congregations in St. Louis and across the country will be celebrating Repro Shabbat, a Shabbat dedicated to lifting up the Jewish values of reproductive freedom and justice.
Repro Shabbat occurs annually when Jews around the world are reading Parashat Mishpatim, the Torah portion containing the verses that are seen as the foundation for Judaism’s approach to reproductive rights, specifically that abortion is not viewed as murder and that the fetus growing inside the womb does not attain the rights of full personhood under Jewish law until part way through the birthing process (Exodus 21:22-25). This means that Judaism’s main focus is on the health and rights of women and all people who are able to bear children.
This week’s Torah portion contains 53 commandments legislating everything from worship and workers’ rights to personal property statutes and moral behavior. In many of these commandments, we hear God instructing the Israelites to set up a society that will be the antithesis of Egypt.
Instead of an economy in which people are forced to work seven days a week without any guarantee of rest, the Israelites will work on six days, but the seventh day will be a complete rest for all people and animals (Ex. 23:12).
Instead of a society where the poor are taken advantage of, the Israelites will create a place where the rights of those in need will be championed (Ex. 22:21, Ex. 23:6) and the poor will be treated with compassion (Ex. 22:25).
All of these commandments are grounded in the Jewish value of kavod, the honor, dignity, and respect we owe to one another — not because of our wealth or intellectual achievements or status within the community, but because each of us is created in the image of God.
The word kavod, meaning dignity, honor and respect, comes from the Hebrew root meaning heavy or weighty. Its opposite, k’lala, meaning curse, comes from the Hebrew root that means light or frivolous.
When a society and legislators create laws grounded in kavod, it means that they have taken seriously the hopes, fears, aspirations and health of their citizens. When a society and legislators create laws grounded in kavod, it means that they respect and trust the knowledge of medical professionals to treat patients with the care that they require and deserve. When a society and legislators create laws grounded in kavod, it means that they take seriously, respect for the bodily autonomy of all their citizens.
But when society and legislators attempt to control our bodies and abolish our ability to make responsible choices about our own lives, when they do not honor the values that Judaism teaches us to uphold, then they curse us.
One way to reverse this curse in Missouri is to learn more about and then advocate for the ballot initiative put forth by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, in which a constitutional amendment would “not deny or infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”
This amendment would guarantee reproductive freedom, including the right to an abortion, for all Missouri citizens. It would be a significant step toward a society that sees its members as created in the image of God, honors their autonomy and agency over their own bodies, and trusts in them to decide what is best for themselves, their families and their futures.
On the Israelites’ way to the Promised Land, our people were gifted a set of laws to help them see what they were blinded to in Egypt: that all people are created in the image of God.
May this week’s portion, our people’s story, and the essence of these commandments inspire us to see the image of God in each other, and to treat one another with dignity, honor and respect.
On this Repro Shabbat, may we also hear in this portion a call to create a society in which people’s rights and freedom, including their reproductive freedom, are honored, legislated and upheld.
