Shlomo's Thoughts on the Torah

In this week's portion we get to the division of the Land of Israel among the tribes. That within each tribe they divided the land among the families. The Torah is emphasizing the concept of private property. That your land is yours and that it cannot be taken away by the government.

As we end the Book of Numbers we are preparing to enter the Land of Israel. Up until now God took care of our every need. Now it is time for us to show God that we are able to stand up and take care of ourselves.

The commandment to destroy Midian was not one of revenge. It was to mete out justice for the evil that Midian had meant to commit against the Torah and the Jewish people. That is why it was so harsh.

The Torah places a lot of importance on keeping your word. The reason is that society is based on our word. We have to trust one another in business, in law, in all forms of dealings with each other. Without this society would break down.

When we look at the foundation of the USA we cannot help but see the Biblical influences. Also, we Jews are grateful that the USA was the first country that would treat Jews as equal citizens.

The 17th of Tamuz is the beginning of the three weeks that we mourn the loss of the Temples in Jerusalem. The rabbis point out that both the first and second Temples were destroyed because people did not treat each other with respect.

The daughters of Zelophahad knew that there was problem, but instead of yelling and causing a ruckus, they approached Moses with respect. That way they could speak with him and achieve their goal.

God commands Moses that he choose Joshua as the next leader. Moses never brings up the fact that he has two sons. Moses knows that, while his sons were good men, they were not leadership material. Joshua was.

Pinchas took drastic action in killing Zimri and Cozby. He knew that they presented a clear and present danger to the Jewish people. That is why God gave him the blessing of peace. To show all that his action was necessary and proper.

Pinchas realizes that the actions of Zimri present a clear and present danger. He knows that he has to do something to stop Zimri. Instead of waiting for the courts to take action, he does. Sometimes we have to take action to stop evil.

Balaam is hired to curse the Jews. On his way we have the famous story of his talking donkey. What is interesting is that Balaam was so concerned with cursing the Jews that he did not notice that his donkey was talking to him. We sometimes miss the obvious.

When Miriam dies the well that has been following the Jews in the wilderness disappears. The well was in her merit. The people immediately complain to Moses forgetting all the good things that they were getting. In short, they were very ungrateful for all that they were getting.

Now for a quick devar Torah. This week's parsha is Korach . The rebellion of Korach is what might be called a common-sense rebellion . On the surface, Korach's argument makes perfect sense. He says: We are all holy. The Torah calls us a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. So who are you, Moshe, to place yourself above everyone else? And why is your brother Aharon the High Priest? Isn&#39...

Now for a quick devar Torah. In this week's parsha, Parshat Korach, one of the figures who appears briefly is On ben Pelet. At the beginning of the rebellion he is listed among Korach's followers, but then something very strange happens: he disappears from the story. When Korach and his followers confront Moshe, On ben Pelet is nowhere to be found. What happened to him? The Gemara tells us...

A Quick Devar Torah: Korach, the Spies, and the Dangers of Ego As we enter the month of Tammuz, we know that in just a few weeks we will begin the Three Weeks, mourning the destruction of the First and Second Temples. It is striking that at this time of year we read Parshat Shelach and Parshat Korach—two parshiyot whose central tragedies are rooted in the same human failing: ego. The scouts sent i...

Korach's argument against Moses seems to make sense. But in reality, it is based on a false notion that everyone was equally holy and Korach knew it. His real desire was power. He had no interest in improving the holiness of the people.

Just because a problem seems to be impossible to solve does not mean that God wants us to give up. He wants us to try to solve the problem. If we make the effort, then He will help us. If we do not, then He will not.

Now for a quick Devar Torah. This week's parashah deals with a difficult episode in our history: the delegation of scouts who turned themselves into spies and brought back a negative report about the Land of Israel. It is not one of the most glorious moments in Jewish history, but it is part of our history nonetheless. One of the important lessons we learn from this parashah is that a people m...

A majority of the delegation that Moses sent to scout out the land came back with a bad report. Only Caleb and Joshua were positive. They stood by the truth and were proven right.

The reason that the delegation that Moses sent to the Land of Israel misrepresented the Land was that they were afraid they would have to put the mitzvot into action.

We can only operate on the information provided to us. The problem is that sometimes we are given bad information. Then we make a bad decision based on that. We have to try to understand what good information is and ignore those who are going on the bad.

This week's Haftorah carries an important message. We do not build a society on the power of an army alone. It has to have the moral infrastructure to support it. Without that they all else falls apart.

God tells Moses to appoint 70 elders to help him lead the people. The lesson for a leader is that he cannot do it all alone. He has to delegate. Also, he has to recognize that he has to prepare the next generation of leaders.

Gratitude is one of the most important lessons that we can learn. The Jews in the wilderness were given everything but were not grateful. They were afraid that now that they were free they were responsible for their actions.

Aaron is commanded to light the Menorah every day in the Tabernacle. This comes after the presentation of the gifts of the leaders of Tribes. This is to show that as important as the gifts were, the real holiness is doing the everyday tasks.