Living Torah Archives

The Torah considers denying a human being the ability to impact the world through incarceration as inhumane. Instead, we are responsible to help rehabilitate criminals to contribute productively to a moral and just society. We must ensure that prison acts not just as a punishment, but as an opportunity for positive growth.

According to the Arizal, donning Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin is a law, not a custom. The question of “custom” is only whether to don them after Rashi Tefillin or at the same time, but the Arizal holds that all Jewish men are obligated to don both pairs.