Collection
This is a collection of Dvrei Torah from members of Rabbis for Human Rights from 2024-2025 on the Parashot of Vayikra. The Torah written here is part of our commitment to educating the public about human rights through a Jewish ethical lens, fostering a culture of awareness and action.
Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR), founded in 1988, is dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Comprising rabbis and rabbinical students from diverse Jewish traditions—including Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reconstructionist—RHR is driven by the profound Jewish values of justice, dignity, and equality.
www.rhr.org.il/Sheets
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Social Justice Week - Fighting the Cost of Living and Ensuring Food Security for All: Thoughts on Parasht BeHar - Rabbi Kobi WeissRabbi Kobi Weiss explores how Parashat BeHar demands more than charity—it calls for dignity, equity, and food security. Citing Maimonides and the Netziv o, he reminds us that justice means not just keeping people alive, but ensuring they live fully, equally, and with humanity.
“Leket, Shikhecha, and Pe’ah” – Gifts or Taxation? Thoughts for Parashat Emor - Rabbi Gil Nativ, Ph.D.Rabbi Gil Nativ explores the commandment of Leket, Shikhecha, and Pe’ah in Parashat Emor as sacred taxation. He calls upon our moral obligation to guide just systems that uphold dignity, protect, and bridge inequality.
The Continuous Vision: Thoughts on Parasht Acharei Mot-Kedoshim - Rabbi Avigail Ben Dor NivIn a time of religious extremism, Rabbi Avigail Ben Dor Niv explores Parashat Acharei Mot–Kedoshim as a call to restraint, doubt, and gentle holiness. Against visions of violent redemption, she offers a continuous Judaism rooted in repair, nuance, and enduring presence.
The Holy Fire, Moral Responsibility, and Human Rights: Thoughts on Parashat Shemini - Rabbi Mijael Even DavidIn Parashat Shemini, divine fire inspires and destroys. Rabbi Mijael Even David reflects on the dangers of unrestrained power, drawing parallels to today's human rights crisis in Israel/Palestine. Holiness requires responsibility; without it, sacred fire turns destructive.
The Little Aleph and the Grand Story It Tells: Thoughts on Parashat VaYikra - Rabbi Rachel DruckRabbi Rachel Druck traces a letter’s size to the shape of our moral choices. From Adam’s inflated ego to Moses’ modesty, the small aleph in Vayikra opens space for humility, justice, and our voices in the Torah’s ongoing conversation.
Looking Back Commands Us to Act Forward: Thoughts for Parashat Tzav, Shabbat HaGadol - Rabbi Dan Prath (Translated by Rabbi Rachel Druck)Rabbi Dan Prath explores the Haggadah as a living, evolving text that demands relevance and action in every generation. Through its structure and spirit, the Seder challenges us to reinterpret, respond, and resist oppression, then and now, by making tradition a force for justice.
