Archive for the 'Culture' Category
Listen To Your Elders
Sunday, December 31st, 2023The reason that the tribe of Levi was not enslaved was that Levi was still alive when Pharaoh succeeded in fooling the Jews. Levi, though saw through Pharaoh’s plot and told his descendants not to be fooled. Share on Facebook
Limiting the Power of the King
Wednesday, August 16th, 2023While recognizing that a leader was needed, the Torah limits the power of the king. It is interesting to note that this passage was the basis for the constitutional limits on the president of the US. Share on Facebook
Don’t Be a Normal Nation
Monday, July 24th, 2023The first of the Ten Commandments is that God took us out of Egypt. One of the thoughts is that we were not taken out of Egypt to be a normal nation but to be a light until the other nations. Share on Facebook
Words Have Meanings
Friday, July 21st, 2023The Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred of Jew against Jew. The cause of baseless hatred is the abuse of accusations. When a person is accused of behavior that he is not guilty of he will react. And not in the manner that the accuser expects. Share on Facebook
Moses’s Last Speech
Tuesday, July 18th, 2023The Book of Deuteronomy is all about how to set up society once the Jews reach the Land of Israel. Moses’s main concern was that the Jews not copy the ways of the Egyptians or their society. Share on Facebook
Korach & the HMS Bounty
Tuesday, June 20th, 2023The dispute between Korach and Moses was really an ego trip on Korach’s part. In such a case it would have ended with Korach and his followers fighting with each other, much like the crew of the Bounty who killed each other after they mutinied. Share on Facebook
Don’t Follow the Crowd
Tuesday, June 13th, 2023Joshua & Caleb did not follow the conventional wisdom of the other scouts. They were outliers in their views. Yet they were correct in their analysis while the others were not. This is to teach that it is the outliers who advance ideas, not those who follow the crowd. Share on Facebook
We Have to Earn It
Sunday, June 11th, 2023The reason that Moses was commanded to send the scouts to scout out the Land was because we have a partnership with God. God will help us but He wants us to also have a part in the process. We have to earn the miracle. Share on Facebook
Prepare the Next Generation
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023Moses has to teach Joshua an important lesson in this week’s portion. That if you want a future of the Jewish people then you have to prepare the future leaders to take their positions. Otherwise, there will be no next generation. Share on Facebook
Actions Have Consequenes
Sunday, June 4th, 2023Miriam meant well when she commented to her brother Aaron her concern that Moses seemed to be neglecting his wife. Though she meant well she was punished for the sin of malicious gossip. Meaning well is not enough. Your actions matter. 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