Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

The Torah admonishes us not to communicate with the dead. Once someone has died, we have to let go. They have transitioned from this world to the next. We transition to this world without them.

In Parshat Kedoshim we start with the commandment to be in awe of your parents but that the Torah is paramount. The Torah is emphasizing that the basis of any good society is the family structure. And that the leaders of the family are the parents.

After going over the ritual of the service to be done in the Tabernacle and later the Temple, the Torah states that in order to be holy you have to follow the ethical and moral laws.

This week we read how the High Priest was responsible for the spiritual well-being of the Jewish people. If he does his job correctly then we will not sin, even accidentally.

The most quoted book at the American Constitutional Convention was the Book of Deuteronomy. And it was the influence of the American Constitution that Israel became a state.

Today we celebrate Israel Independence Day. One of the things that people do not realize is that instead of crying about our situation and the effects of Antisemitism, we got up and built a state.

Today is Memorial Day in Israel. Today we honor the brave young men and women who gave their lives for the State of Israel.

King Solomon chose an orphan to be the architect of the First Temple because he was the best. This teaches us that our lineage doesn’t matter as much as our accomplishments.

It is no accident that the festivals that Israel Independence Day and Jerusalem Day are both in the month of Iyar. It is during that month that we mourn the loss of the Bar-Kochba revolt. This is God saying the redemption begins here.

Morality that is not based on the Bible is flawed. We can reason a lot but sometimes our reasoning leads us down a dark path and allows us to commit horrendous acts.