Posted on August 15, 2025 by Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
Dear Temple Beth-El,
This Shabbat we’re reading Parashat Eikev, which contains the Torah verses that make up the second paragraph of the V’ahavta–the paragraph that had not, until the recent publication (2015) of Mishkan HaNefesh, the URJ’s newest High Holy Day machzor, ever appeared in a Reform Jewish prayerbook.
The paragraph did not appear because it was considered to be theologically problematic by prior generations of Reform leadership. It is a representative of the reward-punishment theology found in many places in the Torah. Our movement found this text to be not spiritually uplifting, and perhaps even problematic, for Reform Jews who had ceased to strictly follow halacha, Jewish Law. It speaks of rains falling in their appropriate time and of crops growing the way they should as long as we follow the laws and decrees God has given us. I’ll be speaking more about that paragraph at services tonight and why I feel it’s time we have something of a rapprochement to the text, but I won’t be focusing so much on its connections to the land of Israel.
If, however, you’re curious to learn more about that, I am happy to introduce you to one of my most favorite websites for Jewish study: TheTorah.com. This site contains hundreds of articles (dozen(s) per Parashah) from some of the most respected rabbis and scholars of TaNaKh and Jewish literature in the world, from Israel to the United States, and across all denominational lines. Many professors of mine and Cantor Wallach’s from our respective seminaries have contributed articles to the site. The articles are designed for wide consumption, and are written in a digestible style–that is to say, you need not be a professional Jewish scholar to tackle this material and learn from these amazing teachers!
The link below will bring you to a fascinating study of this week’s parashah and the V’ahavta’s connection to agrarian life in ancient Israel written by a local scholar, Dr. Gary Rendsburg, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History in the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University! Check it out, and click around! See what you find, and let me know if you find something that you particularly loved! I’m always looking for new study resources.
https://www.thetorah.com/article/gods-promise-rain-grain-and-grass
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
