Welcome to Circa 1945: Breaking the Machine. A podcast of parables about the Holocaust — and what it would take to build a genocide-proof society.

Studying the most evil times in history can help us understand them, and understanding is power and freedom.

Today’s story is about a passage from the Torah that my rabbi shared with us recently.

When you build a house with a flat roof, the Torah says, you are obligated to build a railing around it. Your obligation isn't just to not push someone off the roof. You also have to prevent an accident.

People are going to be up there, and sooner or later, somebody will fall — unless you’ve taken precautions.

It’s a simple instruction, but it carries a profound truth: you are responsible not just for your own actions, but also for the structures you build, and for the harms you can prevent.

Image Source: https://www.balconette.co.uk/juliet-balcony/articles/balconies-through-the-ages