Collection
This is a collection of Dvrei Torah from members of Rabbis for Human Rights from 2024-2025 on the Parashot of Shmot. 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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Moses' Guide to Entrepreneurship: Thoughts on Parashat Vayakhel - Rabba Noga Brenner-SamiaRabba Noga Brenner-Samia reads Vayakhel as a blueprint for values-driven entrepreneurship. From vision and team-building to crowdfunding and execution, Moses models how spiritual leadership and social impact align. In times of crisis, building a Mishkan means building hope.
Dirty Dancing: Thoughts on Parashat Pekudei - Rabbi Mori Lidar (Translated by Rabbi Dana Sharon and Rabbi Rachel Druck)In this poetic and fiery drasha on Parashat Pekudei, Rabbi Mori Lidar contrasts the sacred cloud of the Mishkan with today’s moral fog. Still, he insists: we must dance—resist, rebuild, and believe in peace.
Man in the Image of God: Thoughts on Parsha of Ki Tisa - Jason Schwartz, HUCIn this reflection on Ki Tisa, Jason Schwartz explores the Golden Calf as a crisis of hope. Through Shabbat 89a and the words of Heschel, he warns that despair can lead us to idolatry and calls us to resist fear by seeing the divine in each other and choosing justice.
Demons Rising from the Abyss: On Faith and Despair –Thoughts for Shabbat Zakhor - Rabbi Gila CaineRabbi Gila Caine explores Shabbat Zakhor, Amalek, and Purim as inner spiritual battles. Through Torah, myth, and faith, she calls us to confront despair and choose meaning in an effort to restore God’s throne and the soul’s dignity.
"And They Shall Make Me a Sanctuary, and I Shall Dwell Among Them": Thoughts on Parashat Terumah - Rabbi Liora Ezrachi-VeredRabbi Liora Ezrachi-Vered reads Parashat Terumah as a story of collective healing. The Mishkan was built not only for God, but by a traumatized people seeking purpose and unity. Today, sacred action and shared grief continue to build sanctuaries among us.
Seeking Capable and Courageous Leaders: Thoughts on Parashat Yitro - Jessica Giordano, Rabbinical StudentParashat Yitro reminds us that good leadership requires more than power, demanding courage, humility, and shared responsibility. Jessica Giordano urges us to seek leaders who are capable and trustworthy, and to speak up when leadership falters. True leadership is communal.
Enough of Winding Paths: Thoughts on Parashat Beshalach - Rabbi Amnon RibakRabbi Amnon Ribak reflects on Parashat Beshalach and the dangers of avoiding direct action. Just as God told the Israelites to go forward into the sea, we too must reject delay and detours. In times of crisis, moral clarity and courage—not procrastination—must lead the way.
Remembering Exodus Without Hating the Egyptians – Thoughts on Parashat Bo - Rabbi Ilana Abu-golanRabbi Ilana Abu-Golan reflects on Parashat Bo and the challenge of telling the Exodus story without fostering hate. She urges us to teach memory with morality, using our collective past not to perpetuate revenge, but to build a future rooted in empathy, justice, and peace.
The Plagues Upon Egypt: Punishment or a Change in Consciousness? Thoughts on Parashat Va’era - Rabbi Sigalit UrRabbi Sigalit Ur reflects on the first seven plagues in Parashat Va’era, asking if they were to punish or pave a path to transformation. She challenges us to see them not as collective punishment but as a divine attempt to awaken moral consciousness, even among Egypt’s oppressors
The Quiet Rebellion: Thoughts on Parashat Shemot - Rabbi Dani DanieliRabbi Dani Danieli explores the role of women in the first parasha of Shmot. Focusing on the moral courage of Shifra and Puah, he shows how their defiance of Pharaoh was a powerful act of civil disobedience. This is a timeless message against dehumanization and moral apathy.
