Who Releaseth Captives from their Bondage

A few months ago I tripped upon ReecesRainbow.org and I have not been the same since.  I have become obsessed with the lives of special needs orphans in other countries.  I have cried for them, prayed for them, and begged my husband to consider adopting one.

But while the blogs of adoptive families have touched, moved and inspired me, I have felt estranged from their authors due to a simple fact.  I am Jewish.  The references to James 1:27, for example, are not part of my spiritual vocabulary.   But it is a fact that the notion of G*d as the Father of the Fatherless has its origins in the Old Testament, the Torah.   So I began to seek ideas within my liturgy that could serve as reference points for my own journey into this new world of special needs adoption.

"Matir Asurim" - "Who Releaseth Captives from their Bondage" - is used to describe G*d at several points in the daily prayer.  It is used in the morning blessings, as well as in the Amidah (the standing prayer), which is recited 3 times each day by religious Jews.  It is very appropriate for describing G*d's role - through us - with respect to innocent children trapped in cribs or institutions, with no future unless they are adopted into loving families.

In this blog I will advocate for orphans from a Jewish perspective, to give another voice to the voiceless.