In 2003, Rabbi Benjamin J. Samuels, PhD wrote a short essay titled "An Anatomy of a Dvar Torah" for the 18th anniversary of his synagogue, Shaarei Tefillah, in Newton, Massachusetts. 

“Anatomy of a Dvar Torah” is a guide for constructing and delivering Divrei Torah, whether in the synagogue or at the Shabbos table, or any other occasion that calls for saying some words of TORAH. 

It’s a reflection of Rabbi Samuel’s own experiences delivering Divrei Torah, as well as insights from his teachers.

It covers Drasha structure, like:

- introductions and conclusions,

- stories,

- content driven Drashos vs context driven Drashos,

- how many points to make with your Dvar Torah,

- the importance of aiming to reach the heart of the listeners with your Dvar Torah and not just their head,

- and lots more! 

22 years later, I stumbled across “Anatomy of a Dvar Torah” through my friend and guest Rabbi Noah Cheses, who grew up in Rabbi Samuel’s Shul and directed me to the essay.

So I tracked Rabbi Samuels down for an interview and asked him if we could revisit the wisdom contained in this short piece -  that really has the potential to empower any individual who wants to share their own Torah teachings.

Anatomy of a Dvar Torah: https://www.academia.edu/36786300/The_Anatomy_of_a_Dvar_Torah

Go from creating indifference ➡️ to making a difference with your Drasha, master The Maggid Method here: https://maggidmethod.com/