Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

  • Celebrating Freedom

    We celebrate the holiday of Sukkot and tomorrow we will be celebrating the holiday of Simhat Torah. We celebrate even more with the return of the hostages to their homes.

  • United By The Torah

    Sukkot is a happy holiday. It is the close of the holiday season for month of Tishri. We start off very serious asking God for forgiveness for our sins. God only decides on Simhat Torah because then we show if we really meant what we said on Yom Kippur.

  • God Is In Charge

    On the holiday of Sukkot we realize how dependent we are on God. That we should strive to make our lives better but that, in God is in charge.












    Charge

  • Prepare The Next Generation

    In the portion of the week Moses receives his final command. To ascend Mt. Nebo and see the land that he will not enter it. This is to teach us that just as Moses prepared Joshua to lead, we have to prepare the next generation.

  • To Win The Lottery, First Buy a Ticket

    God wants us to do our job. He wants to see the effort we do in keeping the commandments. Just like when we crossed the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea). Before He split the waters someone had to jump in.

  • Getting Our House In Order

    Yom Kipper we stand before God promising to be better. The real test comes a few days later when we have the holiday of Sukkot, in which we are commanded to be happy. Can we keep our promise to be better when we are having a good time.

  • Taking Ownership Of Our Actions

    God has given us free will. But that means that we have to take ownership of our actions. We are responsible for what we do. This is also the message of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

  • We Have To Reach Out

    In last week’s portion it says that Moses went to the people. This shows that it is our responsibility to reach out to others to help them become better people.

  • To Secure The Future, Learn From The Past

    Moses is leaving the Jewish people. Joshua is appointed his successor. Moses wants to remind the Jews that they were freed from Egypt for the purpose of creating a moral and just society in the image of God.

  • Murder Never Ends Well

    We learn that the Jewish people suffered because of the assassination of Jewish governor of Judah after the destruction of the Temple. The assassination led to tremendous suffering of the Jews. Murder is murder. It never ends the way the murderer wants.