As we enter the month of Sivan and prepare for the holiday of Shavuot, we revisit the moment our people stood at Sinai, to receive both inspiration and to accept obligation. In this powerful Rosh Chodesh reflection, Rabbanit Ahava Schachter Zarembski explores how Jewish law transforms timeless values into concrete responsibility. For those engaged in global justice and humanitarian work, her words are a timely reminder: Jewish ethics aren't only about what we believe. They're about what we do.

Once, while teaching on a college campus, a young woman asked me a disarmingly honest question: “What makes Jewish values different from human values?”

It’s a fair question - especially in a world where moral ideals like compassion, justice, and dignity are widely shared. I looked at her and said, gently but firmly: “The Jewish people are bound by law. Our values are not simply aspirational. They are actionable.”

Shavuot, the festival marking the giving of the Torah, is not just a spiritual moment. It’s a legal one. It’s the moment when divine inspiration took on a binding form: halacha (Jewish law). Our mitzvot are not abstract ethics; they are codified calls to action.

For philanthropists and activists working in international development, humanitarian response, and justice-driven work, this is deeply grounding. Jewish tradition doesn’t ask us only to feel. It commands us to act. Below are six halachic frameworks that continue to guide Jewish responsibility in today’s fractured world:

1. Milchemet Mitzvah: An obligatory war

Core values: defense, rescue

Modern relevance: humanitarian intervention; protection of civilians

2. Pidyon Shvuyim: Redemption of captives

Core values: dignity, urgency

Modern relevance: hostage rescue; anti-trafficking; prisoner advocacy

3. Pikuach nefesh: Saving a life

Core values: life-saving as a priority

Modern relevance: Medical aid, disaster response, global health initiatives

4. Lo ta'amod al dam re'echa: Do not stand idly by while your neighbor's blood is shed

Core values: moral intervention

Modern relevance: human rights defense; crisis response; bystander responsibility

5. Tzedakah & chesed: Justice & loving kindness

Core values: justice, compassion

Modern relevance: Philanthropy, mutual aid, economic support of the vulnerable

6. Tikkun olam: Repairing the world

Core values: systemic repair

Modern relevance: Equity, sustainability, and addressing root causes of injustice

Each of these reflects a value that isn't optional, it’s halachically mandated. For example:

• Pikuach Nefesh overrides almost all other commandments, and applies to all human beings.
• Pidyon Shvuyim is described in Jewish law as one of the greatest mitzvot - an imperative that today might extend to anti-trafficking work, hostage negotiations, or advocating for unjustly detained individuals.
• Lo Ta’amod al Dam Re’echa forbids passivity in the face of suffering.

When we fund medical relief, advocate for refugees, or push for climate equity, we are not simply doing what’s good. We are doing what is required.

What Shavuot Asks of Us

Shavuot reminds us that our covenant is not frozen in the past. It lives on in every ethical choice, especially the inconvenient ones. Each time we respond to suffering with not just empathy but responsibility, we bring Torah to life.

In a world yearning for justice, values alone are not enough. We need sacred practices, rituals of responsibility, that transform ideals into action. That’s what the Torah offers. That’s what Shavuot affirms. And that’s what Jewish law contributes to global justice work today.