Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

  • God Wants Action, Not Words

    God wants us to do the right thing. No where in the Torah is there a commandment to believe in God. But there are on how to behave.

  • Morality & Religion

    The difference between the Torah and previous law codes is that the previous law codes were totally secular. The Torah states that even “secular” or ethical laws are from God.

  • Ritual Needs Morality

    After the revelation of Mt. Sinai, the logical step would be to build a Tabernacle to God. But the Torah takes a detour and speaks about how to build an ethical society.

  • The Basis of a Good Society

    The 5th Commandment is more than good advice. It is pointing out that the basis of a good society is the two parent family. Without which society would fall apart.

  • Covetness is the Root of Evil

    Jealousy is wanting what others have without realizing what they had to do to get that or the reason they have it. When we see someone has done well we should learn from their success, not be jealous of them.

  • Taking God’s Name in Vain

    The most common understanding of the Commandment of not taking God’s Name in vain is that we should not swear falsely. Another understanding is that we should not do commit a crime in His Name.

  • Taking God’s Name in Vain

    The most common understanding of the Commandment of not taking God’s Name in vain is that we should not swear falsely. Another understanding is that we should not do commit a crime in His Name.

    https://youtu.be/BB3q6YJv-yY

  • The Reason for Mt. Sinai

    The 10 Commandments start with a statement that God took us out of Egypt. Why not say that He is the God who created the Heavens and the Earth? Here are two reasons for that.

  • Even Moses Had His Limits

    When Jethro comes to visit his son in law, Moses, he gives him the advice to delegate responsibilities. He does not have to carry the full burden on himself.

  • Don’t Rely on Others

    One of the problems with the Jews was that they were used to having all of their needs taken care of. One of the lessons of the Torah was that we should not rely only of God but have to work to take care of ourselves. That is what freedom really means.