What is the effect of finger pointing and name calling?
Does Mr. Trump Realize What He Is Doing? When we resort to finger-pointing and name-calling, we are essentially throwing up an immediate roadblock to any meaningful communication. In the framework of effective communication,...
Read MoreSaving Our Democracy
Saving our Democracy I often listen to NPR radio and I remember that recently they had a program on voting. They were concerned about the number of people who had not voted in quite a while. They spent much of the time on the...
Read MorePresident Donald Trump
He does not understand or care about the negative power of the words he uses. The name calling and finger pointing he spews from his mouth dehumanizes people. And this causes all the violence in our world.
Read MoreGuard Your Tongue
Who is the man who desires life and loves days that he may see the good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit” (Psalms 34: 13-14) See the Let’s Begin button for your first...
Read MorePositive Commandment 1 “Remember what the Lord your G-d did unto Miriam by the way as you came forth out of Egypt (Numbers 24:9
The Torah obligates us to vocally recall the punishment Miriam received for speaking lashon-hara about Moshe. There were numerous factors that might have mitigated the gravity of Miriam sin and thus her punishment: (1) She spoke...
Read MorePositive Commandment 2 “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)
Torah obligates us to be equally considerate of the property and dignity of others as we are of our own. By speaking or listening to Evil Speech a person shows that he does not love the subject, definitely not to the degree that...
Read MorePositive Commandment 3 “In righteousness shall you judge your neighbor”
This verse obligates us to give someone the benefit of the doubt when we see him performing an action that could be interpreted in his favor. If an average mitzvah observer does or says something and the chances of a favorable...
Read MorePositive Commandment 4 “If your brother be waxen poor and his means fail him when he is with you, then you shall uphold him” (Leviticus 25:35)
The Torah obligates us to give financial aid to a fellow Jew in order to prevent his becoming poor. This could be in the form of a grant, a loan, or some other source of income. If you relate The Torah obligates us to give...
Read MorePositive Commandment 5 “You shall rebuke your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:17)
If someone tells you Evil Speech, and instead of rebuking him to assist him by listening to his narrative, violate this command. It is important to remember that rebuke should be administered as soon as you realize that the...
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