Archive for the 'Morality & Torah' Category
Do Not Pervert Justice
Thursday, January 27th, 2022פרשת משפטים / כ”ה בשבט תשפ”ב The Torah states that when administering justice we have to be equal to all. We cannot follow the current public opinion. Also, it goes out of its way to remind us that we should not think about the economic status of the one on trial. Neither poverty nor wealth […]
Why Kill the Ox That Gores
Wednesday, January 26th, 2022פרשת משפטים / כ”ד בשבט תשפ”ב When an ox gores for the third time it has to be destroyed and the owner is not compensated. Why is this so. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that an ox is usually a passive animal. There has to be a reason it became dangerous. Share on […]
Making the Mundane Holy
Sunday, January 23rd, 2022פרשת משפטים / כ”א בבשבט תשפ”ב The Torah should continue with holy matters after the giving of the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai. Instead, it goes into detail on how we treat each other, both on a personal and business level. Why the detour? To teach us that a mundane act has to be done […]
Atheism is the Belief in Anything
Wednesday, January 19th, 2022פרשת יתרו / י”ז בשבט תשפ”ב The 3rd Commandment is against idol worship. What does the Torah mean by idolatry? It means raising anything to godliness that is not God. As we know, non-belief leads to belief in things or people. Belief in God does not. Share on Facebook
Taking God’s Name in Vain
Tuesday, January 18th, 2022פרשת יתרו / ט”ז תשפ”ב In the 10 Commandments we are commanded not to take God’s Name in vain. This can be interpreted not to do evil in God’s Name, thus making a mockery of God. Share on Facebook
Behind Every Great Man …
Monday, January 17th, 2022פרשת יתרו / ט”ו בשבט תשפ”ב As the saying goes so that Torah agrees. We see that Tziporah, Moses’s wife arrived with her father to greet Moses and the Jews in the wilderness. Moses needed her wise council to continue as the great leader that he was. Share on Facebook
Fake It Until You Can Make It
Sunday, January 16th, 2022פרשת יתרו / י”ד בשבט תשפ”ב The beginning of this week’s portion seems out of place. The Torah should have now had the Jews going to Mount Sinai to receive the Commandments. This is the logical progression. Instead, the Torah seems to take a detour to setting up a court system. Why this digression? Share […]
God Wants Action on Your Part
Wednesday, January 12th, 2022י’ בשבט תשפ”ב Up until the Red Sea the Jews did not need to do anything for God to help. At the Red Sea God demanded that the Jews make the first step before He split the sea. This shows that God wants us to be partners. Share on Facebook
Better Rather Than Perfect
Friday, October 8th, 2021ב’ בחשון תשפ”ב / October 8, 2021 The story of the flood starts off saying that Noah was a righteous man in his generation. Why the qualifier? Either he was righteous or not. Here we see why. Share on Facebook
Why Noah Was Chosen
Monday, October 4th, 2021כ”ח בתשרי תשפ”ב / October 4, 2021 Unlike ancient cultures which recorded the flood but gave no moral reason for the flood or why the survivor was chosen, the Torah stresses that Noah was chosen because he was righteous. Share on Facebook
About the Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal is an Israeli-American, or an American-Israeli (I could never get that right) who is unabashedly pro-Israel, pro-US and a great guy.
He has an open mind to opinions that he agrees with.
Besides blogging on whatever he feels like blogging about on any given day he enjoys learning Talmud, davening, being the candyman in his synagogue, smoking his tobacco pipe, giving tours at the Grand Lodge of New York, being involved in Freemasonry, and partaking in an adult beverage every now and then