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Parashat Re’eh – 5786
August 3, 2026
Rabbi Rachel Posner
Monotheism and the Pitfalls of Certainty A D’var Torah for Parashat Re’eh By Rabbi Dr. Rachel Posner Earlier this year, two Israeli soldiers desecrated a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon. The IDF responded quickly and decisively, punishing the soldiers with jail time. It was a painful example of how our need to assert and defend ourselves can slide into triumphalism — the wish to squelch and destroy the sacred practices of others. Monotheism can be co-opted into the dangerous notion that there is only one way to serve our singular Creator. But our central tenet — Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Ehad — does not mean that there is only one way to serve God, or that we alone have the right answers about religious practice. The Second Commandment cautions us against making our own certainty into an idol. Parashat Re’eh contains passages that are painful to read if...
Parashat Eikev – 5786
July 28, 2026
Rabbi Anat Katzir
The Nation’s Heel A D’var Torah for Parashat Eikev By Rabbi Anat Katzir Parashat Eikev begins with a curious word: וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן “And it shall come to pass because (eikev) you heed these laws…” (Deuteronomy 7:12) The Torah could simply have said im tishme’un– “if you listen.” Instead, it chooses the unusual word eikev. Literally, eikev means “because.” But it also means heel. The rabbis noticed this double meaning immediately. Rashi, quoting the Midrash (Midrash Tanhuma, Eikev 1), explains that eikev hints to those commandments that people trample with their heels—the mitzvot that seem too small to matter. The Torah’s message is startling. Judaism is not built only on dramatic acts of faith or heroic moments of sacrifice. It is built on the countless ordinary choices we barely notice. God is found in the details. Our tradition repeatedly teaches this lesson. The prophet Zechariah instructs us: …” דַּבְּר֤וּ...
Parashat Vaethanan and Shabbat Nahamu – 5786
July 20, 2026
Rabbi Scott “Shalom” Klein
The Cadence of Comfort: Moving from Desolation to Consolation A D’var Torah for Parashat Vaethanan and Shabbat Nahamu By Rabbi Scott “Shalom” Klein July 20, 2026 This Shabbat, we transition from the depths of communal mourning into a period of profound renewal. We read Parashat Vaethanan, which always coincides with Shabbat Nahamu—the Shabbat of Comfort—named after the opening words of the Haftarah: “Nahamu, nahamu ami“—”Comfort, comfort My people.” This deliberate shift from the brokenness of Tisha B’Av to the embrace of consolation offers a timeless lesson in leadership and resilience. It reminds us that recovery is not an automatic passage of time; it requires an intentional architecture of the spirit. In the opening of the parashah, Moshe pleads with God: “Vaethanan el Hashem“—”And I implored the Lord.” Moshe begs to cross the Jordan River to see the Land of Israel, yet God firmly denies his request, telling him, “It is...
Parashat Devarim – 5786
July 13, 2026
Rabbi Matthew Goldstone
A D’var Torah for Parashat Devarim By Rabbi Dr. Matthew Goldstone July 13, 2026 “These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel” (Deut. 1:1). The final book of the Torah begins by emphasizing that what follows (“these”) are the words of Moses to the people of Israel. But Moses says many things to the Israelites, what makes these words different and worthy of note? The Midrash in Sifrei Devarim answers this question by suggesting that Moses’s words at the beginning of Deuteronomy are specifically words of rebuke. This theme is echoed in the haftarah for this week from the beginning of Isaiah in which the prophet channels God’s chastisement of the people for their wrongdoing. Rebuke can easily provoke anger and other negative feelings. A midrash in Sifra (on the Book of Leviticus) recognizes the way in which rebuke can be tied up with hatred, cursing, hitting, and...
Parshiyot Mattot-Mase 5786
July 7, 2026
Cantor Sandy Horowitz
Looking Back on the Journey A D’var Torah for Parshiyot Mattot-Masei By Cantor Sandy Horowitz Parashat Masei, the final reading in the book of Numbers, begins with these words: אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם… “These are the journeys of the people of Israel who set out from the land of Egypt… (Numbers 33:1) The text then goes on to name each of the forty-two places where the Israelites stopped during their forty-year journey, up until they arrived at the river Jordan across from Jericho. There is a pattern in the way the journey is described: each stopping place has its own verse, and each journey from one place to the next is described using the same verbs, vayis’u (“and they set out ”) and vayahanu (“and they encamped… ”). The cantillation of this part of the text enhances the experience of repetition: while there are exceptions, most...
