Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

The Torah against the danger of corruption. No matter the reason corruption will destroys whatever society it afflicts. We should avoid it whenever possible.

The Torah warns against the danger of corruption and abuse of power. This is the reason that it was quoted at the American Constitutional Convention.

We are commanded to seek justice. We know that we cannot attain it in all cases. This does not mean that we should just give up.

As we enter the month of Elul we start to get ready to be judged by God on Yom Kippur. Before we can ask God for forgiveness we have to go to our fellow man and ask for his/her forgiveness.

We are told that we should not copy the other nations, especially their ideas of morality. We have to be true to the values in the Bible, not popular whim.

To be united does not mean that we agree on everything but that we are in agreement on our national goals. We can debate with one another on issues but we must never lose site of the fact that we are one people.

We are all for social justice, but it has to be in harmony with the commandments. If someone tells us that we do not have to obey the commandments then they are a false prophet.

The Torah gives the option of determining our fate. While we can’t control everything in life, we can follow the commandments and change the world.

The Torah never mentions our rights. It talks about our obligations to God and society. When we concentrate on our obligations, we can be happy with little. But when we concentrate on our entitlements we will never be satisfied.

We are told that we will receive blessings and curses depending on our behavior. The Torah is pointing out that God will treat us as adults. It admonishes us to treat others as adults.