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 Vayeira – 5787
October 27, 2026
Rabbi Scott “Shalom” Klein
Leaving the Bunker: The Courage of Abraham’s Tent A D’var Torah for Parashat Vayeira By Rabbi Scott “Shalom” Klein Parashat Vayeira opens with an encounter that redefines what it means to live a life of faith and purpose. Abraham sits at the entrance of his tent in the scorching heat of the day, physically healing from his circumcision. Yet his eyes are scanning the road. When three travelers appear in the distance, he does not weigh his comfort or ask for an easier assignment. He gets up and runs to greet them, putting his direct encounter with God on pause so he can offer shade, cool water, and fresh bread. Our sages in the Talmud (Shabbat 127a) draw a striking conclusion from this scene: welcoming guests and lifting up another human being carries even greater spiritual weight than receiving the Divine Presence. The medieval commentator Rashi points out that Abraham...
D’var Torah for Parashat Lekh Lekha 5787
October 20, 2026
Rabbi Davey Rosen
The Journey to Be a Blessing A D’var Torah for Parashat Lekh Lekha 2026 By Rabbi Davey Rosen (2022) This week we read Parashat Lekh Lekha, the Torah portion in which Avram (later renamed Avraham) begins the spiritual journey of the Jewish people. I emphasize spiritual because the physical or geographic trek had already begun. The parashah opens in Genesis 12:1 with God’s call to Avraham: לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ “Go forth from your native land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” This start to Avraham’s journey is often read as a sudden break with the past, an individual picking themself up, a solitary leap of faith into an unknown future. Yet just two pesukim earlier, at the end of the previous parashah, in Genesis 11:31, Terah, Avraham’s father, actually initiated the trek: וַיִּקַּ֨ח תֶּ֜רַח אֶת־אַבְרָ֣ם...
Parashat Noah – 5787
October 13, 2026
Rabbi Cantor Inna Serebro-Litvak ('16)
A D’var Torah for Parashat Noah By Rabbi Inna Serebro-Litvak A few years ago, when my daughter Emily graduated from high school, we went on a mother-daughter trip to Spain. That was the first time I learned, with Emily’s help, how to easily use Google Translate from text or words, adding it to my toolbar. This was quite a revelation for me! I couldn’t believe the convenience of this technological feature (remember this was four years before AI took over our lives). But at the same time, I felt cheated. I really wanted to be able to speak Spanish, as well as Italian, French, Mandarin – and perhaps other languages fluently. I did eventually add French to my repertoire, along with Russian, English and Hebrew – the three languages I already speak. I confess that my success in learning French can be partially attributed to the Duolingo App. I...
Parashat Bereisheet – 5786
October 6, 2026
Rabbi Michael Kohn
A D’var Torah for Parashat Bereisheet By Rabbi Michael Kohn (AJR 2009) There are numerous cycles embedded within a Jewish year – the daily cycle of prayer, the weekly cycle of ordinary days and Shabbat, the monthly cycle of new moons, and the annual cycle of holidays and festivals. This week we experience another yearly cycle, as we start to read the Torah once more from the beginning. Making our way through the first six days of Creation, we learn that the word “tov”, usually translated as “good”, appears seven times. The light on the first day was tov (Gen 1:4). The land and the seas were tov (Gen 1:10), as were the seed-bearing plants and trees of every kind bearing fruit (Gen 1:12). The two great lights, separating light from darkness were tov (Gen 1:16-18). The great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep…...
Parashat Ha’azinum – 5787
September 14, 2026
Rabbi Matthew Goldstone
A D’var Torah for Parashat Ha’azinu By Rabbi Dr. Matthew Goldstone Prayer fills the season of repentance and it is at this point in the calendar when we read Moses’ final prayer, the last song before his demise: Ha’azinu. It is fitting that Ha’azinu aligns with this season as it includes praise for God, but also recognition of people’s mistakes – some of the main themes of the high holidays. One verse in particular calls out to us at this moment (Deut. 32:20): וַיֹּאמֶר אַסְתִּירָה פָנַי מֵהֶם אֶרְאֶה מָה אַחֲרִיתָם (I will hide My countenance from them, And see how they fare in the end…). Ibn Ezra points out two dramatically opposed ways of reading this verse. One way to understand this verse is that God hides God’s presence because God knows what the people will ultimately do. That is, our actions and fate are predetermined. And, because we will...
