The AJR Center for Judaism and Science has an annual competition for the best student D’var Torah infused with science. Click here to view the entries that have won our לדעת חכמה (Lada’at Hokhmah) Award.
Parashat Shemot – 5786
January 6, 2026
Rabbi Dorit Edut
The Burning Bush – The Thorny Entrance to Leadership’s Path A D’var Torah for Parashat Shemot By Rabbi Dorit Edut (AJR 2006) As you enter my living room, a print of Chagall’s Moses and The Burning Bush greets you. It is a simply constructed painting, with a very bright colorful burning bush (oranges, reds, yellows) next to a kneeling figure of Moses, in a metallic blue robe, hand on his heart, and looking out at you with an amazed expression. Above the bush are the letters of the Tetragrammaton encircled, while a small green angelic figure waves downwards, and some random small sheep float off to one side. While Chagall grew up in a religious home in Vitebsk, Russia (now Belarus), he certainly adds his own interpretation to the Biblical narrative of this week’s portion, Shemot. Not only is Moses not hiding his face, but we see the karnei or,...
Parashat Shemot 5785
January 17, 2025
Rabbi Marge Wise (AJR '21)
Parashat Shemot, is the first parashah in the book of Exodus, whose name is also Shemot, which literally means names. In this parashah we read of the birth of Moses. Not taking anything away from Moses – or from his father, whom we’ll get to in a moment – I would like us to keep in mind that Moses’ birth, and his very survival, were made possible by a few brave and fearless women!!
Parashat Shemot 5784
January 3, 2024
Hazzan Rabbi Luis Cattan ('20)
Growing up in Uruguay, I learned about the Exodus in two different languages, Hebrew and Spanish. The Hebrew version spoke about the story that named the Book of the Torah—Moses’s birth, rise, and glory as a leader. The Spanish version spoke about the birth, rise, and glory of a different leader: Jose Artigas, the leader of the Uruguayan people.
Parashat Shemot 5783
January 10, 2023
Click HERE for an audio recording of this D’var Torah A D’var Torah for Parashat Shemot By Rabbi Katy Allen (’05) I’m glad I wasn’t an Egyptian back then. I’m glad I wasn’t there to be ordered by Pharaoh to throw newborn babies into the river. (Exodus 1:22) Although, I’ve heard that I might not necessarily have had to drown any babies myself ‒ I might, instead, have had to force my neighbors, the Israelites, to drown their own babies (Or HaHaim). I’m glad I didn’t have to do that either. It’s also possible, the whispers through the generations tell me ‒ and I shudder in response ‒ that if I myself had given birth the day that Moses was born, I might have had to kill my own baby, Egyptian though he would have been. (Sotah 12a) Of all the terrible things our sacred tradition tells us that Pharaoh did, I find that telling his...
Parashat Shemot 5782
December 24, 2021
Click HERE for an audio recording of this D‘var Torah Leaving the Palace A D’var Torah for Parashat Shemot By Rabbi Rob Scheinberg This story sounds familiar, I thought. Sitting in a college religion course, my professor began to describe the early life of a most significant religious leader in world history, someone who was effectively the founder of one of the world’s major religions. The story began with this future religious leader growing up in a palace and living a life of spectacular material comforts. As a member of the king’s family, he has plenty of whatever he wants, and he is unaware of any suffering or poverty that exists outside the palace’s walls. In fact, the king does his best to insulate him from witnessing any pain, injustice or suffering. One day, this future religious leader ventures out of the palace walls, and what he sees there challenges him deeply and changes him forever....
