Archive for the 'Culture' Category
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 […]
People are Watching
Tuesday, May 10th, 2022פרשת אמור / ט’ באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ד בעומר To blaspheme is to do something that disgraces God. When someone says that they are religious then they represent their religion to the world. In other words, to be an observant Jew is to be an observed Jew. Share on Facebook
Look like a Leader
Monday, May 9th, 2022פרשת אמור / ח’ באייר תשפ”ב – כ”ג בעומר Why does the priest in the Temple have to be in perfect physical shape? He represents God to the people and the people to God. Share on Facebook
Economics & Holiness
Friday, May 6th, 2022פרשת קדושים – כ’ בעמר / ה’ באייר תשפ”ב In this week’s Portion we explore the Torah’s meaning of holiness. One of the interesting things is that the Torah stresses honesty in business. It ties this to loving your neighbor and that if one is dishonest the result will be sacrificing your children to the […]
The Miracle of Israel
Thursday, May 5th, 2022פרשת קדושים – י”ט בעומר / ד’ באייר תשפ”ב Today we celebrate the independence of the State of Israel. Of all the countries that have come into being since WWII Israel is the only one whose achievement of Independence can be considered a miracle. It is up to us to recognized this. Share on Facebook
On Becoming Holy
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022פרשת קדושים – י”ז בעומר / ב’ באייר תשפ”ב This week’s portion starts with “you will be holy”. Note that it does not say that we are holy but that we have to strive for holiness. Then it explains that we become holy through proper ethical and moral behavior, not by sacrifices and prayer. Share […]
What we Mourn During the Omer
Friday, April 29th, 2022פרשת אחרי מות – י”ג בעומר / כ”ח בניסן תשפ”ב During the Omer we lesson our happiness due to Rebbe Akiva’s dying. The Talmud gives the reason that they died was that they did not respect one another. This is to teach us to respect our fellow man even when we disagree with him. Share […]
The Ultimate Defeat of the Nazis
Thursday, April 28th, 2022פרשת אחרי מות – י”ב בעומר / כ”ז בניסן תשפ”ב Today is Remembrance Day for the Holocaust and Heroism in Israel. The true defeat of the Nazis is not that we survived but that we survived as Jews and will continue to be Jews in spite of their evil. Share on Facebook
Personal Morality Before Public Prayer
Wednesday, April 27th, 2022פרשת אחרי מות – י”א בעומר / כ”ו בניסן תשפ”ב After discussing the importance of the sacrificial rites, the Torah returns to discussing personal morality. This is emphasize that what we do privately is more important than what we say publicly. Share on Facebook
The Power of Evil Speech
Friday, April 8th, 2022פרשת מצורע / ז’ בניסן תשפ”ב The Torah stresses how bad lashon Hara, evil speech is. One could make the case that it is the root of much evil in the world. People do not realize the damage they can do with their speech. 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