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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
פרשת כי תבוא / כ’ באלול תשפ”ב
We are commanded to be better people. The Torah does not care about our feelings but about our behavior. We make the world a better place by our actions, not our intent.