Shlomo's Thoughts on the Torah

Abraham is told to go to the crossroads of the ancient world. This was so that he could influence people to live better lives morally. This is the mission that God wants from us. To be involved and make people better.

When Abraham is given the command to go to Canaan there is an extra word used. It should read Go to a land that I will show you. Instead, it reads Go for yourself. Why the extra word?

The Torah goes out of it way to infer that Noah, while righteous, was not perfect. This is to teach us, that while our great leaders were righteous, they made mistakes, and they learned from their mistakes. That is what made them great.

The Torah is specific in that we do not know where Moses is buried. This was to avoid us praying to Moses. We celebrate his spiritual teachings, not his physical body.

The final judgement is given on Simhat Torah. The reason is it will show if we really meant it when we repented on Yom Kippur.

Just as Joshua built upon the foundation laid by Moses, we should learn that we build upon the foundation of those who came before us. As we build we make it better than it was.

On Yom Kippur Eve we recite the blessing that we are permitted to pray with criminals. The reason for this is that even though they might be criminals, they are with the community.

We are responsible for our behavior. If we behave better, then those around us will too. This is how we improve society. Not from the top down but from the bottom up.

Hamas is the modern version of Amalek. They are even worse than the Nazis. The Nazis hid their intentions. Hamas gloried in theirs and broadcast what they did. It was illegal for a German to rape a Jewish woman. Hamas gloried in it.

Jonah tries to run away from his mission to save Ninevah. The reason is that he knows in about 100 years Ninevah will destroy the 10 Northern Tribes. God reminds him that He is in charge. That the 10 Tribes will receive punishment for their actions.

We lost our Temple and independence because we did not treat each other with due respect. We did the offerings in the Temple correctly but that is not what God really wants. He wants us to show the world how to behave ethically.

We received the ability to reason, to know right from wrong. Therefore, we have to remember that we will be judged for our actions by God. All should be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year,

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we are reminded of the need to ask forgiveness from our loved ones. We have to remember that God will not forgive us if we don't first make it right with our fellow man.

We learn that when the king reads the Book of Deuteronomy all are required to hear it. From the rich and famous to the children who can not understand. This is to teach us that it is for all, not just the select few.

Ha'azinu reminds us that no matter what our place is in society that God is in charge. That we forget this at our own peril. Remember the Roman Empire was the ruler of the West, until it wasn't. We are still here.

Rosh Hashana is not the Jewish new year but the new year of the world. It is the anniversary of the creation of humans. The purpose of the world is for us to make it better by our ethical behavior.

When Moses is getting ready to leave the Jewish people, he appoints Joshua to be the new leader, not his sons. The lesson here is that our leaders do not inherit their positions but have to earn it.

Moses prepares Joshua to take the mantle of leadership. This is an important lesson for us. No matter how great a leader is he has to prepare the next generation otherwise all his work will crumble.

God wants us to work hard and acquire wealth, but we always have to remember that what we acquire comes from Him.

The real danger of non-belief in God is not that you will believe in nothing but that you will believe in anything, no matter how absurd it is.

When Moses is speaking to the Jewish people about their responsibilities, he makes it a special point that all are equal, form the great and powerful to the lowest of society.

The IDF does not want a war but when a war is forced on us we go. We do not forget that we are a Jewish army. Today, every morning the shofar is sounded in all units to remind the soldiers of this.

When we read the curses, we realize that they come due to a lack of respect one to the other. Our greatest disasters as a people were due to our mistreating our fellows.

When we follow the Torah then we will be blessed in miraculous ways, if we do not then we will be cursed to be a normal nation that will suffer the fate of other normal nations.

This portion makes clear that God took us out of Egypt to be a light unto the nations. That our purpose is to show the world what a Godly nation is. When we do not do our job then we suffer.