Archive for the 'Torah Law & Order' Category
The 10 Martyrs & the Sale of Joseph
Thursday, August 4th, 2022פרשת דברים / ז’ באב תשפ”ב On the 9thof Av we recall the story of the 10 rabbis murdered by the Romans. The reason that the Romans give for why they murdered the 10 rabbis is the sale of Joseph by the brothers. What is interesting is that this was a sin of man against […]
Be Just in Your Judgements
Monday, August 1st, 2022פרשת דברים / ד’ באב תשפ”ב The commandment to appoint judges is one of the most important for a just society. Moses commands the judges that they have to be just in their decisions. They cannot favor one party over the other, neither rich nor poor, neither the powerful nor the powerless, Share on Facebook
To Stand Up to Evil
Tuesday, July 26th, 2022פרשת מטות-מסעי / כ”ז תמוז תשפ”ב After the initial retaliation against Midian Moses reprimands the Jewish officers for allowing the women to live. To understand this, we have to remember that the women were willing participants in the sins committed by the Jewish men that led to the war. That is why they had to […]
The US is Not Just Another Country
Sunday, July 3rd, 2022פרשת חוקה / ד’ בתמוז תשפ”ב The Hebrew translation of the name of the US does not translate as “the United States” but as The Lands of the Agreement”. Hebrew is the only language that translates the US in this way. It is a recognition the US is not just another country but unique in […]
The Problem of Korach
Tuesday, June 28th, 2022פרשת קרח / כ”ט בסיון תשפ”ב On the face of it Korach seems to have a valid complaint. The truth is that it breaks down when we really look at it. This is the very common among those who seek power for the sake of power. They use democracy to bring their dictatorship. Share on […]
The Importance of the Sabbath
Friday, June 24th, 2022פרשת שלח / כ”ה בסיון תשפ”ב This week’s portion includes the admonition about idolatry. This is no accident. Idolatry is trying to make God human. Our goal should be to be Godly. It includes the Sabbath desecrater. Violating the Sabbath is denying that God created the universe. Share on Facebook
The Limits of Freedom
Friday, June 17th, 2022פרשת בהעלותך / י”ח בסיון תשפ”ב The Complainers are back again in this week’s portion. They will continue to plague Moses throughout the Exodus. The question is what they were really complaining about. The limits that the Torah places on us. That we cannot do whatever we want in society. Share on Facebook
Jewish Law & Order
Thursday, June 9th, 2022פרשת נשא / י’ בסיון תשפ”ב In this week’s portion we find that the penalty of theft is that the thief has to make the victim whole. He also has to compensate the victim for pain and suffering due to the theft. If the thief cannot make the victim whole financially then we sell him […]
Don’t Judge the Judges
Wednesday, June 1st, 2022פרשת במדבר / ב’ בסיון תשפ”ב – מ”ו בעומר The Book of Ruth begins the story with the statement “In the days when the Judges judged. The Hebrew, though, can be read as “In the days when the Judges were judged.” The meaning is clear. Every decision that the Judges made was criticized. In a […]
We Need to be a God-Fearing Society
Thursday, May 26th, 2022פרשת בחוקותי – כ”ה באייר תשפ”ב – מ’ בעומר When a Jewish court was required to hand down a death sentence they would go out to the country and bemoan that breakdown in society. The idea that the crime did not happen in a vacuum. It happened because there is something wrong in society in […]
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