פרשת בחוקותי / כ”א באייר ץשפ”ב – ל”ו בעומר
This week’s portion has the blessings and the curses. That if we follow the Torah then great things will occur but if we do not then disaster will happen. The interesting thing is that the curses will be caused by a breakdown in society. God does not have to curse us, we can do that all by ourselves,
פרשת בהר / י”ט באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ד בעומר
The Talmud, Tactate Shabbat 33b, relates that the reason Rebbe Akiva’s students died of a plague was that they did not respect each other. This underlines the idea that even if we disagree we need to show each other respect. To disagree without being disagreeable.
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 אמור / י”ב באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ז בעומר
The Torah starts the portion by detailing the physical & moral attributes of what we expect of the Priests. It ends with an admonition against desecrating God’s name. It is important to remember that when someone identifies as a religious person he represents God. His behavior is a reflection of God.
פרשת אמור / י”א באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ו בעומר
The reason given that the man blasphemed was that he got into a fight with another Jew over a Jewish legal issue. They took the case to Moses’s court. Moses gave the ruling that he was wrong. He could not accept the verdict. That is why he went out and blasphemed God.
פרשת אמור / י’ באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ו בעומר
When the Torah states “an eye for an eye” it does not mean that guilty should lose an eye but the value of an eye. And all this is to be done through the courts. The Torah does not condone unlawful behavior no matter how justified.