Archive for the 'History' Category
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 […]
Mourning during the Omer
Sunday, May 1st, 2022פרשת קדושים – ט”ו בעמר / ל’ בניסן תשפ”ב We mourn Rebbe Akiva’s students death during the Omer. The official reason given is that they died from a plague. The reality is that they died fighting the Romans in the Bar-Kochba revolt. It is no accident that Israel Independence day happens during this period. 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
The Exodus & The Founding Fathers
Thursday, April 7th, 2022פרשת מצורע / ו’ בניסן תשפ”ב The 2 rejected ideas for the symbol of the US were the Jews crossing the Red Sea and Jefferson’s idea for it to picture the Jews in the wilderness being led by a pillar of fire. Jefferson’s idea was that leaving Egypt was only the beginning, a lot work […]
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 […]
From Unique to Universal
Friday, April 1st, 2022פרשת תזריע / כ”ט באדר ב’ תשפ”ב In the Jewish year Nisan is the 1st month & Tishri is the 7th. But the “Jewish New Year” is in Tishri. The truth is that Nisan is month when the Jewish people came into being and Tishri is the anniversary of the Creation of the world. Share […]
The Beginning of Freedom
Monday, March 28th, 2022פרשת תזריע / כ”ה באדר ב’ תשפ”ב This Shabbat is also Parshat HaHodesh. We celebrate the month of Nisan as the first month of the Jewish year. This is the beginning of our freedom and taking our fate into our own hands. Share on Facebook
God is in the Details
Friday, March 18th, 2022פרשת צו – שושן פורים / ט”ו באדר ב’ תשפ”ב While God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther (Migilat Esther), we do see God’s hand guiding the events of the story through the way the story is told. This is to teach us that God is in our lives if only we bother […]
What’s in a Name?
Monday, March 14th, 2022פרשת צו / י”א באדר ב’ תשפ”ב The Book of Esther goes out of its way to bring up the lineage of both Mordechai and Haman. The reason is to show that the story of Purim is a Tikun, or a fixing, of the sin of Saul when he did not do the proper thing […]
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