A Beginner’s Guide—Adapted from URJ.org

As a board member, you may be asked to present divrei Torah at meetings and on other occasions. Nora Perlmutter, the president of Temple Chai in Phoenix, Arizona, was asked by her rabbi to include a short d’var Torah when she made the announcements to the congregation at a Friday night service. Why? As she stated, “The congregation would see that laypeople as well as the rabbi can read and discuss Torah, and the board members would become more knowledgeable, which would enhance their Judaism.”

Although there are many different techniques for writing a d’var Torah, they all include the following elements:

1. Allocate plenty of time. You may not actually write your d’var Torah until the last minute, but give yourself time to think about the parashah, to let your mind visit and revisit the text.
2. Read the parashah for the week and whatever interpretations you can find. You can obtain commentaries from your rabbi, your education director, and your library. There is no need to reinvent the wheel: People have been pondering these writings for thousands of years. Avail yourself of their wisdom. It will give you food for thought and different approaches to the text. Consider these sources:
   • Plaut’s Commentary provides clear insights into Torah and haftarah.
   • Berlin and Bretler’s Jewish Study Bible provides excellent contemporary scholarly analysis of the Hebrew Scriptures.
   • Field’s A Torah Commentary for Our Times is a user-friendly reference that includes traditional as well as contemporary insights.
   • Nehama Leibowitz’s Studies provides authoritative modern perspectives.
   • The Soncino Chumash and Rashi in particular are the classic rabbinic commentaries.
   • The Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox is a word-for-word translation of the Hebrew text.
   • The Encyclopaedia Judaica is a classic resource.
   • This page on the URJ web site: https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study, is one of a number of online resources featuring commentaries about each torah portion.

   Using any of the ideas from the commentaries above is fair game, but remember to cite them. What is most likely to happen when you find that someone else’s idea engages you is that you will incorporate it into your own thoughts in such a way that by the time you are finished, the original author wouldn’t even be able to claim credit for it. And remember that your own life experiences can be a poignant and fertile source of ideas.

3. Determine your approach. Consider these possibilities:
   • Analyze a small fragment of the text in great detail. You will know that you have picked a good one if other commentators are as interested in it as you are.
   • Observe the text from a distance, taking note of some of its interesting details. This approach is particularly suitable for parashiyot that deal with ritual details at great length. Discuss the role of minutiae in the building of a religious life. After all, it is said that God is in the details.
   • Begin with an idea from the text and apply it to another issue that is of great interest to you. For example, if the text contains a long list of names, present a history of the origins of some typical Jewish names, perhaps including the names of those present.
   • Analyze the characters of biblical figures and the events of their lives in ways that will shed some light on our own. For example, consider the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau and the issue of preferred children.
   • Using the classic form for the d’var Torah, present several apparently discrepant facts and then explain how they are not contradictions at all but instead point to a deeper meaning that is not obvious at first.
   • Historical insights can illuminate a text in an exciting way. Even if you don’t draw any deep morals from this approach, it can still be enriching.
4. Write a first draft that grapples with the meaning. A d’var Torah does not merely summarize the parashah. If you are having a problem, try the indirect approach: After your initial reading of the parashah and some commentaries, write down any thoughts you have about it and then set what you have written aside. Keep it in the back of your mind. Read it right before you go to bed. Think about it when you are running or driving. Once you begin writing your d’var Torah, jot down all your thoughts no matter how tangential they are: They may lead you somewhere.
5. Edit, edit, edit. It is usually harder to be brief, but brevity is always appreciated. There is no such thing as a too short d’var Torah. A few thoughts and examples are really all you need to present. If your material is sufficiently suggestive, there is nothing wrong with letting people finish on their own what you are saying.

YOU WILL BE ALLOCATED 10 MINUTES TO PRESENT YOUR D’VAR TORAH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOARD MEETING.
REMEMBER, IT TAKES LONGER TO PRESENT WRITTEN MATERIAL PUBLICLY THAN IT DOES TO READ IT TO YOURSELF.
PLEASE PRACTICE YOUR PRESENTATION PRIOR TO THE MEETING AND BE CONCISE.

Presenting a d’var Torah should not primarily serve to feed your own ego, although it may also do that. It should be an attempt to perform a holy act, and it is within that context that you should make your preparations. If you keep this in mind, you will find personal pleasure and growth among the byproducts of your efforts. You may even become a great teacher of Torah.