The Contribution of Jews and the Torah to the World, apart from the the spiritual benefits that the Jewish nation provides to the World continually by performing the Mitzvot, is immense – much beyond the scope of this post.

One Article that talks about Judaism’s contribution to society is called

World Perfect – Jewish Impact on Civilization (press here to read article)

Other link:

World Perfect – by Ken Spiro

Here is the audio link:

World Perfect – Jewish Impact on Civilization (press here to listen to audio)
Here are some contributions:

Civil Law – most civil law is based upon the precepts learned in the Talmud

Human Rights – most human rights are based upon the precepts learned in the Talmud

Freedom, Liberty and Equality – are concepts learned from the Torah

Tolerance – the definition of tolerance is not accepting what is wrong as being right – that is decadence. Tolerance is respecting the dignity of people regardless of their race, color or political views. According to Torah we are enjoined to act respectfully to each person even if they are a criminal.

Animal Rights – Tzaar Baalei Chaim (causing pain to animals) – are Jewish laws that prevent cruelty to animals. Also one of the seven laws for all humanity (for Jews and Gentiles), the Noahide Laws deals with not paining animals

Respect for Opposite Genders – laws of Yichud – that disallow a man to be secluded with a woman that is not his wife or immediate family – to prevent adultery and other improper relations. There are also laws of Kraiva – that prevent one from becoming unnecessarily close with members of the opposite gender – which tell what is proper to do to keep a respectful rapport with others.

Respect for the environment – the Torah disallows us from cutting down trees for no reason, and from wasting (bal tashchit). The green revolution is not new – it’s seeds have been around for over 3,300 years when we received the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Jerusalem Life Used to sell Books online, but we discontinued that service. But we still recommend websites that have excellent books available – like artscroll

On Shabbat, I Love to curl up with an book in English on Torah. This past Shabbat I read through “What the Angel Taught You – Seven Keys to Life Fulfillment” It was written by the Rabbi Noah Weinberg of Aish HaTorah . it is a Great Book for those who are searching for more meaning or who enjoy Jewish Self-Help topics. Some of the Topics it includes are – The Five Levels of Pleasure, Prayer, Knowledge, Happiness, Free Will, Intellectualism and Love.”

You Can Get it From Artscroll – the Publisher

or From Amazon

It proposes better living through getting in touch with one’s real self. It has advice on how to develop a more meaningful relationship with children and talks about basic principles of Judaism.

Some of the questions it answers are:
– What does the Creator really want from me?
– What is the highest form of pleasure in this world?
– How do I get my prayers answered?
– How do I know my decisions are right>
– What is the definition of love?
– Are there any absolute truths in the world?
– How does free will bring me happiness?
– Why Was man created??

In it he mentions – Just like a parent wants the happiness of a child, our Father in Heaven wants the same for us.

Last Shabbat, one of our guests asked about the status of a Slave owned by a Jewish person in the times American Slavery. In the Torah there are two types of Slaves – Eved Ivri (a Jewish Slave) and a Cananite Slave. The master must treat his slave better at times than himself. If he only has one pillow, he must let the slave use it. If he only has one mattress to sleep upon, he must let the slave use it. The Cananite slave has the laws similar to the laws of a Jewish Woman – That they both are exempt from positive Torah commandments that are dependent on time.

Also after the Cananite slave is released he becomes Jewish. He asked if these laws also apply to Jews who owned slaves during the slavery era.

There is a novel by Sender Zeyv that talks on this subject. Sender Zeyv writes books based upon Jewish History and Jewish laws woven into novel form. He also has other engrossing books like Ten Lost and Aleph Shin.

The Novel “Every Man a Slave” is set in the first half of the 19th century, it is About a Jew who owned a slave and how they interacted with the values of the Torah. Slavery in Judaism is a Humaine manner of treating slaves. You can get the book on Amazon

Every Man a Slave

 
Source of Joy / by m chetrit

And there was light,
Mitzvot,
rays of sun that illuminate the way

they bring you up
and make you shine
like nothing else does

with lots of love,
from the One above,
do good to the world

they give you hope,
a chance to go on
cleanse soul from pain

overcome any trial
with a smile
connect to the Source of all joy

the music of life
illuminate & rejuvenate
your life renewed

I hope you have unlimited phone minutes 🙂

Wonder Words is a Free Jewish Stories Hotline for Children. They Tell All Kinds of Jewish Stories that not only entertain but teach a child to act properly and respectfully. Kids Can Win Prizes, Bookmark stories, hear interviews, and relive stories that teach the beautiful values of the Torah and Judaism. Just Good Wholesome Jewish Fun. Kids love it. 718-305-6960 or 212-444-1119 or 845-738-1066

Wonder Words

Want to experience a delicious Shabbat meal in your neighborhood or if you expect to be in a particular town and need accommodations

– here is a site that a person can find a family that will host you for a Shabbat meal.

Free Shabbat Hospitality Site

Don’t be shy. 🙂

Shabbat is a Day for a Person to Spend Quality time with his family. It helps you to develop a more meaningful relationship with children. And You Also receive a great Reward in this world and the next world.

If You Want to Make a Shabbat at your own house and want to know how to observe Shabbat:

Order a Shabbat Care Package in Our Freebies & Judaica Section

Free Shabbat Care Package to Jewish People of All Backgrounds

Shabbat Shalom!

The Holy Tana – Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai’s Hilloula (Yartzeit) is this Saturday Night, April 27th and Sunday, Apr 28 (Iyar 18).

R. Shimon Bar Yohai is credited with writing the Zohar – the book of Kabbala (Jewish Mysticism). He hid away from the Roman Government for 12 Years in a Cave in Meron with his Son, Elazar. There they studied Torah day and night. They were nourished by a spring of Fresh Water and a Carob tree that grew nearby. For Shabbat, the tree would grow figs instead of carobs, that they would pick before Shabbat to eat on Shabbat.

He reached such a high level of being, due to his study of the Torah, that he told People to celebrate his death – for he accomplished his potential in life.

Thus we, and Hundreds of thousands celebrate the Hilloula Celebration of Lag BaOmer (the 33rd Day of the Omer) by lighting candles in his memory, learning his Torah and visiting his tomb in Meron, Israel. In Israel, children collect scraps of wood to make a large pyre in order to burn on the day of his Hilloula.

Light a candle in his memory on Lag Ba’Omer and say a prayer to Hash-m that in his merit you will be answered.

My uncle was on a domestic flight to JFK Airport. Apparently there was traffic at JFK and it was taking time before they could land. The pilot announced that they had to make an emergency landing in LaGuardia Airport because they were running low on fuel. They landed in LaGuardia and asked the passengers to debark. They would continue their route to JFK afterwards.

My uncle called the Rental car company to change his reservation for a car from Kennedy Airport to LaGuardia Airport. It was Friday getting closer to a Shabbat candle lighting time. If the pilot would have waited until they received rights to land at Kennedy it might have been already Shabbat. When they ran low on fuel and made an emergency landing, it gave my uncle an opportunity to debark the plane and drive home before Shabbat. He arrived just in time.

He left. All the others else stayed. Finally the plane took off from LaGuardia and arrived at Kennedy after nine o’clock – about 2 hours after Shabbat entered. Afterwards they delivered his luggage to him at his home.

The fact that the plane was running low on fuel allowed him to get off the plane without having to desecrate the Shabbat. It seems that Hash-m arranged things to just so that my uncle would not desecrate the Shabbat.

Some people would see this as a coincidence. But we as Jews, know that Hash-m guides the world for individuals and the world at large for the good. We too can see Divine Providence in our daily lives – when we allow ourselves to see.

There is an excellent book that talks about Divine Providence of Hash-m in history. There are two such books by the same author – Yaakov Astor – one about the “Hidden Hand” in the Holocaust and one about His “Hand” in general history. It is appropriately called “the Hidden Hand”. This book is excellent because it not only gives detailed accounts of historical events but also provides reasons why the events occurred and shows the “Hand” of Hash-m guiding the world from a Torah perspective. If you want to purchase the book(s) here are links:

The Hidden Hand – Holocaust

Some Events that the “20th Century Edition” covers are:
The Miracle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Britain
Day of Infamy
The Miracle at Midway
The Longest Day
Of Statues, Liberty & Freedom
The Crash and the Great Depression
How Watergate saved lives
When the Berlin wall came crashing down
The Wrights and the Lights of Chanukah
A Titanic Lesson
The Challenge of the Challenger
Hiroshima
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Gulf War

The Hidden Hand – Uncovering Divine Providence in Events in 20th Century

Hidden-Uncovering Divine Providence in Events in 20th Century / Kindle edition

Two special events / 14th of Iyar

Pesach Sheni / Second Passover – for those that were impeded from bringing an offering on Passover – they had a second chance on Pesach Sheni (see the Torah gives a second chance 🙂 ) To commemorate this some people eat Matza.

And it is the Hilloula Celebration and Yartzeit of the Holy Tana Rabbi Meir Baal Haness. Light a candle in his memory and say a prayer to Hash-m that in his merit you will be answered.