Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

  • An Observant Jew is an Observed Jew

    The Torah states that a priest in the Temple has to be unblemished both physically and spiritually. This is because he represents the Jewish people to God and God to the Jewish people.

    https://youtu.be/keqyY02XJKA

  • Dress Properly For Yourself

    The Torah gives specific commands on how we are to be dressed. We do not wear proper clothes for God but for ourselves. We cannot show proper respect if we are not properly dressed.

    The Torah gives specific commands on how we are to be dressed. We do not wear proper clothes for God but for ourselves. We cannot show proper respect if we are not properly dressed.

  • Make Time Holy

    When we look at this week’s Portion, we see that the goal is to make the mundane holy. We do this by controlling our time. We should be cognizant of the limited time that we have and make the best use of it.

  • Israel Independence Day

    No matter how we count the Omer, Israel Independence Day falls in the middle of the mourning period. This is no accident. Israel Independence Day is the atonement for the sins committed by Rebbe Akiva’s students during the Bar-Kochba Revolt.

  • How To Become Holy

    The Book of Leviticus tells us about the Temple service. Yet it suddenly takes a detour to discuss societal issues. What we are being told is that the Temple is just a building unless we behave correctly toward our fellow man.

  • A Social Disease

    This week’s portion of the Torah deals with the disease of Matzora. This is a disease caused by gossip. The lesson here to avoid malicious gossip.

  • We Celebrate With Friends

    Any thanksgiving offering that we bring is too much for one person to consume. Yet it has to be consumed by the end of the day. This forces us to bring our friends to celebrate. This shows that the Pascal Sacrifice is also a Thanksgiving offering.

  • We Are United by Passover

    The Seder stresses the idea that there will always be those who wish to destroy us. That the defense against these threats is our unity.

  • The Source of Evil

    In the Seder we are admonished to set the teeth of the wicked son on edge. The reason is that the source of his being wicked are the words that he abuses.

  • Experience the Seder

    The real message of the Passover Seder is that it is not an intellectual account of the story but an experiential one. We are meant to experience leaving Egypt.