Shlomo's Thoughts On The Torah

One of the problems that we face is that we think everyone is like us. When we run into someone who doesn't we are shocked. Esau made clear his intentions. Our enemies throughout history have made their intentions known. The problem is that we do not listen to them.

When Lavan accuses Jacob of stealing his idols, Jacob not only says that he did not but cursed anyone who did. He did not realize that Rachel had stolen them. She did so with all the good intentions, but it was still wrong, and she suffered for it.

The name of the Jewish people is derived from the naming of Judah, 4th son of Leah. She realized that she was supposed to only have three sons but had a 4th. So, she named his Judah, meaning, thanks to God.

Jacob learns how to defraud people from Lavan. He uses this knowledge to defend himself against Lavan. When he feels that he is in danger of becoming like Lavan he decides it is time to leave.

Lavan was a deceiver but not a liar. He would use words in a way that would confuse the person who was negotiating with him. Like when he switched Leah for Rachel. He agreed to let Jacob marry his daughter, he just didn't say which one.

Jacob's ladder has a lot of symbolism. One of the most significant is that it shows the rise and fall of nations. And it foretells that the Jewish nation will always exist.

Lavan pretends to be a friend of Jacob, but he is not. He does everything in his power to cheat Jacob & become wealthy in the process. As he is doing so, he claims it is for Jacob's good.

The highlight of the month of Kislev is the festival of Hanukah. It is a celebration of the victory of the Hasmoneans against the Hellenists. They did not take action because they wanted to but because they had to. The is our way. When we see a clear & present danger, we act.

Isaac was blind to Esau's faults. He didn't see that Esau could not be the leader of the next generation. Rebecca was the realist in this matter. She knew that Jacob had the skills to be the leader.

The Torah is against anarchy, as shown by the flood, and totalitarianism as shown by the story of the Tower of Babel. The Torah wants us to live in society govern by laws that guarantee our freedom.

The snake enticed Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He did so by using language that sounded good but was really deceitful. This is the game plan of all evil people. They use deceitful language to convince the gullible.

The World Was Created For Us

We celebrate the holiday of Sukkot and tomorrow we will be celebrating the holiday of Simhat Torah. We celebrate even more with the return of the hostages to their homes.

Sukkot is a happy holiday. It is the close of the holiday season for month of Tishri. We start off very serious asking God for forgiveness for our sins. God only decides on Simhat Torah because then we show if we really meant what we said on Yom Kippur.

On the holiday of Sukkot we realize how dependent we are on God. That we should strive to make our lives better but that, in God is in charge

The Torah is very clear that we need a secure border to prevent idolatrous ideas from entering our nation. That is why the Torah is clear what type of stranger is allowed into the country.

The pursuit of justice is a very important concept. While we may never achieve true justice, it does not mean that we do not try. The best that we can accomplish is to pursue it.

The Torah against the danger of corruption. No matter the reason corruption will destroys whatever society it afflicts. We should avoid it whenever possible.

The difference between Moses and Korach was that Moses did not want the job of being a leader but did it because he had to.

Korach made his power grab based on a misinterpretation of the state that "You will be Holy." The statement goes on to say that the Jews will be holy if they follow God's commandments. That they were not holy just because of their birth.

When we read about the commandment of Tzitzit we are told that it is to remind us to follow God's commandments. And that it is a reminder that the commandments are the reason we were taken out of Egypt.

A great leader does not lead because he wants to but because he has to. And after he has accomplished what he set out to do he willingly gives up his office.

When Moses was at the burning bush he was commanded to take his shoes off. One of the reasons was he should feel the rough stones so that when he spoke to the Jews who were enslaved, he should understand their pain.

The Torah relates that when Moses saw the Egyptian task master beating a slave, he looked around and did not see a man. Meaning he saw lots of people but no one who was willing to take a stand. So he did.

The reason that the Tribe of Levi was not enslaved was because Levi was still alive when Pharaoh tricked the Jews into becoming slaves. He told his descendants that he smelled a rat. And he was right.