Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

  • Let the Next Leader Lead

    One of the prime lessons we learn is that Moses is denied entry into the Land of Israel. One reason is that his time as leader was over. His mere presence would have undermined the leadership of Joshua. A leader has to know when to step down.

  • Words Have Meanings

    The Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred of Jew against Jew. The cause of baseless hatred is the abuse of accusations. When a person is accused of behavior that he is not guilty of he will react. And not in the manner that the accuser expects.

  • We Are Responsible

    There is an idea that we are not responsible for our actions. This is not what the Torah says. Even if it is an accident we hold some responsibility.

  • The 3 Weeks & the Redemption

    There were many bad things that happened to the Jewish people during the 3 Weeks. But it is also the time that we will see the beginning of the Redemption.

  • Moses’s Last Speech

    The Book of Deuteronomy is all about how to set up society once the Jews reach the Land of Israel. Moses’s main concern was that the Jews not copy the ways of the Egyptians or their society.

  • Do the Right Thing

    The Torah emphasizes our need to do the right thing. It is no accident that this week’s portion is always read during the 3 Weeks of mourning. That is because we lost the Temple because we did the wrong thing.

  • Betterment Not Perfection

    The Book of Deuteronomy begins with Moses recounting the things that happened in the wilderness. His aim was that we should learn from our mistakes. Greatness comes from someone learning what the did that was wrong and working to correct them.

  • Are We Deserving of the Land

    As we are in the Three Weeks we have to remember that we are only deserving of the Land if we treat each other properly. The reason we lost the land was in our bad behavior one to the other.

  • Separate From Evil Influence

    The commandment to drive the local population out of the land seems cruel to us today. We have to realize the evil that those societies represented. The Torah was afraid that they would influence the Jews.

  • Social Responsibity

    The idea of the Cities of Refuge was for someone who accidentally killed another. The were allowed out when the High Priest died. The reason is that if he had been doing his job correctly then the accidental death would not have occurred.