Written by Dirty Di. Dirty Di is the author of Astray and Deborah and Aviva.
A note from the author: This is the third part of “Teshuva, Tefila, Tzedaka.” Make sure you start with Part One and Part Two!
“Teshuva, Tefila, Tzedaka” is the third part of a series called Holiday Indulgence. The series follows the adventures and misadventures of our heroine Malka Berkovich throughout the Jewish calendar, a fictional character that simply can’t resist celebrating and cherishing her Judaism.
Each installment can be read as a separate piece, although because of the character and the story’s development, I wouldn’t advise it. The first part, Shavuot, can be found here.
DAY 7 — Tzedaka
“Why are we in West Harlem, dear?”
“Because you, my girl, are going to do tzedaka, an act of kindness.”
“I do acts of kindness enough, Hannah. And I don’t have to take the subway to do them, thank you, very much.”
“Really?”
“Yes! I make a lot of donations!”
“Malka, I’m an accountant. You don’t have to point how these ‘altruistic’ donations help your taxes.”
“I fail to see how that annuls the good deed.”
“It doesn’t. But you need to take a step further! Especially during the Yamim Noraim! Remember, you are being judged.”
“Something says I’m going to regret this.”
“How can you ever regret doing good for mankind?”
“Have you heard that no good deed goes unpunished? Actually, why don’t we get out of here and I take you to Broadway so you can watch the musical version of that statement!”
“Malka!”
“Hannah, this place is unsafe.”
“Okay, so let’s wrap it up really fast. Look, just pick somebody.”
“Whatever for?”
“To offer a job to that person.”
“Offer a job. Doing what exactly? I highly doubt these people have any kind of qualification.”
“Then find something. Do they need qualification to wash the dishes? Or make your coffee? Or clean the bathrooms? Anything would help them.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not about giving money away just to fill a charity quota, Malka, it’s about actually helping somebody get on their feet. Look around you, these people need an opportunity.”
Malka took a deep breath and walked towards a woman on the ground with two kids sitting beside her. Reluctantly, she kneeled before her and handed her a card.
“Hi… I may be able to help you get a job. Go to this address tomorrow and ask for Bradley, he’ll be waiting for you.” After asking for the woman’s name and telling her there was day-care available for the kids, she stood up and walked back to Hannah and her 100-watt smile.
“There. Are you happy?”
“I am. Aren’t you?”
“Would you believe me if I said I’m not?”
“Not a chance. And look, you weren’t struck by a lightning bolt!”
“I have to call Bradley when we get back.”
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Bedside Reading with Jewrotica was funny, sexy, and hot all at once. The readings were honest about all kinds of sexuality, but the highlight of the evening was definitely the confessions, written by audience participants. Nobody knew who wrote them, and most were tell-alls that would make your bubbe blush. Unless your bubbe was very, very cool. Then maybe she’d make YOU blush!
My opinion on Jewrotica is: It’s sexy. It’s awesome. It’s Judaism to the next level. It’s what we should all be getting into!
Jewrotica rocks. It’s funny, it’s informative, it’s sexy, it’s interesting. Check it out!
At Jewrotica’s Evening of Bedside Readings, students declaimed monologues on sexual encounters that had a Jewish twist. At Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the speakers pushed their own boundaries by performing a range of explicit narratives that challenged how the audience thought of the relationship to Judaism and sex. During the speakers’ preparation, the arguments about which narratives would be appropriate forced students to take a stand and voice their opinion on their own beliefs about Judaism an… Read more
Jewrotica is something that the community has needed for a long time so that people can actually learn, express and share and have good relationships without having to stumble through life. Check out the site and learn something. Have fun!
Jewrotica is inspiring Jews and erotica with holiness and coolness, and is the pride of progressive Judaism. Jewrotica – awesome!
While many people fear the “sex talk,” Jewrotica offers an opportunity for writers and audiences to speak about sexuality in a open and safe space. When I attended a Jewrotica reading, I heard stories that reminded me that love takes many forms, and that expressing it is a vital part of who we are as a people.
I’m so glad that Jewrotica is represented here at Jewlicious! It’s bringing voices that need to be heard in the Jewish discussion and Jewish climate environment.
I stepped out of my comfort zone to be a part of this. I was glad to open up the topic of sexuality in my community. We are trying to build a safe space to talk about sex. The result I am most happy about coming from this event is that hopefully now my friends know they can come and talk to me, that I can be their ‘safe space’.
Jewrotica was everything I had dreamed of and more: sexy attendees, tantalizing confessions, and well-written literature to boot! More importantly, it empowers us Jews to reach inside and own our sexy selves and heritage!
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