Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

  • Why an Inherited Priesthood

    The institution of the Priesthood was an inherited position. Why? The idea was to take politics out of the service in the Tabernacle. When politics mix with religion it is usually bad for both. By making the priesthood inherited the Torah was accomplishing this goal.

  • Moses & True Humility

    True humility is not being quiet and living a sheltered life. True humility is that when we take on a leadership position, we remember that it not about me but getting the job done and not caring who gets credit.

  • Breaking With Egypt

    The Jews are commanded to use unleavened bread in the Tabernacle. The reason is that Egypt had invented the leavening process and one of the prime ideas behind the Torah is that we should reject Egypt, both physically and spiritually.

  • Clothes Make the Man

    The Torah spends a lot of time describing how the Priests in the Taberbernacle should dress. The reason is what they represent. They represent God to the people and the people to God.

  • Shabbat is Holier than the Tabernacle

    The pasha ends with an admonishment to the Jews that the observance of Shabbat overrides the building of the Tabernacle. This is to teach us that as important as the Tabernacle was, without observance of Shabbat it is meaningless.

  • We All Have Talent on Loan From God

    Bezalel was chosen to be the architect of the Tabernacle. His name translates as “a shadow of God. This is to teach us that we all have talent from God and it is up to us on how we use it.

  • Where is God?

    This was a question asked by the Kotzker Rebbe in the 19th Century. The answer is wherever you let Him in. God wants to enter the world, but we have to let Him in by our actions.

  • Don’t Just Be Spiritual

    The Torah goes into detail about how the Tabernacle should be built. The question is why. The answer is that we have to obey the commandments to make ourselves better people. It is not up to our subjective judgment.

  • We Need the Tabernacle

    The purpose of the Tabernacle was not for God but for us. God does not need us to build Him a home. Just as our prayers are more for us than for God.

  • Justice Needs to be Blind

    The Torah admonishes judges not to take social status in consideration when rendering a judgement. Neither the person’s wealth nor poverty. All are equal before the Torah.