Archive for the 'Culture' Category
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 […]
What Will You Be Judged On?
Monday, May 23rd, 2022פרשת בחוקותי / כ”ב באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ז בעומר When we read the portion we see that God will judge us not so much on how well we pray or perform our rituals, such as the sacrificial service, but on how we treat each other. As the Mishna says the first question that you will […]
We are Our Curse
Sunday, May 22nd, 2022פרשת בחוקותי / כ”א באייר ץשפ”ב – ל”ו בעומר This week’s portion has the blessings and the curses. That if we follow the Torah then great things will occur but if we do not then disaster will happen. The interesting thing is that the curses will be caused by a breakdown in society. God does […]
Respect Your Brother
Friday, May 20th, 2022פרשת בהר / י”ט באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ד בעומר The Talmud, Tactate Shabbat 33b, relates that the reason Rebbe Akiva’s students died of a plague was that they did not respect each other. This underlines the idea that even if we disagree we need to show each other respect. To disagree without being disagreeable. Share […]
The Meaning of Log B’Omer
Thursday, May 19th, 2022פרשת בהר / י”ח באייר תשפ”ב – ל”ג בעומר Today is the 33rd day of the Omer, known as Log B’Omer. It is a mini festival when we remember that a plague that was destroying Rebbe Akiva’s students suddenly stopped. What was the reason for the plague and what can we learn from it. Share […]
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 […]
Liberty & The Torah
Tuesday, May 17th, 2022פרשת בהר / ט”ז באייר תשפ”ב – ל”א בעומר In this week’s Portion the Torah ties liberty with property fights. Basically, when there is no ownership of property, there is no liberty. That is why one the quote on the Liberty Bell is found in this week’s Portion: Proclaim Liberty thro’ all the Land to […]
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 […]
Freedom Means Being Responsible
Sunday, May 15th, 2022פרשת בהר / י”ד באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ט בעומר In this week’s portion we learn about the Jubilee year in which all Jewish slaves are to set free whether they want to be free or not. The question is who would not want to be free? The answer is that a slave has no worries […]
Moral Leadership
Friday, May 13th, 2022פרשת אמור / י”ב באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ז בעומר The Torah starts the portion by detailing the physical & moral attributes of what we expect of the Priests. It ends with an admonition against desecrating God’s name. It is important to remember that when someone identifies as a religious person he represents God. His behavior […]
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