Devarim – Rabbi Jon 's Website and Blog

August 5, 2026

Even the Bitter Part of the Watermelon (Parashat Re’eh 5784/2024)

This was my D’var Torah for Parashat Re’eh on Saturday, August 31, 2024. When I was at my parents’ home for a week in July, they had in the fridge a container from the store with perfect precut slices of watermelon. Vertical wedges, like carrot sticks sort of, and the container contained the perfect amount… Continue reading

Devarim, Parashat Hashavua, Re’eh, Theology, Torah

July 17, 2026

Four Takes on the Book of Deuteronomy (Shabbat Chazon, Devarim 5782/2022)

This was my D’var Torah on August 26, 2022 for Parashat Devarim, the beginning of the book of Deuteronomy. When you look at the Torah in the scroll or even in a book, it all looks the same – the stories, the laws, the recipes for meals at the altar, the census lists and travelogues,… Continue reading

Books, Brit, Calendar, Devarim, High Holidays, History, Holidays, Jewish Education, Leadership, Moshe, Parashat Hashavua, Prophets, Simchat Torah, Study, Synagogue, Teshuvah, Torah

July 29, 2020

Your Two Personal Assistants Toward the High Holy Days

This year I updated my usual re-post about Moshe and Yeshayahu, your “two personal spiritual assistants”, and published it at the Times of Israel: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/your-two-personal-spiritual-assistants-toward-the-new-year/ Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Devarim, Elul, Foregiveness, High Holidays, Holidays, Patience, Rosh Hashanah, Soul, Spirituality, Teshuvah, Theology, Torah, Vaetchanan, Yom Kippur

July 29, 2020

Pitchers and Catchers, Candles and Circles, Rivers and Apples: How Rituals Will Really Help Us Approach This New Year

This is almost too good to be true: the beginning of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar this year coincided with opening day for Major League Baseball. Usually around this time of year I show you this T-shirt based on an observation by Rabbi Morris Allen at my parents’ shul about the absolute… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Devarim, Elul, High Holidays, Holidays, Parashat Hashavua, Prayer, Ritual, Rosh Hashanah, Simchat Torah, Spirituality, Sukkot, Teshuvah, Torah, USA, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur

August 5, 2011

Parashat Devarim

Here is a good introduction I wrote to why we are reading at this time of year from the the book of Deuteronomy, Sefer Devarim, and the prophecies of Isaiah: http://www.rabbijon.com/2009/07/devarim-introducing-your-two-personal-assistants.html Continue reading

Devarim, Parashat Hashavua, Vaetchanan

July 15, 2010

Shabbat Chazon: We Need Unity, Take Action Now

This Shabbat we open Sefer Dvarim, the book of Deuteronomy. This Shabbat is also known as Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat of "The Vision", which refers to the Haftarah taken from the opening of the book of the prophet Yeshayahu. It is always read on the Shabbat that precedes Tisha B'Av, (the ninth day of the… Continue reading

Conservative Judaism, Current Affairs, Devarim, Israel, Parashat Hashavua

July 22, 2009

Devarim — Introducing Your Two Personal Assistants

I hate to say this, but this Shabbat is a signal that the High Holidays are coming. We turn a page in the Torah cycle and begin reading the book of Dvarim or Deuteronomy, which will be our backdrop from now all through the High Holidays until Simchat Torah in mid-October. This Shabbat begins the… Continue reading

Devarim, Teshuvah, Vaetchanan