Category: The United States

  • Preparing To Be A Free Nation

    The Torah refers to Passover as the holiday of Matzot. The reason is to teach us that leaving Egypt was the first step to becoming a nation. We had to learn what it means to be free.

  • Natural Redemption

    All the plagues in Egypt could be explained scientifically. This ties in with the concept of natural redemption. Nothing seems abnormal until you realize that there has been a change in the world.

  • Fear God More Than Man

    When the midwives in Egypt get the order to murder all male Jewish babies they resist. The Torah states that they fear God more than Pharaoh. Fearing God will get you to do the right thing.

  • Limiting the Power of the King

    While recognizing that a leader was needed, the Torah limits the power of the king. It is interesting to note that this passage was the basis for the constitutional limits on the president of the US.

  • The 3 Weeks & the Redemption

    There were many bad things that happened to the Jewish people during the 3 Weeks. But it is also the time that we will see the beginning of the Redemption.

  • Moses’s Last Speech

    The Book of Deuteronomy is all about how to set up society once the Jews reach the Land of Israel. Moses’s main concern was that the Jews not copy the ways of the Egyptians or their society.

  • Don’t Follow the Crowd

    Joshua & Caleb did not follow the conventional wisdom of the other scouts. They were outliers in their views. Yet they were correct in their analysis while the others were not. This is to teach that it is the outliers who advance ideas, not those who follow the crowd.

  • Avoid Swearing In God’s Name

    The Torah admonishes us not to take God’s Name in vain. Many will go out of their way so as not to swear in God’s Name. It is a common Jewish tradition to say “without an oath” when we promise to do something.

  • We Need to Be Reminded

    The repeats the holidays over and over again. The question is why. Isn’t once enough? The answer is that we have to remember why God took us out of Egypt and what our mission is.

  • Under God’s Guidance

    The Book of Exodus ends with the Pillar of Fire to guide the Jews by night & the pillar of smoke in the day. This is to show the Jews that they are to follow God’s ways throughout their lives.