Archive for the 'Citizenship' Category
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 […]
The Vilna Gaon Predicted Israel
Friday, May 27th, 2022פרשת בחוקותי / כ”ו באייר תשפ”ב – מ”א בעמר The Vilna Gaon, who died in 1797, predicted that two dates would be important in the future, the 18th Day of the Omer, (that is the 5th of Iyar), and the 28th of Iyar. Today we recognize these days as Israel Independence Day and Jerusalem Day. […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Israel Memborial Day
Wednesday, May 4th, 2022פרשת קדושים – י”ח בעומר / ג’ באייר תשפ”ב Today we remember the fallen defenders of the State of Israel. For those of us who served in combat and lost close friends it is emotional. If you think that war can be cheap and inexpensive, speak to a widow or orphan. They pay the full […]
The Importance of Ritual
Wednesday, April 6th, 2022פרשת מצורע / ה’ בניסן תשפ”ב The real question of the wicked son is why to we need all this ritual to celebrate Passover. Can’t we just do a simple ceremony and get it over with? The answer of course is that we need the ritual since without we will forget why we were brought […]
Do The Right Thing
Tuesday, March 15th, 2022פרשת צו / י”ב באדא ב’ תשפ”ב At the critical moment when Mordechai begs Esther to approach the king, she demurs. Mordechai reminds her that she is also under the decree. That if we need to do the right thing no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel. 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