Archive for August, 2024
There Is No Hebrew Word For Slavery
Friday, August 30th, 2024There is no Hebrew word for slave. The concept was that we have servants, not slaves. A Jewish “slave” has rights, that a slave in a non-Torah society did not have. It is not an accident that the anti-slavery movement was a religious one. Share on Facebook
It’s God’s Law, Not Man’s
Thursday, August 29th, 2024The Torah admonishes us not to add or subtract from the commandments. This is so we do not go crazy and add things and make our lives miserable. & When we subtract we are not following what God wants us to do. Share on Facebook
Remember Where We’ve Been
Wednesday, August 28th, 2024Moses keeps repeating the holidays throughout the Book of Deuteronomy. It is so that we remember that we are on a mission. Once we forget that we lose our reason for being a people. Share on Facebook
Beware of False Prophets
Tuesday, August 27th, 2024The problem with false prophets is that what they say sounds good, but it will lead people astray. This is a warning to all generations since we have false prophets today. Share on Facebook
Don’t Be Like The Idolators
Monday, August 26th, 2024We can understand the abhorrence of the Torah to the customs of the non-Jews in the land when we see how they worshiped their gods. Especially child sacrifice, an anathema to the Torah. Share on Facebook
The Curses Are Of Our Own Making
Sunday, August 25th, 2024The curses that Moses talks about are what will happen if the Jewish people do not keep the commandments in the Land. They will end up like any other nation and will, in the end become a footnote in history. Share on Facebook
If You Can Keep It
Friday, August 23rd, 2024We are constantly made aware that our tenure in the land is dependent on what kind of society we create and keep. Many empires have been defeated because they crumbled from within before their enemies toppled them. Share on Facebook
Keep Your Eyes On The Prize
Thursday, August 22nd, 2024Moses extols the virtues of the Land of Israel to remind the Jews how fortunate they are. But he also reminds them that their stay in the Land is dependent on their keeping the commandments. Share on Facebook
We Are Not A Normal Nation
Wednesday, August 21st, 2024If we read the 2md paragraph of the Shma carefully we discover that God does not want us to be “normal” nation. We should be God centered. If we were to become “normal” then we’ll end up like many others and disappear. Share on Facebook
Equality Before the Law
Tuesday, August 20th, 2024One of the main commandments of the Torah is the concept of equality in the law. A judge cannot consider the social status or wealth, or lack thereof, of the litigants before him. He has to adjudicate the law equally to all. 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