Devar Torah: Parashat Shemini

24 Nissan 5786  ·  11th April 2026

Parashat Shemini

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

There's a maths joke in which a young boy comes from school and his mother asks him what he learnt that day. He says, "I learnt that if I have 5 apples and you give me 4, then I have 9 apples". His mother asks him what else he learnt. He responds, "if I have 12 pears and you take away 5, then I have 7 pears". So, his mother asks him, "if you have 3 bananas and I give you 10 bananas, then how many bananas do you have?". The young boy responds, "I don't know, we haven't done bananas yet".

Devar Torah: Parashat Vayigash

7 Tevet 5786  ·  27th December 2025

Parashat Vayigash

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

"G-d only knows
G-d makes his plan
The information's unavailable to the mortal man"

— Paul Simon

Lines from a 1977 song written by one of the three greatest living singer-songwriters, Paul Simon (the other two being Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney - anyone who wishes to dispute this can do so at Kiddush). As those of you who recognise the lyrics will know, the lines that follow are a bit more cynical:

Devar Torah: Parashat Ki Tisa

Adar I 22, 5784  ·  2nd March 2024

Parashat Ki Tisa

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

A common theme in this week's parsha is the sanctity of life. It begins with the commandment to give half a shekel for every Israelite so that "there will be no plague among them when they are counted".

Devar Torah: Parashat Vayishlach

Kislev 13, 5785  ·  14th December 2024

Parashat Vayishlach

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

הַֽכְזוֹנָ֕ה יַֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵֽנוּ

I want to talk about women's rights in Judaism. I was inspired by an essay several years ago in the Bulletin asking whether Judaism is inherently sexist.

The scene shows the Tabernacle glowing at the centre with the divine presence rising above it, twelve coloured tribal banners arranged on both sides (each a different colour, equal in their placing), figures approaching with offerings from both directions, and a sky moving from deep night blue down to warm desert gold at the horizon. The Hebrew נָשׂא is in the title position as it appears in the sermon, with the date line beneath.

Devar Torah: Parashat Naso

7 Sivan 5786  ·  23rd May 2026

Parashat Naso

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

The first Jewish president is elected and at the inauguration, the president's mother is sitting in the front row. As her son gets sworn in, she turns to the fellow beside her.

The scene shows the earth splitting open with fire and light rising from the chasm, silhouetted fleeing figures on both sides, and the Mishkan glowing with divine light on the distant right horizon — echoing the sermon's contrast between Korach's rebellion and the legitimate divine authority he rejected.

Devar Torah: Parashat Korach

2nd Tammuz 5785  ·  28th June 2025

Parashat Korach

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

Parshat Korach seems, on the surface, a simple morality tale of one man's ambition and lust for power. Korach attempts to unseat both Moses and Aaron,

A sukkah beneath a starlit harvest sky, surrounded by wheat fields and hanging fruit, with silhouettes of people gathered around a candlelit table inside

Devar Torah: Parashat Re'eh

29 Av 5785  ·  23rd August 2025

Parashat Re'eh

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

The opening of Parshat Re'eh makes clear that, in the Torah, we are dealing with matters of life and death.

Moses stands on an elevated rock addressing a gathered crowd in the desert at dusk, stone tablets inscribed with the Hebrew word for Remember in the foreground, the Promised Land glowing on the horizon

Devar Torah: Parashat Devarim

Av 6, 5784  ·  10th August 2024

Parashat Devarim

A Devar Torah by Ben Eaton

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" is a phrase popularised by Martin Luther King Jr (although originally thought to have been coined by Theodore Parker - an abolitionist unitarian minister).

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