Sefer Devarim Archives | Academy for Jewish Religion

2 09, 2026

Parshiyot Nitzavim-Vayeilekh 5786

Marisa Amith2026-09-02T13:28:50-04:00

Caring and Compassion

A D’var Torah for Parshiyot Nitzavim-Vayeilekh

By Cantor Sandy Horowitz

For verse after verse Moses has been speaking to the Israelites in the form of commandments and exhortations, the threat of curse and the promise of blessing.

Parashat Vayeilekh brings a different tone, somewhat softer, as we near the end of our annual Torah reading cycle. (Spoiler alert – there will be more exhortations after this! But for now, let’s take a pause.)

For forty years Moses has led the Israelites on their journey towards the promised land. He has reached the age of 120, and his life, like our Torah cycle, is coming to an end. As the people prepare to cross the river Jordan, Moses has been told by God that he cannot go with them. Surely, he is feeling deep disappointment about being kept from the promised land and about having to give up his role as leader of the Read More >

Parshiyot Nitzavim-Vayeilekh 5786Marisa Amith2026-09-02T13:28:50-04:00

24 08, 2026

Parashat Ki Tavo – 5786

Marisa Amith2026-08-24T17:07:46-04:00

The Ground of Choice

A D’var Torah for Parashat Ki Tavo

By Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman

In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, we are witness to a grand ritual; a dramatization depicting the landscape of choices within which we all reside at all times. One half of the Israelite tribes are told to stand on Mt. Gerizim while the other half of the tribes are to stand on Mt. Ebal. Between the two mountains lies a valley, a middle ground within which the tribe of Levi is to stand. From this middle ground of choice, the Levites call up to those on Mt. Ebal with a series of curses that will result from choices rooted in idolatry, dishonesty, greed and lust. The Levites then call up to those on Mt. Gerizim with a series of blessings that will result from choices to live a life of mitzvot, ethical behavior, honesty and support for the disenfranchised Read More >

Parashat Ki Tavo – 5786Marisa Amith2026-08-24T17:07:46-04:00

14 08, 2026

Parashat Ki Teitzei – 5786

Marisa Amith2026-08-14T14:10:23-04:00

Just One Thing After Another

A D’var Torah for Parashat Ki Teitzei
By Rabbi Wendy Love Anderson

Like much of Deuteronomy, Parashat Ki Teitzei has no overarching narrative framework: it presents as a seemingly unconnected string of commandments, with medieval list-makers identifying as many as 74 separate mitzvot in the parashah. Some of these mitzvot seem to stand alone (e.g., the single-verse prohibition in Deut. 22:8 against building a house without a railing around its roof), while others fall into thematic groups (e.g., the subsequent three verses in Deut. 22:9-11, which prohibit sowing vineyards with two kinds of seeds, plowing with two kinds of animals, and wearing garments made of two kinds of threads), but each verse or group of verses ends with an abrupt shift to a new topic – unless we read it through rabbinic eyes. Since rabbinic midrash finds significance in every detail of the Torah, including every transition between Read More >

Parashat Ki Teitzei – 5786Marisa Amith2026-08-14T14:10:23-04:00

10 08, 2026

Parashat Shoftim 5786

Marisa Amith2026-08-10T10:29:13-04:00

Unsolved Murders

A D’var Torah for Parashat Shoftim

By Rabbi Dorit Edut (AJR ’06)

Many of us have seen the TV show “Unsolved Mysteries” and the Netflix series “FBI:Most Wanted” before they went off the air. We were probably attracted to the solving of these crimes because of our curiosity, but I also hope we may have been motivated by the desire to see justice done – something which our Torah tradition has ingrained in us for centuries. In my own community we have an organization called CrimeStoppers of Southeast Michigan which works closely with law enforcement and encourages people to anonymously report tips that might solve a murder crime with the promise of a nice financial reward. Yet with daily reports of new murders, resolved or not, we as a society are left with much unease.

Our Torah portion this week, Shoftim, with its emphasis on “pursuing justice” offers us a perspective on our social Read More >

Parashat Shoftim 5786Marisa Amith2026-08-10T10:29:13-04:00

3 08, 2026

Parashat Re’eh – 5786

Marisa Amith2026-08-03T13:12:00-04:00

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 understood literally:

אַבֵּד Read More >

Parashat Re’eh – 5786Marisa Amith2026-08-03T13:12:00-04:00

28 07, 2026

Parashat Eikev – 5786

Marisa Amith2026-07-28T16:05:01-04:00

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 אֱמֶת֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֔הוּ אֱמֶת֙ וּמִשְׁפַּ֣ט שָׁל֔וֹם שִׁפְט֖וּ בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶֽם׃ וְאִ֣ישׁ ׀ אֶת־רָעַ֣ת רֵעֵ֗הוּ אַֽל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ֙ בִּלְבַבְכֶ֔ם Read More >

Parashat Eikev – 5786Marisa Amith2026-07-28T16:05:01-04:00

20 07, 2026

Parashat Vaethanan and Shabbat Nahamu – 5786

Marisa Amith2026-07-13T11:30:18-04:00

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 enough for you; speak no more to Read More >

Parashat Vaethanan and Shabbat Nahamu – 5786Marisa Amith2026-07-13T11:30:18-04:00

13 07, 2026

Parashat Devarim – 5786

Marisa Amith2026-07-13T11:19:04-04:00

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 slapping. Such charged Read More >

Parashat Devarim – 5786Marisa Amith2026-07-13T11:19:04-04:00

29 09, 2025

Parashat Ha’azinu – 5786

Marisa Amith2025-09-29T10:51:29-04:00

“From the hands of his enemies and from the hands of Saul”

A D’var Torah for Parashat Ha’azinu

By Rabbi Rob Scheinberg

The traditional cycle of Haftarot, prophetic readings for each Shabbat and holiday of the year, is one of the more confusing parts of synagogue ritual, between the numerous differences in practice between Ashkenazic and Sefardic communities, [1] the even greater number of divergences in practice when one considers the Italian and Mizrahi rites, and the quirks of the holiday cycle that are hard for anyone to keep track of without a detailed perpetual calendar (or a website like hebcal.com).

This is one of the relatively few years when traditional Jewish communities read the Haftarah for the Torah portion of Ha’azinu, a poem from the end of the 2nd Book of Samuel (2 Samuel 22). Most frequently, the Torah portion of Ha’azinu is read between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, prompting the Read More >

Parashat Ha’azinu – 5786Marisa Amith2025-09-29T10:51:29-04:00

22 09, 2025

Parashat Vayeilekh – 5785

Marisa Amith2025-09-22T12:13:14-04:00

A D’var Torah for Parashat Vayeilekh

by Rabbi Marge Wise (AJR ’21)

Although the shortest parashah in the Torah with 30 verses, parashat Vayeilekh teaches us so much about life, the trajectory of life’s journey, ways to view life’s accomplishments, the high points and the disappointments. Trying to find a theme for my D’var Torah has led me to be introspective. Being at home for a few days with Covid – which I had avoided until now and had hoped to continue avoiding! – helped fuel that introspection!

I learned a lot in the process of doing research for this D’var Torah. For one, I learned a new word: generativity. But before I get there, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”l, describes Moses in a way which makes him seem very – well, “human”. He describes Moses as someone who has achieved it all – and now what? He tells the children of Israel that he can no Read More >

Parashat Vayeilekh – 5785Marisa Amith2025-09-22T12:13:14-04:00

All shall unite to do God's will with an open heart.

All shall unite to do God's will with an open heart.

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