Timeless Torah

The Juggler

Rabbi Shochet Speaks to the Rohr Bais Chaya Academy SHABBOS MEVORCHIM ADAR PARSHAS MISHPOTIM-SHEKOLIM

Following upon the heels of Revelation at Sinai the Torah's next portion of Mishpatim lists no less than fifty three commandments. The majority of those deal with civil and tort law. The juxtaposition of the "Big Ten" from G-d Himself with the seemingly mundane monetary matters refutes the common misconception that religion is confined to ritual and temple. So while Western man differentiates between Church and State, Judaism knows no such distinction.  read more »

I was all prepared to write a Fax of Life that focused on the verse that dealt with the festival pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Based on a thought from the revered Rabbi Meir Shapiro of “Chachmei Lublin” fame, it was to be a call to the faithful that Torah is the only road to personal salvation, the ultimate destiny for the Jewish nation and the redemptive state for all mankind. Instead, I will tell you about body piercing.  read more »

G-d has blessed me with a sense of humor. As I am fortunate enough to be involved in two wonderful organizations, the Hebrew Academy Community School and Chabad Lubavitch of Coral Springs, I have a never-ending opportunity to observe my fellow man and witness his foibles. But the area of life that offers me the most humor is man’s silly attempt to excuse his or her actions. One might argue that these scenes are surely tragic. All too true. But nonetheless, homo sapiens delusions about himself are comedic at the same time. Generally speaking, all excuses can be categorized into four types.  read more »

The Biblical section of Mishpatim offers us the Torah’s vision of a just and equitable social order. Among its many complex rules is one that figuratively leaps off the page by its revolutionary moral stance. “Do not oppress a stranger; you yourselves know how it feels to be a stranger, for you were strangers in Egypt.”  read more »

This week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim, consists primarily of civil and criminal laws. The juxtaposition of this section with the Ten Commandments of Sinai provides a startling insight into Judaism. To G-d, religion is not mere ritual that separates Church and State. On the contrary, all areas of life are intertwined, and the business office offers as many opportunities for holiness as does the Synagogue. Thus, one can open the prayer book, as well as the checkbook, to discover sanctity.  read more »