Welcome to Haggadot.com (the "Site"). Haggadot.com, customandcraft.org, [email protected] and all future,
as-yet-to-be-created brands are projects of Custom & Craft Jewish Rituals, Inc., which is the legal name of this
California nonprofit organization (hereinafter referred to as “Haggadot.com”). All projects of Custom & Craft Jewish
Rituals are subject to the Terms of Service described below. This Terms of Service ("TOS") contain the terms and
conditions that govern your use of the Site, and the Haggadot.com Service (as defined below). This TOS describes your
rights and responsibilities and what you can expect from the Haggadot.com Service. Use of the Site constitutes your
acceptance of and agreement to this TOS.
Haggadot.com reserves the right to add, delete, and/or modify any of the terms and conditions contained in this TOS, at
any time and in its sole discretion, by posting a change notice or a new agreement on the Haggadot.com Site. In the
event of substantive changes to this TOS, you may be notified by email. If any modification is unacceptable to you, your
only recourse is to not use the Site and the Haggadot.com Service. Your continued use of the Haggadot.com Site following
posting of a change notice or new TOS on the Haggadot.com Site will constitute binding acceptance of the changes.
The Haggadot.com Service.
Haggadot.com provides a number of Internet-based services through the Site as well as any other Haggadot.com affiliate
websites, digital content, mobile applications, online service or anywhere the TOS are shown (all such services,
collectively, the "Haggadot.com Service"). One such service enables users to create customized products, including
without limitation, merchandise and books (collectively, "Products"). Haggadot.com users may create and purchase
individual Products for their own personal use. Haggadot.com may offer a number of other services on its Site, including
without limitation, message boards, contests, and newsletters, which may change from time to time.
Use of the Web Site and Haggadot.com Service.
Eligibility. Haggadot.com will only knowingly provide the Haggadot.com Service to parties that can lawfully enter into
and form contracts under applicable law. If you are under the age of 18, but at least 13 years of age, you may use the
Haggadot.com Service only under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by this TOS. The
Haggadot.com Service is not intended for children under the age of 13.
Compliance with TOS and Applicable Law. You must comply with all of the terms and conditions of this TOS, the applicable
agreements and policies referred to below, and all applicable laws, regulations and rules when you use the Haggadot.com
Service and the Site.
Your License to Use the Web Site and the Haggadot.com Service.
Haggadot.com solely and exclusively owns all intellectual property and other rights, title and interest in and to the
Haggadot.com Service and Site, except as expressly provided for in these TOS. For example and without limitation,
Haggadot.com owns the copyrights in and to the Site, and certain technology used in providing the Haggadot.com Service.
You will not acquire any right, title or interest therein under this TOS or otherwise to any intellectual property owned
by Haggadot.com.
Haggadot.com grants you a limited revocable license to access and use the Site and the Haggadot.com Service for your own
personal purposes, subject to your compliance with this TOS. This license does not include the right to collect or use
information contained on the Site for purposes prohibited by Haggadot.com; to compete with Haggadot.com; to create
derivative works based on the content of the Site; or download or copy the Site (other than page caching). If you use
the Site in a manner that exceeds the scope of this license or you breach this TOS, Haggadot.com may revoke the license
granted to you.
This Section 2.3 does not pertain to your intellectual property rights. For information regarding your intellectual
property rights, please see Section 4.
Third-Party Content: Wherever Haggadot.com websites, online services, and digital content make reference to third party
organizations or include information, content, or graphics from third parties, Haggadot.com assumes third-party content
is for general informational purposes only and displaying third-party content does not constitute a recommendation or
endorsement of the opinion, product or service. Haggadot.com makes no claim as to the accuracy or relevance of
third-party content. If you decide to access any other websites linked to or from this website, you do so entirely at
your own risk.
Third-Party Services. Haggadot.com may use third parties to provide certain services accessible through the Site.
Haggadot.com does not control those third parties or their services, and you agree that Haggadot.com will not be liable
to you in any way for your use of such services. These third parties may have their own terms of use and other policies.
You must comply with such terms and policies as well as this TOS when you use those services. If any such terms or
policies conflict with Haggadot.com's TOS, agreements, or policies, you must comply with Haggadot.com's TOS, agreements,
or policies, as applicable.
General Rules.
Prohibited Use. You may only use the Haggadot.com Service as expressly permitted by Haggadot.com. You may not cause harm
to the Site or the Haggadot.com Service. Specifically, but not by way of limitation, you may not: (i) interfere with the
Haggadot.com Service by using viruses or any other programs or technology designed to disrupt or damage any software or
hardware; (ii) modify, create derivative works from, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble any technology used to
provide the Haggadot.com Service; (iii) use a robot, spider or other device or process to monitor the activity on or
copy pages from the Site, except in the operation or use of an internet "search engine," hit counters or similar
technology; (iv) collect electronic mail addresses or other information from third parties by using the Haggadot.com
Service; (v) impersonate another person or entity; (vi) use any meta tags, search terms, key terms, or the like that
contain Haggadot.com's name or trademarks; (vii) engage in spamming or any activity that interferes with another user's
ability to use or enjoy the Haggadot.com Service; (viii) assist or encourage any third party in engaging in any activity
prohibited by this TOS; (ix) upload to, transmit through, or display any material that is unlawful, fraudulent,
threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable or that infringes any third party’s
intellectual property rights or any confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information of any third party; (x)
upload, transmit, or display any advertisements, solicitations, chain letters, pyramid schemes, investment
opportunities, or other unsolicited commercial communications (unless expressly permitted); (xi) display adult nudity or
inappropriate child nudity; (xii) use the Site for sale of goods or services; or (xiii) upload photographs or other
content depicting images or people who have not given permission to have their photographs or images uploaded to a share
site.
Privacy Policy. By entering into this TOS, you agree to Haggadot.com's collection, use and disclosure of your personal
information in accordance with the Privacy Policy as amended from time to time.
Password Security. You are solely responsible for protecting the security and confidentiality of the password and
identification assigned to you. You shall immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your password or
identification or any other breach or threatened breach of this website’s security.
Ordering Policies. If you purchase Products, you agree to do so in accordance with Haggadot.com's ordering policies and
instructions on the Site. Your order constitutes an obligation to pay, subject to acceptance by Haggadot.com at our sole
discretion. Your order is accepted by us when we ship the goods to you. An order confirmation does not signify our
acceptance of your order, but merely confirms receipt of your order. We will send you a shipment confirmation once your
order is accepted. Haggadot.com reserves the right to cancel any order prior to delivery at our sole and absolute
discretion, whether or not you have already been charged. If your order is canceled pursuant to this section, and you
have already been charged, Haggadot.com will automatically issue a refund to you. As the products are individually
produced, an approximate availability and delivery time are shown alongside the product description prior to order
completion. The products will be delivered as soon as they are available. The times are estimates only and cannot be
guaranteed. At the latest, delivery will occur within thirty (30) days from acceptance of your order by Haggadot.com.
Please note that Haggadot.com is not able to deliver to all regions worldwide. All prices are subject to the delivery
charges, as well as any applicable taxes, duties, fees, or levies. Haggadot.com reserves the right to change the prices
published on the Services at any time. However, orders already submitted to us will not be affected by such changes.
Title to the Products you purchase passes to you when the Products are delivered to the common carrier.
Create and Buy General Rules and License.
Description. As part of the Haggadot.com Service, Haggadot.com offers a service (the "Create & Buy Service") that allows
you to upload images, video, audio, data, and other content as well as text, files, and works of authorship
(collectively, "Content") to the Site to create, produce, and purchase Products featuring the uploaded Content for your
own use. “Content” also includes without limitation, any Content that you contribute or share with other members through
the Site.
Delivery of Content. You will upload or deliver to Haggadot.com all Content that you want to use with the Create & Buy
Service in accordance with the applicable instructions on the Site. Haggadot.com may, in its sole and exclusive
discretion, determine whether any Content complies with such instructions and is satisfactory for use with the Create &
Buy Service.
Ownership of your Content. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise possess all necessary rights with respect
to the Content and that the Content does not and will not infringe, misappropriate, use, or disclose without
authorization or otherwise violate any copyright, trademark, trade secret right, or other intellectual property or other
property right of any third party.
Use of Likeness. You consent to the use of your likeness, and you have obtained the written consent, release, and/or
permission of every identifiable individual who appears in the Content to use such individual’s likeness, for purposes
of using and otherwise exploiting the Content in the manner contemplated by these TOS. If any such identifiable
individual is under the age of eighteen (18), you have obtained such written consent, release, and/or permission from
such individual’s parent or guardian. You agree to provide a copy of any such consents, releases, and/or permissions
upon our request.
Licensing Your Content to Haggadot.com. You will retain ownership of the Content that you upload to the Site. You hereby
grant to Haggadot.com a perpetual, irrevocable, fully-paid and royalty-free, worldwide, transferable, nonexclusive,
sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right and license to: (i) use such Content, in all media existing now or created
in the future, as Haggadot.com deems necessary to enable you to use the Create & Buy Service to create, produce, and
purchase Products; (ii) with respect to any Content that you expressly designate as being “public,” to link to, use,
reproduce, create derivative works from, license, sublicense, distribute, print, publicly display, and otherwise utilize
your Content including, without limitation, making your Content available to the Haggadot.com community. Please note
that, while you retain ownership of your Content, any template or layout in which you arrange or organize your Content
through tools and features made available through the Site or the Haggadot.com Service are not proprietary to you, and
the rights to such template or layout are reserved to Haggadot.com.
Licensing Your Content to other Haggadot.com Members. Except for any of your Content that you specify as “private”
during the submission process, you also hereby grant all other members of the Haggadot.com community a non-exclusive,
worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable license to use, copy, publicly display, create derivative works from, and otherwise
communicate and distribute your Content for any purpose on or through the Site or the Haggadot.com Service and/or in the
Haggadot.com member’s own products. You acknowledge and agree that any such Haggadot.com member can exercise the
foregoing rights without further notice, payment, or attribution to you. For avoidance of doubt, any of your Content
that you designate as “public” will not be limited to any restricted purpose and is provided on a non-proprietary and
non-confidential basis and will be generally accessible by other users of the Site and Haggadot.com Service.
Reservation of Rights.
Monitoring. Haggadot.com reserves the right, but does not assume the obligation, to monitor transactions and
communications that occur through the Site. If Haggadot.com determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that you or
another Haggadot.com user will breach a term or condition of this TOS or that such transaction or communication is
inappropriate, Haggadot.com may cancel such transaction or take any other action to restrict access to or the
availability of any material that may be considered objectionable, without any liability to you or any third party.
Modification of the Service. Haggadot.com reserves the right to modify the organization, structure or "look and feel" of
the Haggadot.com Service or the Site, and may change, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Haggadot.com Service at
any time without any liability to you or any third party. Haggadot.com shall have complete discretion over the features,
functions, prices and other terms and conditions on which the Haggadot.com Service is offered to Haggadot.com users.
Submissions.
When you submit questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, message board postings, material submitted via web forms,
contest entries, communications or any other information ("Submissions"), you grant Haggadot.com permission to use such
Submissions for marketing and other promotional purposes, including the right to sublicense. You agree that Haggadot.com
will have no obligation to keep any Submissions confidential. You will not bring a claim against Haggadot.com based on
"moral rights" or the like arising from Haggadot.com's use of a Submission. This Section does not apply to your Content
that you use in connection with the Create & Buy Service. Any personal information you submit is covered by our Privacy
Policy.
You shall not upload, distribute, or otherwise publish through this website any content, information, or other material
that (a) violates or infringes the copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or other proprietary rights of any
person; (b) is libelous, threatening, defamatory, obscene, indecent, pornographic, or could give rise to any civil or
criminal liability under U.S. or international law; or (c) includes any bugs, viruses, worms, trap doors, Trojan horses
or other harmful code or properties.
Haggadot.com reserves the right to immediately remove any content it deems offensive, or in violation of these Terms and
Conditions. Haggadot.com also reserves the right to remove a user account, without notice, if the user has been found to
pose a threat to other users or has violated any rule laid out in the Terms and Conditions.
Copyright and Trademark Issues
While we are not obligated to review Content for copyright or trademark infringement, we are committed to protecting
copyrights and trademarks and expect users of our Site and Haggadot.com Services to do the same. The Digital Millennium
Copyright Act of 1998 (the “DMCA”) provides recourse for copyright owners who believe that material appearing on the
internet infringes their rights under U.S. copyright law. If you believe in good faith that any material used or
displayed on or through our Site or the Haggadot.com Services infringes your copyright, you (or your agent) may send us
a notice requesting that the material be removed, or access to it blocked. The notice must include the following
information:
a physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is
allegedly infringed;
identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed (or, if multiple copyrighted works are covered by
a single notification, a representative list of such works);
identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or the subject of infringing activity, and information
reasonably sufficient to allow us to locate the material on our Site and/or the Haggadot.com Services;
the name, address, telephone number and email address (if available) of the complaining party;
a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is
not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
a statement that the information in the notification is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining
party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
If you believe in good faith that a notice of copyright infringement has been wrongly filed against you, the DMCA
permits you to send us a counter-notice. Notices and counter-notices must meet the then-current statutory requirements
imposed by the DMCA; see http://www.copyright.gov for details. DMCA notices and counter-notices regarding our Site and
the Haggadot.com Services, or notices concerning trademark use in personalized products we make or in our Site and the
Haggadot.com Services, should be sent to:
Haggadot.com
PO Box 385
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
[email protected]
Upon receipt of a compliant DMCA Takedown Notice, Haggadot.com will investigate the claim, take appropriate action and
serve the notice on our member. If a member submits a DMCA Counter-Notice, Haggadot.com will forward such notice to the
party that submitted the relevant DMCA Takedown Notice and allow the member to repost the disputed content after 10
days, as provided by law. Haggadot.com reserves the right to terminate the account of any member who repeatedly
infringes the copyright rights of others, as determined in Haggadot.com’s sole discretion.
Representations and Warranties.
Mutual Representations and Warranties. You represent and warrant to Haggadot.com and Haggadot.com represents and
warrants to you: (i) that you or it has the full power and authority to enter into and perform under this TOS, (ii) the
execution and performance of your or its obligations under this TOS does not constitute a breach of or conflict with any
other agreement or arrangement by which you or it is bound, and (iii) this TOS is a legal, valid and binding obligation
of the party entering into this TOS, enforceable in accordance with its terms and conditions.
By You. In addition to any other representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, You represent and warrant
to Haggadot.com that, in your use of the Haggadot.com Service, you: (i) will not infringe the copyright, trademark,
patent, trade secret, right of privacy, right of publicity or other legal right of any third party, and (ii) will comply
with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. You further represent and warrant to Haggadot.com that: (i) there are
no claims, demands or any form of litigation pending, or to the best of your knowledge, threatened with respect to any
of your Content; (ii) Haggadot.com will not be required to make any payments to any third party in connection with its
use of your Content, except for the expenses that Haggadot.com incurs in providing the Haggadot.com Service; (iii) the
use of any instructions, formulae, recommendations, or the like contained in your Content will not cause injury to any
third party; and (iv) your Content does not contain viruses or any other programs or technology designed to disrupt or
damage any software or hardware.
Disclaimers and Exclusions.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. Haggadot.com PROVIDES THE SITE AND Haggadot.com SERVICE ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE"
BASIS. Haggadot.com DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITE, Haggadot.com SERVICE OR ITS USE: (i) WILL BE
UNINTERRUPTED, (ii) WILL BE FREE OF INACCURACIES OR ERRORS, (iii) WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, OR (iv) WILL OPERATE IN
THE CONFIGURATION OR WITH THE HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE YOU USE. Haggadot.com MAKES NO WARRANTIES OTHER THAN THOSE MADE
EXPRESSLY IN THESE TOS, AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF TITLE, ACCURACY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT AND ANY WARRANTIES
THAT MAY ARISE FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, OR USAGE OF TRADE.
Limitation of Liability.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER Haggadot.com, NOR ANY OF ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS,
SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES, OR AFFILIATES (COLLECTIVELY, “THE HAGGADOT PARTIES”)
SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE OR SPECIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION
DAMAGES RELATING TO LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, USE, OR LOSS OF GOODWILL) ARISING OUT OF, RELATING TO OR
CONNECTED WITH THE USE OF THE Haggadot.com SERVICE OR THIS TOS, BASED ON ANY CAUSE OF ACTION, OR FROM UNAUTHORIZED
ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR CONTENT OR DATA, EVEN IF A REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN IS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED ITS ESSENTIAL
PURPOSE AND EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. FURTHERMORE, THE HAGGADOT PARTIES WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY
TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY CONTENT UPLOADED. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SITE
OR THE Haggadot.com SERVICE IS TO STOP USING THE SERVICES. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE
MAXIMUM LIABILITY OF THE HAGGADOT PARTIES SHALL BE THE ACTUAL PRICE PAID THEREFORE BY YOU. NOTE: CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS
MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR CERTAIN OTHER TYPES OF DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE
ABOVE EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Indemnification.
You must indemnify and hold Haggadot.com and its employees, representatives, agents, affiliates, directors, officers,
managers and shareholders (the "Indemnified Parties") harmless from and against any and all claims, causes of action,
liabilities, damages, losses, expenses, and/or. costs (including without limitation, attorneys' fees) that arise
directly or indirectly out of or from: (i) your violation of these TOS or any other agreement or terms of use with us;
(ii) your violation of any representation or warranty contained herein or any applicable law; (iii) your Content; (iv)
your activities in connection with obtaining any products or services from us; or (v) any activity related to access to
or use of your account by you or any other person. The Indemnified Parties shall (a) promptly give you written notice of
the claim; (b) give you sole control of the defense and settlement of the claim against the Indemnified Parties (except
that you may not settle any claim against the Indemnified Parties without the express written consent of the Indemnified
Parties); and (c) give you reasonable assistance, at your expense.
Term and Termination.
Term. This TOS shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Site and Services.
Termination. In its sole discretion, with or without notice to you, Haggadot.com may: (i) suspend, limit your access to
or terminate your use of the Site and/or the Haggadot.com Service; (ii) suspend, limit your access to or terminate your
account; (iii) remove any of your Content from Haggadot.com's servers and directories; and (iv) prohibit you from using
the Haggadot.com Service and/or the Site. Upon termination for any reason, your right to access and/or use the Site
and/or the Haggadot.com Service will immediately cease.
Survival. Notwithstanding Section 12.2 above, this TOS will survive indefinitely unless and until Haggadot.com chooses
to terminate this TOS.
Effect of Termination. If you or Haggadot.com terminates your use of the Site or the Haggadot.com Service, Haggadot.com
may delete any Content or other materials relating to your use of the Haggadot.com Service on Haggadot.com's servers or
otherwise in its possession. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you understand that any Content you expressly designated as
being “Public” and that Haggadot.com or other users of the Site made available in other areas of the Site other than
your user profile (including, without limitation, in another user’s library) may not be deleted. Haggadot.com will have
no liability to you or any third party for any termination of your use of the Site or Service or for any deletion of
your Content or for any Content that was not deleted that remains on the Site.
Notice.
All notices required or permitted to be given under these TOS (other than in connection with Section 7) will be in
writing and delivered to the other party by any of the following methods: (i) U.S. mail, (ii) overnight courier, or
(iii) electronic mail. If you give notice to Haggadot.com, you must use the following addresses: 19 Worth St., Saratoga
Springs, NY 12866 [email protected] & [email protected]. If Haggadot.com provides notice to you, Haggadot.com will use
the contact information provided by you to Haggadot.com. All notices will be deemed received as follows: (i) if by
delivery by U.S. mail, seven (7) business days after dispatch, (ii) if by overnight courier, on the date receipt is
confirmed by such courier service, or (iii) if by electronic mail, 24 hours after the message was sent, if no "system
error" or other notice of non-delivery is generated. If applicable law requires that a given communication be "in
writing," you agree that email communication will satisfy this requirement.
Dispute Resolution.
All disputes arising out of, relating to or connected with these TOS or your use of any part of the Haggadot.com Service
will be exclusively resolved under confidential binding arbitration held in California, before and in accordance with
the Rules of the American Arbitration Association, by a sole arbitrator applying California law (without regard for
conflicts of law principles). The arbitrator's award will be binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of
competent jurisdiction. Any action to enforce an arbitrator's award will be brought in a federal or state court located
in California. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the personal jurisdiction of the Federal and California State
courts. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section Can 14, Haggadot.com may seek equitable relief,
including, without limitation, injunctive relief and specific performance, without the requirement of posting a bond or
other security or proving money damages are insufficient, from a court of competent jurisdiction.
Miscellaneous.
These TOS will be binding upon each party hereto and its successors and permitted assigns, and governed by and construed
in accordance with the laws of the State of California without reference to conflict of law principles. This TOS is not
assignable or transferable by you without the prior written consent of Haggadot.com. This TOS (including all of the
policies and other Agreements described in this TOS, which are incorporated herein by this reference) contain the entire
understanding of the parties regarding its subject matter, and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements and
understandings between the parties regarding its subject matter. No failure or delay by a party in exercising any right,
power or privilege under this TOS will operate as a waiver thereof, nor will any single or partial exercise of any
right, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other such right, power,
or privilege. You and Haggadot.com are independent contractors, and no agency, partnership, joint venture, or
employee-employer relationship is intended or created by this TOS.
In Jewish tradition, there is a beautiful ritual for those who survive near- death experiences to perform. One who survives a dangerous brush with death makes a special bracha called birkat ha-gomel offering thanks for their survival. Typically, the blessing is said in shul, in front of the Torah and a whole congregation. Interestingly, the text of birkat ha-gomel doesn’t explicitly mention the danger we survived or Hashem’s life-saving power. Even Shehecheyanu, the bracha we make on everything from hearing good news to eating seasonal fruit thanks Hashem for keeping us alive and bringing us to the present moment. Instead, birkat ha-gomel thanks Hashem for “bestowing goodness upon the undeserving.”
What are we to make of this sentiment, that we are undeserving of goodness? So much of the work that we have to do involves unlearning the idea that we are unworthy of love, not affirming it. The typical Christian answer would be that we are undeserving of love because we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. One could back up this view with a plethora of biblical verses bemoaning our fundamental sinful nature and extolling the benevolent pity God takes on us. But this view only tells us part of the story. Of course there is no “righteous person on earth who does only good and doesn’t make mistakes.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) But Hashem wants it to be that way. Jewish tradition holds that Hashem wants to see us make mistakes, so we can overcome them.
While Christianity says that we are all fundamentally wretched sinners, deserving of eternal punishment, Judaism affirms that all human beings are created with a pure spirit and can return to that spirit at any time, not by passively accepting a stranger’s gift but by actively repairing ourselves and the world around us. Despite its universal message, Christianity is all about individual salvation, being personally ‘saved.’ Even in birkat ha-gomel, as we thank God for literally saving us, our rituals emphasize community. Judaism has no concept of individual salvation, only collective liberation. This does not mean we can brush aside personal growth, and focus solely on bettering the world. On the contrary, tikkun olam begins with tikkun atzmi, repair of the self.
How are we supposed to go about healing ourselves? Most of us aren’t doctors, therapists, or rabbis—how should we know how to heal our broken hearts and crushed spirits? Fortunately, we don’t need any special training to repair our souls. We are all capable of tikkun atzmi. We have all the tools inside of us already. This doesn’t mean we don’t need help along the way. In order to heal, we need a supportive community and loved ones who believe in us (and, yes, sometimes we do need therapeutic or spiritual guidance.) But the most important tool for healing we have, teshuva, is something each one of us was quite literally born with.
The Talmud states that teshuva was created before creation itself. It derives this from Moshe’s only psalm: “Before You gave birth to the mountains, before the land and the world were born, from eternity to eternity You are Hashem who returns humanity to repentance, who says, ‘return to me, children of Adam.’” (Psalm 90:2-3) Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz says that this teaches us that “teshuva is a primordial phenomenon, embedded in the root structure of the world.” In other words, teshuva is part of the very fabric of the universe, a force as strong as gravity that any one of us can tap into to heal our broken hearts and alter the course of our lives.
What does any of this have to do with birkat ha-gomel though? We don’t say birkat ha-gomel over making teshuva or healing ourselves, we say it after being miraculously saved from a life-threatening situation. To understand the connection, we need to look at birkat ha-gomel’s origins. The Talmud came up with the modern-day birkat ha-gomel blessing. When the question arose as to who was obligated to say birkat ha-gomel, the rabbis determined that “four must give thanks. They are: those who cross the sea, those who walk in the desert, one who was ill and recovered, and one who was incarcerated in prison and left.”
At first glance this list seems somewhat arbitrary—why should sailors say birkat ha-gomel but not someone who survived a violent attack? The list is derived from Psalm 107, a poem which praises Hashem for rescuing people from danger. “Some lost their way in the desolate desert. They found no path to a city or settlement. Hungry and thirsty, their spirits grew faint.” (Psalm 107:4-5) The psalm goes on to describe how Hashem ‘showed them a direct path’ to safety. “Some lived in darkness, in the shadow of death, imprisoned in oppressive iron... their hearts were humbled by suffering, they stumbled and no one would help.” (Psalm 107:10-12) Hashem rescues them from prison, breaking their chains and cutting through iron bars. Some were “afflicted… and reached the gates of death.” (Psalm 107:17-18) Hashem heals them. “Some went down to the ocean to do their work… a mighty storm wind made the waves surge.” (Psalm 107:23-25) Hashem stills the waves and brings them safely ashore.
The Shulchan Aruch gives a compelling mnemonic to remember the four groups of people obligated to say birkat ha-gomel: חיים, chayim, meaning ‘life’ or ‘the living ones,’ short for חולה, chola, the sick; יסורין, yesurin, incarcerated people; ים, yam, sea; and מדבר, midbar, desert. Psalm 107 goes on to say about these four groups of people, “Let them thank Hashem for His kindness… let them exalt Him in the community of their people.” (Psalm 107:31-32) Thus, the ritual of birkat ha-gomel was born.
After reciting the blessing in shul, many have the tradition of hosting a seudat hoda’ah, a thanksgiving feast to share with loved ones. In many ways, the seder is a seudat hoda’ah—we celebrate our personal liberation from captivity in Mitzrayim, our miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, our journey through the desert, and our recovery from a very serious sickness which afflicts so many souls: hopelessness. The four who are obligated to say birkat ha-gomel represent our seder’s four themes. The prisoners who went free represent abolition, the ones who crossed the sea are our liberation, the sick who recovered are our transformation, and the desert wanderers who found their way to Mount Sinai represent our community.
There is a fifth group of people mentioned in Psalm 107. “The desert is turned into pools, arid land into springs of water. The hungry settle there; they build a place to dwell. They sow fields and plant vineyards that yield a fruitful harvest. Hashem blesses them and they increase greatly, after they had been made few and crushed by oppression, misery, and sorrow.” (Psalm 107:35-39) These hungry people who have survived in spite of a world that tries to kill them, they are all of us, and they represent Hashem’s fifth promise to the Jewish people, the promise that has not yet been fulfilled: to bring us into the Promised Land— Eretz ha-Chayim, the Land of Life, the World to Come. We find the fifth theme of our seder in the fifth promise, among these hungry, downtrodden people who finally make their way home and reap their harvest: possibility.
If we ever hope to abolish prisons and police, we must first recognize that abolition is possible. For some of us, this may sound easy, trivial. For others, this may feel impossible in and of itself. All too many of us fight for prisoners or show up to Black Lives Matter actions without truly believing abolition is possible. Some chant ‘defund the police’ instead of howling for abolition because they want to fight for something ‘realistic.’ Some of us advocate for prison reform instead of abolition because we would rather our work be ideologically unsound and make a difference, no matter how small, than ideologically pure with no impact at all. These tactics have their uses and their virtues—none can deny that lives have been saved through reform campaigns. But so many more lives have been lost through compromise. No matter how many reforms we pass and checks and balances we put into place, as long as police live and prisons stand, countless human lives will be destroyed and irretrievably lost.
Some might say, “Our movement is tiny! We can’t be expected to stop police violence and dismantle the prison industrial complex altogether! Abolition is a nice dream, but we should focus on harm reduction, saving the few lives we can.” It’s true, there is enormous value in materially improving prisoners’s lives and preventing a few police murders, because saving one life is like saving the entire world. But, conversely, when one life is destroyed, it’s as if the entire world has been destroyed. To those who say “I’m not the one killing people!” the Talmud would say “anyone who had the ability to protest injustice in the world but refrained from doing so, they are responsible for the sins of the whole world.” The Tanach holds a grim warning for those who fail to try saving prisoners: “If you refrained from rescuing those sentenced to death, those condemned to be killed, even if you say, ‘we didn’t know about this,’ the One who weighs hearts will know what you did.” (Proverbs 24:11-12)
Here, we find the key to understanding birkat ha-gomel’s problematic phrase. Hashem bestows goodness on the ‘undeserving,’ not because we are all terrible sinners or lowly, worthless worms, but because every day we fail to fully appreciate the unfathomable value of a human life. And this is why tikkun atzmi is so crucial—our own lives are so precious that Hashem created the entire world so we personally could be born. If we don’t believe that we deserve healing, how can we believe that others do as well? As it is written, גמל נפשו אישׁ חסד, gomel nafsho ish chased, “the compassionate person bestows good upon themself.” (Proverbs 11:17) There is a lovely midrash that expounds upon this verse. Hillel’s students were following him after class one day, and he told them he was on his way to do a mitzvah. They asked which one, and he replied, “to bathe in the bathhouse.” Surprised, they asked him, “Is this really a mitzvah?” He took them to the circus and showed them a statue of the Roman emperor. He said, “Just as someone is appointed to scrub these statues and care for them, and he earns a living and gains status in the kingdom, I who have been created be-tzelem Elohim, in the divine image, all the more so!”
In the context of birkat ha-gomel, the word חיבים, chayavim, is generally translated as ‘undeserving.’ But it also can mean ‘obligated’ or ‘responsible,’ as it does earlier in the Haggadah when we say, ‘ be-chol dor va-dor chayav adam… ’ “in every generation, each person is obligated to see themself as if they personally left Mitzrayim.” In order to fulfill our holy obligation to repair ourselves and the world around us, we need to understand what is truly at stake: human lives, something infinitely precious in the eyes of Hashem. If we are undeserving of the kindness Hashem shows us it’s because we fail to show this same kindness to ourselves and to others. By settling for anything less than full abolition, we degrade the value of human life by allowing injustice to reign. But Hashem doesn’t care if we deserve kindness! It’s given to us anyway, whether we’re ready to accept it or not.
It often takes those who survive near-death experiences a long time to recover psychologically from the experience. These encounters can shake a person to their core. Often those who survive danger don’t feel ‘lucky’ at all—they feel exhausted, scared, and traumatized. For those who survive mass tragedies while others didn’t make it, this pain can be even more severe. Survivors’ guilt is a horrible psychological phenomenon where a person is tortured with grief over their own existence. People who live with survivors’ guilt often ask God “why me? Why did you leave me alive when so many others died?” All of us, to some extent, wrestle with these questions, because we are all perpetually forced to witness horrific state violence.
Some of us deal with this guilt by justifying the deaths of others—playing God and deciding that they are dying because they deserve to die. Others of us deal with this guilt by surrendering to helplessness, saying, “what can I do? I’m just one human being, I can’t stop this death machine.” Some of us never deal with this guilt at all, and let the full gravity of it destroy us. But there is a fourth way: accepting the radical possibility of abolition, and joining the fight. Through doing so, we show ourselves extraordinary kindness, for to accept that no human being deserves to be destroyed is to affirm that our own life has intrinsic value and purpose.
In her close reading of the birkat ha-gomel ritual, author Ellen Frankel finds the real purpose of the “undeserving of goodness” line. The bracha is not meant to be recited alone—it is said in front of a community. In a unique twist, they then bless the survivor: “may the One who rewarded you with all goodness continue to reward you only with goodness! Selah!” This call-and-response format is designed to combat survivors’ guilt. The survivor is asked to do something extremely vulnerable: admit their doubt as to why Hashem chose to preserve them. Then the community does something remarkable: it corrects the survivor, affirming that their survival is nothing but a blessing for the whole world.
With this kavanah, let us bless ourselves and each other for our survival. Let us affirm that human lives are worth fighting for. A better world is possible, a better self is possible! As long as we are alive, there is hope, no matter how broken we are, there is always the possibility of healing. As it is written, “All that your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength, for there is no doing in the grave.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
(One person starts by saying the blessing, then everyone else responds with the response below. That person then chooses the next person to say the blessing, and so on.)
בְּרוּכָה אַתְּ שְׁכִינָה, רוּחַ הָעוֹלָם
.הַגוֹמֶלֶת לְחַיָבִים טוֹבוֹת שֶׁגְמָלַנִי כֹּל טוֹב
(Fem:) Brucha at Shechinah, ru’ach ha-olam,
ha-gomelet le-chayavim tovot, she-g’malani kol tov.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
.הַגוֹמֵל לְחַיָבִים טוֹבוֹת שֶׁגְמָלַנִי כָּל טוֹב
(Masc:) Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam,
ha-gomel le-chayavim tovot, she-g’malani kol tov.
Blessed are You, who bestows good upon the undeserving,
and has bestowed all good upon me.
אָמֵן! מִי שֶׁגְמָלְךָ\שֶׁגְמָלֵךְ\שֶׁגְמָלֵךֶ כָּל טוֹב
!הוּא יִגְמָלְךָ\יִגְמְלֵךְ\יִגְמָלֵךֶ כָּל טוֹב, סֶלָה
Amen! Mi (Masc:) she-g’malecha (Fem:) she-g’malech (NB:) she-g’malecheh kol tov
Hu (Masc:) yig’malecha (Fem:) yig’malech (NB:) yig’malecheh kol tov, selah!
Amen! May the One who rewarded you with all goodness
continue to reward you only with goodness! Selah!
(After this ritual is completed, all say:)
בְּרִיךְ רַחֲמָנָא דֶיַהֲבָךְ נִיהֲלַן וְלָא יַהֲבָךְ לְעַפְרָא
Brich rachamana de-yahavach nihalan ve-lo yahavach le-afra.
Blessed is the compassionate One who gave you to us and did not give you over to the dust.
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