פרשת חקת / ט’ בתמוז תשפ”ב
When the well that was following the Jews in the wilderness dried up after the death of Miriam the people complained that they had a better life in Egypt. What is amazing is that the people complaining were born after they left Egypt. They were totally taken care of by God. They did not have to earn their food. They were not grateful for all that God gave them.
פרשת חקת / ח’ בתמוז תשפ”ב
When Miriam died the well stopped giving water. The Jews were unaware that it was due to Miriam that they had water. It reminds us of all the people who are involved in supplying us with our daily needs.
פרשת נשא / ט’ בסיון תשפ”ב
In this week’s portion we again hear the complaints of the Jews regarding the food that God is providing. They remember the good food that they ate in Egypt. They seem to be forgetting the real price they had to pay for that “free” food. They were slaves and God does not want us to slaves.
פרשת בהר / י”ז באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ב בעומר
While the Torah has a respect for private property and wants us to earn our way in the world, Shmita reminds us that, in the final analysis, God is in control of the world. We are commanded to make the most of our situation but if God does not help us we just won’t succeed.
פרשת בהר / ט”ז באייר תשפ”ב – ל”א בעומר
In this week’s Portion the Torah ties liberty with property fights. Basically, when there is no ownership of property, there is no liberty. That is why one the quote on the Liberty Bell is found in this week’s Portion: Proclaim Liberty thro’ all the Land to all the Inhabitants thereof.-Levit. XXV. 10.
פרשת בהר / ט”ו באייר תשפ”ב – ל’ בעומר
A Jew becomes a slave due to being convicted of theft. The thief is required to repay the victim for the property stolen and pay damages for the pain and suffering that he caused. This is different from most other forms of law that do not connect the victim and perpetrator. The Torah reminds us that there is a connection.
פרשת בהר / י”ד באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ט בעומר
In this week’s portion we learn about the Jubilee year in which all Jewish slaves are to set free whether they want to be free or not. The question is who would not want to be free? The answer is that a slave has no worries about his sustenance. His master makes sure he has food, housing, etc. The goal of the Torah is that we should be free to make our own decisions.
פרשת קדושים – כ’ בעמר / ה’ באייר תשפ”ב
In this week’s Portion we explore the Torah’s meaning of holiness. One of the interesting things is that the Torah stresses honesty in business. It ties this to loving your neighbor and that if one is dishonest the result will be sacrificing your children to the idol Moloch.
פרשת פקוקי / כ”ז באדר א’ תשפ”ב
The Torah records that Moses made a full accounting of all the monies received and spent in building the Tabernacle. This is amazing! Shouldn’t Moses be above suspicion with regard to public monies? This is to teach our leaders that it is a good policy to prove that they did not dip into the public monies.
פרשת כי תישה / י”ג באדר א’ תשפ”ב
The commandment that every man donate a half shekel seems to ignore the fact that there are some in society that can donate a lot more and that there are those who would have difficulty finding this money. But the Torah wants to show that we are all equal regardless of our place in society.