GEN544 The Jewish Response to Discrimination. I don't think classical Jewish sources ever confronted a problem like the modern issue of discrimination, but that doesn't mean that Jewish values don't inform my own ideal of a just society. That society is one that does not allow for discrimination.  The following midrash from Genesis Rabbah 24 serves as one of the foundations for the idea of kavod ha-beriyot: “Ben Azzai says: ‘This is the record of Adam’s line’ (Genesis 5:1) is the foremost principle in the Torah. R. Akiva says: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18), this is the greatest principle of the Torah.  You should not say: Because I have been dishonored, let my fellow man be dishonored along with me…R. Tanhuma explained: If you do so, know whom you are dishonoring—‘God make him in the likeness of God’ (Genesis 5:1).” The Rabbis in this midrash do not disagree that humans have an obligation to each other.  What is in question here is why we have that obligation. Is it because we have shared parentage, all descending from Adam and Eve? Is it because we must treat each other as we hope to be treated? Or is it because dishonoring another person dishonors God, as we are all created in God’s image? In this midrash, kavod ha-beriyot, respect for human dignity, becomes the foremost principle of the Torah, meaning that all people have an obligation to treat each other with respect. Neglecting these values enables us to convince ourselves, consciously or unconsciously, that some people are less deserving than others of equal protection under the law and of being treated with common decency.  As Jews, kavod ha-beriyot can’t just be a textual value, left to some rabbis to debate on a forgotten page.  It must be a lived value. I am sure that many of us know the pain of being seen through the lens of a stereotype, and of being told that it would be better if we developed a thicker skin when we get offended by those stereotypes. But I don't think God envisioned human beings creating a world where we cause each other such pain. However, although those of us involved in Jewish social justice work often invoke the principle of tikkun olam, which means repairing or perfecting the world, we don't often say what we hope a better world will look like. For me, it is a given that we must work toward a world like the one envisioned so eloquently in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights--one in which the dignity and equality of every person is recognized. If we each live a life guided by kavod ha-beriyot [respect for God’s creatures—AJL], we will help repair the world. (By Rachel Kahn-Troster) DORFF-RUTTENBERGSOC 60-1