פרשת נח / כ”ט בתשרי תשפ”ג
The Dimensions of the Ark were 30 x 300 x 50 which equal the numerical value of lashon (ל=30ת ש=300ת ן=50) meaning tongue or language. This was to teach Noah that he had to admonish the people to repent from their ways.
Category: Leadership
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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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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.
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Our Leaders Are Not Gods
פרשת ניצבים / כ”ד באלול תשפ”ב
The admonition not be like the idol worshipers of Egypt was to stress that our leaders are not like the Pharoah. He was considered to be a god. Our leaders are human and should be treated as such.
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Teach Your Children Well
פרשת ניצבים / כ”ג באלול תשפ”ב
The Torah mentions that not only were adults present at Moses’s admonitions but that their children were there as well. Why was this so important? To show that it is important that children see how important it is to the adults. Children are sponges. They observe everything. If they see it is important for their parents, then it is important to them.
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It’s Up to You
פרשת ניצבים / כ”ב בלול תשפ”ב
When Moses speaks to the people, he speaks to all of the people. This shows that in Judaism we can achieve greatness through our efforts. No matter how we start we can achieve great things. We are equal when we start. Where we finish is up to us.
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Don’t Be Average
פרשת כי תבוא / ט”ו באלול תשפ”ב
In the curses that we receive if we do not follow the Torah is that we will become an average people. While there is nothing wrong with being average it is not a great accomplishment either. The Torah wants us to be above average in our moral and ethical behavior.
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Assume People Will Do Stupid Things
פרשת כי תצא / י’ באלול תשפ”ב
One of the commandments this week is that we are required to put a fence around the roof of a building. We do this because we assume that a person will go up on the roof and fall off. Our job to prevent, as much as possible people harming themselves through stupid actions.
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The Constitution & The Bible
פרשת שופטים / ה’ באלול תשפ”ב
In this week’s portion we learn about the Biblical limits on the king. It is no accident that they match the limitations imposed on the American presidency in the US Constitution. It is important to remember that the most quoted book at the Constitutional Convention was the Book of Deuteronomy.