The reason for a Jew to become a slave is that he is not able to pay his debts. But the Torah demands that he be set free in the 7th year. If he chooses to remain a slave he is punished because the Torah wants us to be free.
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We Are Still Here
Lag B’Omer is a festive day throughout the Jewish world. But the truth is we are celebrating that in spite of all their attempts to assimilate the Jews into Roman culture, we are still here as Jews and the Romans do not exist.
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Stewards of the Land
The idea of letting the land lay fallow for a year is not about agriculture. It is about social cohesion. To remember that we are merely stewards of the land. God gives us the tools to work the land. What we do with these tools is what is important.
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Real Spirituality
We tend to think that spirituality is between God and man. We forget that real spirituality can also be between man and Man. How we treat each other.
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Teach Your Children Well
The Torah admonishes us in many places to teach our children the proper mode of behavior. We teach by example. If you practice what you preach your children will follow you. If not, then they will follow you as well.
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Be Considerate of Others
The blasphemer behaved the way he did due to his anger over the way he was treated by others. They would remind him that he did not belong to a tribe because his father wasn’t an Israelite. We have to be careful on such things otherwise they can lead to disaster.
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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.
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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.
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An Observant Jew is an Observed Jew
The Torah states that a priest in the Temple has to be unblemished both physically and spiritually. This is because he represents the Jewish people to God and God to the Jewish people.
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Dress Properly For Yourself
The Torah gives specific commands on how we are to be dressed. We do not wear proper clothes for God but for ourselves. We cannot show proper respect if we are not properly dressed.
The Torah gives specific commands on how we are to be dressed. We do not wear proper clothes for God but for ourselves. We cannot show proper respect if we are not properly dressed.