Abstract
Determining the content and form of an interactive dvar torah/study session in the congregational setting requires
not only an understanding of the themes of the weekly or holiday reading and how they have been explored in
rabbinic literature, but also an awareness of and a sensitivity toward the calendar (Jewish and secular), current
events (within the community as well as nationally and internationally), the pedagogic challenges of the context,
and what is happening in the darshan’s own heart and mind. This paper unpacks the process by which the author,
a congregational rabbi, comes to determine what he is going to say, which texts he will use, and how he will use
them. The author explores and analyzes the initial flashes of insight in which he comes to “know” what he plans to
do; the process by which he decides which texts (and which approaches to them) will “work”, and what is meant by
“working”; and how these relate to what happens during the actual study sessions that take place.