Collection
This is a collection of Dvrei Torah from members of Rabbis for Human Rights from 2021-2024 on the Parashot of Bamidbar. 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.
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Blessings and Curses: Parshat Balaak - Rabbi Dalia Shaham (5784 - July 2024)In her 2024 d’var on Parashat Balak, Rabbi Dalia Shaham reveals how Balaam’s blessings can conceal supremacy and violence. Echoing Bialik, she warns of ethical blindness in moments of power. We must choose words—and actions—that truly bless, with clarity and humility.
“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” Thoughts on Parashat “Balak” - Rabbi Shira Levine (5783 - July 2023)In her 2023 d'var on Parashat Balak, Rabbi Shira Levine contrasts biblical myth with harsh reality. As curses fail and a donkey speaks, she calls us to heed Micah’s prophetic plea: replace fire and vengeance with justice, mercy, and humility—in law and in daily life.
Parshat Balak – Judge Everyone Favorably - Rabbi Ariela Graetz Bartuv (5781)Rabbi Ariela Graetz Bartuv explores Parashat Balak as a lesson in judging others favorably. While Balak reacts with fear and aggression, the Torah teaches—through mythic voices like the donkey and Bilam—that suspicion leads to harm, and true righteousness begins with empathy.
Thoughts on Parashat “Chukat” and the Daughter of Iftach - Rabbi Galia Riva Sadan (5783 - June 2023)Rabbi Galia Riva Sadan highlights the silenced story of Iftach’s daughter, omitted from the Haftarah. This erasure symbolizes the overlooked voices of vulnerable children today. She urges responsibility, advocacy, and giving voice to the powerless in our communities and beyond.
Our Strength is the Hyssop - Thoughts on Parashat Chukat - Rabbi Stacey Blank (5784 - July 2024)Rabbi Stacey Blank reflects on Parashat Chukat, where ritual items like cedar, hyssop, and crimson become metaphors for the human journey through grief and healing. In a year of deep loss, the parashah reminds us to sanctify life and choose humility, not pride, as our strength.
Why will you alienate us?: Thoughts about Parashat “Korach” - Ziva Ofek (5783 - June 2023)Ziva Ofek weaves her personal journey with Parashat Korach’s cry—"the whole community is holy"—to demand full inclusion of LGBTQ people across all communities in Israel. True holiness, she argues, lies in fighting discrimination and honoring every life as sacred.
Signs of leadership - Thoughts on Parashat "Korah" - Rabbi Dotan Arieli (Translation: Rabbi Tamara Shifrin) (June 2024 - 5784)In Parashat Korah, God's dramatic interventions affirm divine leadership, yet history shows that true leadership is often revealed only in hindsight. Rabbi Dotan Arieli urges us to seek signs not in miracles, but in moral clarity, justice, and the actions of courageous humans.
Not Grasshoppers, Not Giants - Thoughts on Parashat “Shlach lecha” - Rabbi Dalia Marx (5783 - June 2023)The spies in Shlach Lecha weren't afraid of failure, but of success—and the responsibility it demands. Rabbi Dalia Marx explores their fear of sovereignty, vulnerability, and power. True strength lies in acknowledging fear—not as grasshoppers or giants, but as human beings.
Shifting the paradigm - Thoughts on Parashat Shelach Rabbi Rachel Druck (5784 - June 2024)Rabbi Rachel Druck reconsiders the spies in Parashat Shelach not as cowards, but as voices for an alternative to violent conquest. Maybe they weren’t rejecting the land, but the paradigm of war. In 2024, can we shift the narrative—toward coexistence and peace?
Please God Heal Us Now - Thoughts on Parshat Beha'alotcha - Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway (5784 - June 2024)Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway reflects on Beha’alotcha as a parasha of transition, fear, and the longing for healing. Drawing from Moshe’s plea for Miriam, she calls on us to lead with compassion, pursue second chances, and pray: El na refa na lanu—Please God, heal us now.
The virtue of patience and humility - Thoughts on Parashat “Beha'alotcha” - Rabbi Simcha Daniel Burstyn (5783 - May 2023)In Beha'alotcha, Rabbi Simcha Daniel Burstyn explores the Torah’s layered call for patience and humility—from Moses’ quiet leadership to the people’s restless journey. As Israel faces political unrest in 2023, this parasha invites us to wait, listen, and measure with care.
