Shlomo's Thoughts on the Torah

One of the issues we have are nay sayers. These are people who claim you cannot do anything. When asked why, they reply that it has never been done before. We learn not to be such especially when we follow God's plans.

Of the scouts, 12 gave a bad report but 2 did not. One was Joshua, who was Moses's main student and designated successor, & the other was Celeb, who was Miriam's husband. We can see the influence of Miriam in his decisions.

In the story of the spies, we have to ask, weren't these the same people who witnessed the crossing of the Reed Sea? Didn't they realize that they were under divine protection? The answer is that they were still in a slave mentality. Not only did they not trust in God, but they did also not trust in themselves.

The scouts sent by Moses overestimated the power of the people of the land. They forgot that the Jews had God on their side.

Last night Israel fulfilled a Biblical obligation to prevent a clear and present danger from happening. The Bible is clear on this. We are not a suicidal people. If you want peace, have a strong army ready to do their job.

The people who complained about the manna were complainers who did not care about anything but liked to complain. That is why they were punished. When something is wrong, we should try to improve it.

Miriam meant well when she complained about Moses's seemingly neglect of his wife to Aaron. Even though she meant well, it was still wrong. This teaches us that even the great can make mistakes.

The reason that the Jews were kept in the wilderness for forty years was to rid them of their slave mentality. God wants us to worship Him from our free will, not as slaves.

God is in control of the world. The problem is that we do not always see it. Sometimes we blind ourselves to the obvious signs, but they are there for all to see who wish to.

The fact that Aaron, Moses's brother and High Priest would go up and clean out the menorah in Tabernacle shows us that no job is beneath us when in service to God.

The Torah recounts the gifts of the leaders of the tribes to the Tabernacle individually, even though they are all the same. This shows that we are individuals but that together we make up society.

In the Torah, it is the responsibility of the thief to make the victim whole. That they are connected by his act of theft. Until he does so, he cannot atone for his sin.

This week the Torah makes it clear that we have to keep our environs clean. This is why the Hazon Ish told his students that they were required to help dig the sewers of Bnai Brak.

Passover is the freeing of the Jews from slavery. Shavuot is the holiday where we learn why we were freed. Not just to be free but to be responsible for our actions, both as individuals and as a nation.

The Book of Numbers counts the Jews numerous times. This is to teach us that we call count and that everyone is precious.

Today we celebrate the liberation of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria during the 6 Day War in 1967. The victory showed God's hand in this world through the many miracles that happened during that war.

On Memorial Day we remember the young men and women who died in the line of duty. While the Americans who were killed defending us may not have had us on their minds, we have to thank them for without them we would not have the rights we enjoy.

The Sabbatical year is the ultimate test in faith. A farmer has to rely on God keeping His promise the farmer will be able to support himself and family even though he is not working his land and not raising crops.

One of the things that many people forget is that if you want to instill morality in your children, you have to teach them morality. Otherwise, they will make up their own morality.

The Torah gives us blessings and curses. The blessings are the good things are what will happen if we follow the Torah. The curses are what will happen if we don't. The worst curse is that we will be just like all other people. We will be a "normal" nation.

In order to serve God, we have to be free.  A slave has to do what his master dictates; he cannot fully serve both God and his master.

The Sabbatical year teaches us that God controls the world. With this in mind we have to do our best to make to support our families and community but in the final analyses it is God Who will determine if we succeed or not. But unless we strive God will not help us.

The goal of Biblical justice is to bring equilibrium to the world. That, while wrong doers should be punished, the punishment should not be too severe.

Today is the 33rd Day of the Omer. It is a day of celebration. The real story of the reason we mourn the first 33 days of the Omer is that Rabbi Akiva's students died. The Talmud avoids the obvious reason since the Romans still ruled the land of Israel.

In this week's potion we see the blasphemer. We might ask why his punishment was so severe. The truth is that he is very knowledgeable. That is what makes him dangerous. If he was just an ignoramus, he would not be a danger.