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 Tetzaveh 5786
February 23, 2026
Rabbi Dorit Edut
Gemstones and Judgements A D’var Torah for Parashat Tetzaveh By Rabbi Dorit Edut Although the expression “Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders” is attributed to the Greek god Atlas, I want to propose that it has a much earlier source: the wearing of the gemstone-studded breastplate by the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, in the biblical Temple and Tabernacle. It was a physically weighty garment, but that was intentional since the High Priest wore this when turning to God in prayer for the whole Israelite community – a weighty responsibility indeed. It was made also to hold the Urim and Thummim, the special rods which would be used to receive a Divine answer to difficult problems or situations where human decision-making was stuck. But the Hebrew name for this breastplate – Hoshen Mishpat- refers to not only the importance of making clear decisions but also to atoning...
Parashat Tetzaveh – 5785
March 3, 2025
Rabbi Enid C. Lader
Did we miss a spot? As Moses receives instructions for the making of items for the Mishkan, the text moves from describing the wardrobe of the priests to the ritual of installing the priests in their sacred roles. It is a ritual of purification that begins with sacrificial animals and bread, clothing the priests in their sacred vestments, and then their purification, including: “…Slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the ridge of Aaron’s right ear and on the ridges of his sons’ right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hand, and on the big toes of their right feet.” (Ex. 29:20) Ear… Thumb… Big toe? It is probably due to my current grandparenting responsibilities that, as I read this verse, I couldn’t help but hear, “Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb” – a book by Al Perkins, introducing toddlers and pre-school sweeties to their...
Parashat Tetzaveh -5784
February 19, 2024
Rabbi Marge Wise (AJR '21)
A first or even a second reading of the text of Parashat Tetzaveh doesn’t begin to reveal the nuances, the implications, the messages of what might otherwise sound like elaborate but formulaic instructions for how to light the lights and for how to dress the priests. Instead, we can learn so much from the choice of words and from the message behind the words which inform our lives to the present day. Reflecting on God’s instructions to us as we struggled to become a nation was a learning curve – then and now.
Parashat Tetzaveh 5783
February 27, 2023
Click HERE for an audio recording of this D’var Torah Remembering and Turning Things Upside-Down: Shabbat Zakhor and Purim A D’var Torah for Parashat Tetzaveh, Shabbat Zakhor, and Purim By Rabbi Rena Kieval (’06) “There is a certain people, scattered and separate from the peoples in all the provinces of your realm, and their rules are different from those of any other people… It is not in your Majesty’s interest to tolerate them. If it please your Majesty, let an edict be drawn for their destruction…” (Esther 3: 8,9) Every Purim, these words of Haman in Megillat Esther send chills down my spine. The words are ancient, yet they are all too familiar. We recognize the anti-Jewish tropes, the intolerance of anyone who is seen as ‘other’ or different, and the quintessential hate speech that is gaining more open expression in our time. Leading into Purim,...
Parashat Tetzaveh 5782
February 10, 2022
Click HERE for an audio recording of this D’var Torah A D’var Torah for Parashat Tetzaveh By Rabbi Marc Rudolph (’04) The final fifteen chapters of the Book of Exodus are devoted to the building of the Mishkan. This comprises over one quarter of the entire book. This year, since it is a leap year, we will spend a full five Shabbatot reading about this, in exquisite detail, in our synagogues. The midrash connects the completion of the Tabernacle with Creation itself. The story of Creation and the story of the construction of the Tabernacle are the only places in all of scripture where the verbs “to complete”, “to sanctify” and “to bless” are used together. (Midrash Tanhuma Pekudei 2:3) Yet it is striking how much more time the Torah spends on the building of the Tabernacle compared to the relatively succinct description of the creation of the universe in the Book of Genesis. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l suggests...
