פרשת האזינו / י”ב בתשרי תשפ”ג
The Torah admonishes us to oppose foreign ideologies, meaning ideologies that negate morality based on the Torah.
Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal
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We’re In A Partnership With God
פרשת האזינו / י”א בתשרי תשפ”ג
This week’s portion deals with the problem of success. Many of us achieve success and forget that God had a hand in it. This is a clear warning not to.
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When Are Really Judged?
פרשת האזנו / ט’ בתשרי תשפ”ג
We usually think that our judgement is sealed on Yom Kippur. The truth is that the final judgement is on Simhat Torah. The reason is that on Yom Kippur we are on our best behavior but on Simhat Torah we are drinking and eating and carrying on. How do we behave then?
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God Wants Actions, Not Words
פרשת האזינו / ח’ בתשרי תשפ”ג
The key to the Yom Kippur service is that we read the Book of Jonah at Minha on that day. Jonah is called upon to announce to the Assyrians that they have to repent. When recounting the story, the Book of Jonah does not talk about their prayers but about their actions.
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Your Destiny is Up to You
פרשת האזינו / ז’ בתשרי תשפ”ג
There is no Hebrew word for tragedy. Thhis is because there is no concept of humans being fated to their destiny. We can change our destiny through our actions.
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What Does God Want of Us
פרשת וילך / ד’ בתשרי תשפ”ג
This is the period of repentance. The main theme is that God wants us to behave well with our fellow man. The questions that we will be asked when we get to the next world will be how we treated our fellow. Not if we believe.
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A Lesson in Leadership
פרשת וילך / ג’ בתשרי תשפ”ג
Moses’s last act before dying is to go to the different tribes and speak about the future. Considering that he was the greatest leader in the history of the Jews this is amazing. He did not spend time talking about his own accomplishments but about the bright future under Joshua.
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It’s All Up to You
פרשת ניצבים / כ”ז באלול תשפ”ב
A major message of the Torah is that we have free will. We can set our own agenda. If we want a good life, then we have to do the right thing.
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Overcome Your Flaws
פרשת ניצבים / כ”ו באלול תשפ”ב
It is interesting to note that it is not enough for one to say that they are sorry for their sins. They have to first recognize their mistake and repent for it. The apology has to be heartfelt. That all our Biblical leaders were flawed but they overcame their flaws.
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Believe in God, Not Ideology
פרשת ניצבים / כ”ה באלול תשפ”ב
One of the worst forms of idolatry is the belief in ideology. Even when that ideology proves false people will believe it. All the people who believed that the Russian Communist Revolution would bring an era of peace to the world were disappointed when this did not happen. Those who approach problems without an ideology seem to come up with real solutions.