Archive for the 'History' Category
Hanukah and Purim
Wednesday, December 21st, 2022Why do we say Hallel on Hanukah bur not Purim? What is the difference between the two festivals? Share on Facebook
The Truth About Hanukah
Tuesday, December 20th, 2022Hanukah is a celebration of the victory of a cultural war against the Greek culture. The Syrian Greeks were not interested in killing Jews, just Judaism. Share on Facebook
A Lesson in Leadership
Wednesday, September 28th, 2022פרשת וילך / ג’ בתשרי תשפ”ג Moses’s last act before dying is to go to the different tribes and speak about the future. Considering that he was the greatest leader in the history of the Jews this is amazing. He did not spend time talking about his own accomplishments but about the bright future under […]
Believe in God, Not Ideology
Wednesday, September 21st, 2022פרשת ניצבים / כ”ה באלול תשפ”ב One of the worst forms of idolatry is the belief in ideology. Even when that ideology proves false people will believe it. All the people who believed that the Russian Communist Revolution would bring an era of peace to the world were disappointed when this did not happen. Those […]
Are Your Ancestors Proud of You?
Tuesday, September 13th, 2022פרשת כי תבוא / י”ז באלול תשפ”ב Many people go on genealogy sites to see who their ancestors were and are proud of them. The question that the Torah asks is would they be proud of you. Live your life so that they would be. Share on Facebook
The Constitution & The Bible
Thursday, September 1st, 2022פרשת שופטים / ה’ באלול תשפ”ב In this week’s portion we learn about the Biblical limits on the king. It is no accident that they match the limitations imposed on the American presidency in the US Constitution. It is important to remember that the most quoted book at the Constitutional Convention was the Book of […]
The Key to Jewish Exceptionalism
Sunday, August 14th, 2022פרשת עקב / י”ז באב תשפ”ב In the second paragraph of the Shma we see that if we want to be like all other nations, we will suffer the fate of those nations. If we want to be exceptional, we have to teach our youth why we should be exceptional. Share on Facebook
A God-Fearing Society
Thursday, August 11th, 2022פרשת ואתחנן – י”ד באב תשפ”ב Moses stresses that what we consider civil laws are really religiously basted law. That if the basis of law in a society is not God then the laws will break down and the results will be a dictatorship or anarchy, as we see from the difference in the results […]
Why The Temple was Destroyed
Friday, August 5th, 2022פרשת דברים / ח’ באב תשפ”ב The Talmud states that the Temple was destroyed because the Jews kept the letter of the law. This is understood that they were more worried about the minutia of the law and forgot about the spirit that the law was to imbue. Share on Facebook
The 10 Martyrs & the Sale of Joseph
Thursday, August 4th, 2022פרשת דברים / ז’ באב תשפ”ב On the 9thof Av we recall the story of the 10 rabbis murdered by the Romans. The reason that the Romans give for why they murdered the 10 rabbis is the sale of Joseph by the brothers. What is interesting is that this was a sin of man against […]
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