Shlomo's Thoughts on the Torah

Purim is in the middle of the month of Adar. There we learn that, even though God is not motioned by name in the Book of Esther, He is guiding all the events. So, too, in our lives.

The Torah makes a point that we can make a place holy by our actions there. No matter how a place was used previously, our actions in that place can bring holiness to it.

The real purpose of what the Tabernacle means.

The Torah places emphases on the objects to be used in the Tabernacle. Teaching us that how we use object will determine their holiness. We can make the mundane holy through our actions.

In this week's portion God informs the Jewish people that they should be God a home so that He can dwell among them. To teach us that when we perform the ritual with loving kindness, we are bringing God into the world.

The Tabernacle was built by donations. This teaches us that a spiritual building needs the financial and physical support of the community it serves.

We do not celebrate the death of our enemies. But we are not allowed to tolerate their evil. In the words of President Truman, "When dealing with a beast, treat them like a beast."

To have a just society we have to live a just life. This is why the Torah first covers how we behave individually and then proceeds to society in general.

According to the Torah we are all responsible for our actions. Our social or economic status, rich or poor, famous or not, does not protect us from punishment for committing an offense.

The Torah concept of justice is that the victim has to be made whole by the perpetrator. It is not enough that the perpetrator has to be punished for his misdeed, but he is responsible to his victim.

The Torah is opposed to slavery since a slave cannot perform all the commandments. A free man is responsible for his actions while a slave is not. A slave has no free will, but a free man does.

While showing the importance of ritual laws, the Torah emphasizes that social laws are as important, if not more so. That we can do ritual correctly but if we mistreat one another socially then it does not matter.

The commandment against stealing is against kidnapping. This is a capital offense in Jewish law. It is especially heinous when done is God's name. That is also taking God's name in vain. Two capital offenses in one.

Tu B'shvat reminds us that it is our duty to build the land. The way we claim the land is to build it up and be built by it. Our enemies claim the land but can only destroy. They seem incapable of building. That is the difference.

The Fifth Commandment states that we should honor our parents. This command is for the rest of our lives. The concept of honoring our parents is the foundation of society. Without it society would fall apart.

Taking God's name in vain does not only have to do with using God's name inappropriately in speech but also committing acts of evil in God's name.

God took us out of Egyptian slavery for a purpose. To show the world that it should be moral. That is why the 10 Commandments start with "I am the Lord your God Who took you out of Egypt." I have a reason for that event.

Jethro comes to visit Moses, and gives him advise on how to delegate. This teaches us that we do not have all the wisdom in the world.

The commandment to destroy all of Amalek is unique. We are not commanded to destroy another nation. The reason could be that Amalek had no reason to attack the Jews & was against the moral compass that the Jews were about to receive.

The pillar of fire and the splitting of the sea are testament to God's presence in this world. That God takes an active tole on our lives.

When Moses led the Jews to the lip of the Sea of Reeds, with the Egyptian army racing to them, he prayed to God for help. God replied, don't just pray, get into the water. God wants action, not just prayers.

Only one fifth of the slaves in Egypt left. The issue is that many people are afraid of freedom because it means being responsible for your actions.

The mistake that Pharaoh made was that he assumed that the Jews would return after worshiping God. It never occurred to him that serving God means even in secular affairs.

Leaving Egypt the Jews learn that they have to take responsibility for their freedom, because if you don't stand up for yourself, no one else will.

In the final plague, the first born of any coupling was killed. That meant that a family could have more than one son die if the couple were unfaithful. This shows that there are not secrets from God.