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Abstract what is the relationship between Judaism and modern discourse on human rights ? The short answer to this question is that the humanistic and liberal values that underlie modern human rights discourse are not foreign to Judaism . Quite the contrary : they exist within it and emanate from it , in the Bible , halakhic literature , and modern religious philosophy . The book of Genesis , especially the story of the Creation , is the wellspring of fundamental human principles . The creation of human beings in the image of God serves as the starting point from which primary values are derived . These include human life , human dignity , property , equality and freedom , and the family . Many precepts originate from these fundamental values . The value of life , first mentioned in the Bible in the verse “ Whoever sheds the blood of man , by man shall his blood be shed" ) Gen . 9 : 6 ( , leads to injunctions such as “ You shall not murder” ) Exod . 20 : 13 ( and “ Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened" ) Lev . 19 : 16 ( . The principle of human dignity , which is a corollary of seeing human beings as created in the image of God , underlies the prohibitions against shaming another person , tale-bearing , and slander , as well as some of the laws related to torts and damages , the precepts that govern social relations , the obligation to respect all human beings in mind and body , and the duty to continue to show that respect after death , which is expressed in the precepts of burial and mourning . The value * Translated by Lenn Schram .
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