Shlomo's Thoughts On The Torah

Today is Hoshana Raba. It is the day before Simhat Torah in Israel. We dance with the Torah and celebrate it. Our message to our enemies is that we will continue to celebrate our Jewishness despite your hatred of us.

In VeZot Habracha Moses blesses each tribe differently. This is to teach us that everyone has something to contribute. We are all unique, but we are united when we work together.

After the seriousness of Yom Kippur we have joyous holiday of Sukkot, which culminates with Simhat Torah. This is to teach us that we made promises on Yom Kippur and we have to keep them even when we are celebrating.

For 7 days we sit and eat in a fragile hut. We are commanded to be happy there. The reason is to teach us that even though live is fragile we should rejoice in it.

Lying about people is one of the worse sins that we can commit. It can lead to people being attacked. We Jews have had to deal with this throughout our history. So now that it is happening again we have to stand tall and fight it.

One of the most important lessons on Yom Kippur is that we are responsible not only for our own actions but also for the actions of our community.

God wants to help us, but only if we show initiative. The Ten Days of Repentance underlines this. Before we can come before God on Yom Kippur we have to get forgiveness from our fellow man.

Next week we change our prayers to reflect the fact that God is our sovereign.

One of the most famous and important statements in this week's portion is the statement that the Torah is not in Heaven. That means that we have been given the tools to interpret the Torah. God wants us to use our abilities to make the world a better place.

Being humble does not mean being docile. It means to strive to do something but being aware that we need God's help in accomplishing our goal.

God has invested in us talents and it is up to us to use them for the good. It is in our hands. We are not fated, we can change our future.

The commandment to keep accurate weights and measures in business comes before the commandment to destroy Amalek. The meaning is simple. Unethical business practices will destroy society from within. That is when Amalek strikes.

The Torah is clear that we are obligated to respect the dignity of all people. That is why we are commanded to pay our workers when it is their payday. The basis is that all people were created in the image of God.

When comparing the Torah model of society and the American we find an interesting concept. The Torah speaks of obligations, but within them are rights. The American model speaks of rights but within them obligations. The two go hand in hand. Without one we don't have the other.

The Torah is for a constitutional monarchy. It places restrictions on the king and reminds him that he is not above the law.

The pursuit of justice is one of the most important commandments of the Torah. Justice has to be administered equally to all and must be blind to the social or economic status of those who come before the court.

The idea of the Sabbatical Year is for a social reset. To teach us that we have to help our fellows know how to make a living and to train them to do so.

We sometimes forget to bless God for the simple things that He does for us. This week we are reminded not to take anything for granted.

The Torah wants us to remember the past but to work in building a future. That is why Tu B'Av comes 6 days after Tisha B'Av. As long as we continue as Jews, we have won.

The second paragraph of the Shema emphasizes that we have a communal responsibility to help. It is not enough that we are personally spiritual but that we are communally spiritual.

We are commanded to love the stranger in our midst because we were strangers in Egypt. As long as the stranger accepts our societal norms then we are required to love them.

One of the hardest things for us to be grateful with everything is going well. We bless our food before we eat and are hungry but more importantly, we bless it after when we are satiated.

Yesterday was the saddest day of the Jewish year, the 9th of Av, when we remember the disasters that befell us on that day. Six days later we celebrate the 15th of Av, when we work to have marriages and build the future. That is the essence of our lives. Remember the past to build a better future.

The 2 versions of the 10 Commandments tell us what the true purpose of God taking us out of Egypt. It was to be a light unto the nations. That we should show the world how to lead an ethical & moral life, individually & as a nation.

One of the most important lessons that we learn from this week's portion is the transfer of power to the next generation. But for that transfer to take place we have to teach the next generation how to conduct themselves.