Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

The men chosen to scout the land were not the correct people for the job. Their mission was to report about the people and what if the cities were fortified. They overextended their mission. That is what lead to the disaster that was to follow.

Miriam was the holiest woman of her time. Yet she was stricken with Zora’at for speaking ill of her brother, Moses. How could this have been? The answer is that she meant well bit acted inappropriately.

The real reason for the Jews complaining about the food that they were given by God was that it came with the command that they had to be moral and ethical. They wanted the food but did not want the condition that it came with.

We learn that the Jews were guided in the wilderness by a pillar of fire. This teaches us to place our trust in God. That we should strive to succeed but our success depends on God’s help.

We learn that to be a Levite meant that there was a five-year internship to carry out their duties in the Tabernacle. This is to teach us that we have to educate our youth to do the right thing.

The Menorah has been the symbol of the Jewish people since the building of the Tabernacle. It symbolizes our need to spread the light of Torah to a dark world.

The High Priest is commanded to clean the Menorah every morning. The purpose of this commandment is to teach us that there is no job beneath you.

In the Book of Ruth we see that greatness can be attained through our efforts. 3 characters are good but not great. 3 attain greatness through their actions.

Shavout is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. It is important to recognize the uniqueness of the Torah in the ancient world. Since then it has been our rule and guide to living.

The Priestly Blessing shows that if you want true peace you should first become enlightened by the Torah. Only with this understanding can we achieve true peace. Appeasement does not work.