Breaking Free: Stories from Jail and Inmate Poetry

ByLoren Berman

Moishe House

-Introduction

Why people here? Related experience?

A Jewish Calling

Isaiah 42: 6-7

ישעיהו מ״ב:ו׳-ז׳

אֲנִי יקוק קְרָאתִיךָ בְצֶדֶק, וְאַחְזֵק בְּיָדֶךָ; וְאֶצָּרְךָ, וְאֶתֶּנְךָ לִבְרִית עָם--לְאוֹר גּוֹיִם לִפְקֹחַ, עֵינַיִם עִוְרוֹת; לְהוֹצִיא מִמַּסְגֵּר אַסִּיר, מִבֵּית כֶּלֶא יֹשְׁבֵי חֹשֶׁךְ

Isaiah 42:6-7

I the Lord, in My grace, have summoned you, And I have grasped you by the hand. I created you, and appointed you A covenant-people, a light of nations- Opening eyes deprived of light, Rescuing prisoners from confinement, From the dungeons those who sit in the darkness.

Unconditional Dignity - "James" in Solitary

בראשית א׳:כ״ז

(כז) וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹקִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹקִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃

Genesis 1:27

(27) And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, National Jewish Resource Center

According to Jewish Tradition, the perfection of life is that every human being be and become an image of God - infinite in value, equal, unique.

Aseh L'kha Rav 3:57, Rabbi Chaim David HaLevy (20th C), Former Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yaffo

By all opinions, punishment is not a goal unto itself. Rather, it is intended to return the criminal to doing right or “so that they will listen and fear.” What benefit is prison from this perspective? The punishment of prison has existed in different forms forever. And experience proves that imprisonment does not rehabilitate the criminal…In addition to this, it also causes further harm after his release from prison…there is serious concern that additional crimes will become his way, in the absence of any other choice…

But we have brought this to learn the foundation of the holy Torah’s perspective on human freedom and the social nature of the human being, created in the image of God, that no other person has the right to confine the human spirit, or his freedom of movement, or his freedom, which are holy of holies among all creations in the image of God, and in each generation, we must devise appropriate punishments for criminals that are consistent with the Torah’s outlook and with the conditions of life. One of the great legal minds of our generation said, “It is our obligation to be concerned about just law; more than that, it is our obligation to be concerned about the criminal himself; more than that, it is our obligation to be concerned with the dignity of humanity.” And we will add, in the spirit of our holy Torah: The greatest of our obligations is to be concerned with the Tzelem Elohim [divine image] which is in humanity, “for in the image of God, God created humanity.” (translated by Rabbi Jill Jacobs)

Related solitary story on supplement (not for public viewing)

Matir Assurim: A Beit Midrash in Jail - "Four Children"

Responsa Hikkei Lev 2: HM 5, Rabbi Chaim Palagi (19th C), Turkey

It seems that even so, the Torah did not give permission to place someone in a prison that is cramped, for prisons are only for keeping a person to ensure he doesn’t escape...Even more so, we should not place him in a prison that’s soiled, where he will not be able to study Torah or to keep the mitzvot. For even if the Torah gave us permission, since even though he has sinned and must be imprisoned in a prison, he has not ceased to be a Jew. (translated by Rabbi Jill Jacobs)

Related story on supplement (not for public viewing)

Patience for Teshuva - "Shlomo" and Rabbi Akiva

משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה א׳:ד׳

(ד) אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה מְכַפֶּרֶת עַל הַכּל וְעַצְמוֹ שֶׁל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפֵּר. יֵשׁ עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁהֵן מִתְכַּפְּרִים לִשְׁעָתָן וְיֵשׁ עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁאֵין מִתְכַּפְּרִים אֶלָּא לְאַחַר זְמַן.

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 1:4

(4) Even on the presumption that repentance atones for all sins, and the Day of Atonement as such, too, atones, there are yet certain sins which are wiped off at the time, and certain other sins which are are not wiped off but after a lapse of time.

משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה ב׳:ד׳

(ד) מִדַּרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה לִהְיוֹת הַשָּׁב צוֹעֵק תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם בִּבְכִי וּבְתַחֲנוּנִים וְעוֹשֶׂה צְדָקָה כְּפִי כֹּחוֹ וּמִתְרַחֵק הַרְבֵּה מִן הַדָּבָר שֶׁחָטָא בּוֹ וּמְשַׁנֶּה שְׁמוֹ כְּלוֹמַר אֲנִי אַחֵר וְאֵינִי אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ שֶׁעָשָׂה אוֹתָן הַמַּעֲשִׂים וּמְשַׁנֶּה מַעֲשָׂיו כֻּלָּן לְטוֹבָה וּלְדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה וְגוֹלֶה מִמְּקוֹמוֹ. שֶׁגָּלוּת מְכַפֶּרֶת עָוֹן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁגּוֹרֶמֶת לוֹ לְהִכָּנַע וְלִהְיוֹת עָנָו וּשְׁפַל רוּחַ:

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 2:4

(4) Among the ways of repentance are, for the penitent to continue to cry out in tearful supplication before the Name, to bestow alms according to his means, and to distance himself exceedingly from the thing wherein he sinned, to have his indentity changed, as if saying: "I am now another person, and not that person who perpetrated those misdeeds", to completely change his conduct for the good and straight path, and to exile himself from his place of residence, for exile atones iniquity, because it leads him to submissiveness and to be meek and humble-spirited.⁴Rosh-ha-Shanah, 16b. C.

How to Comfort? Just Listen

ברכות ה׳ ב:י׳-ט״ז

רבי חייא בר אבא חלש, על לגביה רבי יוחנן. אמר ליה: חביבין עליך יסורין? אמר ליה: לא הן ולא שכרן. אמר ליה: הב לי ידך! יהב ליה ידיה ואוקמיה. רבי יוחנן חלש, על לגביה רבי חנינא. אמר ליה: חביבין עליך יסורין? אמר ליה: לא הן ולא שכרן. אמר ליה: הב לי ידך! יהב ליה ידיה ואוקמיה. אמאי? לוקים רבי יוחנן לנפשיה! - אמרי: אין חבוש מתיר עצמו מבית האסורים. - רבי אלעזר חלש, על לגביה רבי יוחנן. חזא דהוה קא גני בבית אפל, גלייה לדרעיה ונפל נהורא. חזייה דהוה קא בכי רבי אלעזר. אמר ליה: אמאי קא בכית? אי משום תורה דלא אפשת - שנינו: אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים! ואי משום מזוני - לא כל אדם זוכה לשתי שלחנות! ואי משום בני - דין גרמא דעשיראה ביר. אמר ליה: להאי שופרא דבלי בעפרא קא בכינא. אמר ליה: על דא ודאי קא בכית, ובכו תרוייהו. אדהכי והכי, אמר ליה: חביבין עליך יסורין? אמר ליה: לא הן ולא שכרן. אמר ליה: הב לי ידך, יהב ליה ידיה ואוקמיה.

Berakhot 5b:10-16

R. Chiya b. Abba fell ill and R. Johanan went in to visit him. He said to him: Are your sufferings welcome to you? He replied: Neither they nor their reward. He said to him: Give me your hand. He gave him his hand and he raised him. R. Johanan once fell ill and R. Hanina went in to visit him. He said to him: Are your sufferings welcome to you? He replied: Neither they nor their reward. He said to him: Give me your hand. He gave him his hand and he raised him. Why could not R. Johanan raise himself? — They replied: The prisoner cannot free himself from jail. R. Eleazar fell ill and R. Johanan went in to visit him. He noticed that he was lying in a dark room, and he bared his arm and light radiated from it. Thereupon he noticed that R. Eleazar was weeping, and he said to him: Why do you weep? Is it because you did not study enough Torah? Surely we learnt: The one who sacrifices much and the one who sacrifices little have the same merit, provided that the heart is directed to heaven. Is it perhaps lack of sustenance? Not everybody has the privilege to enjoy two tables. Is it perhaps because of [the lack of] children? This is the bone of my tenth son! — He replied to him: I am weeping on account of this beauty that is going to rot in the earth. He said to him: On that account you surely have a reason to weep; and they both wept. In the meanwhile he said to him: Are your sufferings welcome to you? — He replied: Neither they nor their reward. He said to him: Give me your hand, and he gave him his hand and he raised him. [Soncino translation]

Free Minds Book Club activity