Archive for the 'Torah Law & Order' Category
Take Ownership of Your Actions
Wednesday, May 25th, 2022פרשת בחוקותי / כ”ד באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ט בעומר Many people blame their actions on others or things. The fact is that we make our own decisions. God gave us free will. It is always our choice, and we suffer the consequences when we make the wrong one. Share on Facebook
There is Only One Truth
Tuesday, May 24th, 2022פרשת בחוקותי / כ”ג באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ח בעומר The curses of this week’s portion have to do with a breakdown of society. One of the problems is that people say, “that is your truth”. Interesting the Hebrew word for truth, אמת, has no plural. This infers that there is only one truth, not multiple […]
Private Property & God
Wednesday, May 18th, 2022פרשת בהר / י”ז באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ב בעומר While the Torah has a respect for private property and wants us to earn our way in the world, Shmita reminds us that, in the final analysis, God is in control of the world. We are commanded to make the most of our situation but if […]
Crime & Punishment in the Torah
Monday, May 16th, 2022פרשת בהר / ט”ו באייר תשפ”ב – ל’ בעומר A Jew becomes a slave due to being convicted of theft. The thief is required to repay the victim for the property stolen and pay damages for the pain and suffering that he caused. This is different from most other forms of law that do not […]
Why Did the Blasphemer Blaspheme?
Thursday, May 12th, 2022פרשת אמור / י”א באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ו בעומר The reason given that the man blasphemed was that he got into a fight with another Jew over a Jewish legal issue. They took the case to Moses’s court. Moses gave the ruling that he was wrong. He could not accept the verdict. That is why […]
Justice Through the Courts
Wednesday, May 11th, 2022פרשת אמור / י’ באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ו בעומר When the Torah states “an eye for an eye” it does not mean that guilty should lose an eye but the value of an eye. And all this is to be done through the courts. The Torah does not condone unlawful behavior no matter how justified. […]
From Unique to Universal
Friday, April 1st, 2022פרשת תזריע / כ”ט באדר ב’ תשפ”ב In the Jewish year Nisan is the 1st month & Tishri is the 7th. But the “Jewish New Year” is in Tishri. The truth is that Nisan is month when the Jewish people came into being and Tishri is the anniversary of the Creation of the world. Share […]
Destroy Evil
Thursday, March 10th, 2022פרשת ויקרא / ז’ באדר ב’תשפ”ב This Shabbat is Shabbat Zachor, in which we remember the commandment to destroy Amalek. Why does the Torah take such a strong stand against Amalek? To teach that there are some things that are so evil they must be destroyed. Share on Facebook
Silence is Complicity
Thursday, February 17th, 2022פרשת כי תישה / ט”ז באדר א’ תשפ”ב The entire nation was punished for the sin of the Golden Calf. This is astounding when we realize that it was only a minority that committed the sin. Why was the whole nation punished? To teach us that silence in the face of evil is complicity in […]
Crime & Punishment
Tuesday, January 25th, 2022פרשת משפטים / כ”ג בשבט תשפ”ב The Torah shows that there is a connection between the thief and the victim. That the thief cannot make repentance until the victim is made whole, and the only one who can do that is the thief. Only then can the thief ask for forgiveness and only from the […]
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