For Mat Wilson, empathy is important.
Wilson is the founder and director of an organization called the Disability Torah Project, which looks to apply Jewish teachings to the lives of the disabled, and Wilson’s work with disabled Jews has shown the director new perspectives on Judaism that can help all of us move toward a more just future.
Just take one example of a writing the organization published on the story of the ten plagues in Egypt.
“One of our early writers became blind as an adolescent and used that experience to look at the plague of darkness in Exodus and think about the empathy we can have for the Egyptians who have been plunged into this really horrific [state],” Wilson said. “Thinking about their perspective in that way was something that I had never thought about.”
Wilson founded the Disability Torah Project in 2024 with the idea of publishing Torah commentaries by disabled writers, using social media as a tool to raise awareness for the disabled community, and creating classes and workshops that can help the able-bodied and disabled better understand each other through a Jewish context. So far, those missions have been successful, with the writings and social media posts spreading and classes and workshops starting soon. Wilson said that the organization gets around 325 page views on a weekly basis, and the newsletter has 174 subscribers. The Disability Torah Project has 584 Instagram followers right now, and Wilson said the organization expects that number to reach 1,000 in a year’s time. Wilson said the work is a way to expand our understanding of Jewish teachings.
“The terminology I like to use is ‘to grow the library of disability Torah,’ and we’re doing that through empowering disabled people to share Torah that is informed by their lived experiences and uplifting disabled wisdom, creativity, leadership,” said Wilson, who suffers from mental illness, a physical condition that impacts mobility and chronic pain.
Wilson can often be found at Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia or Congregation Or Ami in Lafayette Hill. The director also works with Tribe 12, a Philadelphia organization that looks to connect local Jews in their 20s and 30s, and Gettysburg College Hillel. Wilson is a student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the University of Pennsylvania, pursuing a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership.
“Really, all of this came out from a lot of different things from my own life. Part of it is my own experiences with disability and thinking about how I have navigated change with my disability. It’s been really helpful for me to study text in this way and be able to see myself in Torah, and also self-reflect because of the teachings of Torah,” Wilson said.
The able-bodied may wonder how much of the Torah really relates to disability. Wilson said there is plenty, as well as plenty of everyday situations for the disabled that can be informed by the Torah.
“It’s out there, but it can be hard to find, so part of this initiative is looking to build that library and build up resources so people can see themselves reflected in the text,” Wilson said.
The writings that the Disability Torah Project publishes are varied. The most recent weekly writing is titled “Studying Torah in an MRI Machine.” Other pieces include “Memory and Ritual: Finding My Autistic Traits Reflected in Our Sacred Text” and “Parashat Emor: A Disability Perspective.”
On a daily basis at the Disability Torah Project, Wilson and the team are studying Torah, developing relationships with other disabled and activist Jews and publishing and advertising their work on social media. So, how does an organization get off the ground and continue to function? Wilson said it’s thanks to grants.
Wilson applied for a grant through the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, which is what initially got the Disability Torah Project “out of my head, out of my Google docs and into the world,” Wilson said. That first grant was for $1,500.
Wilson is confident that more people will recognize the importance of the mission if the work continues to spread, and the organization is preparing to start a fundraising campaign around the time of the High Holidays. Wilson said establishing a donor base will make the Disability Torah Project more sustainable.
Wilson’s Jewish practice is rooted in Torah study and community. The student studies often but also finds inspiration in the mundane.
“I am really tapped into a lot of things that I can do on my own at home, such as Torah study through prayer and different elements of mindfulness, but also being aware of all the godly moments that are happening around me every day,” Wilson said.