The second paragraph of the Shma makes if very clear that we are in a partnership with God. If we do our part then God will do His. If we don't then we will be punished.

We remember the important commandments but we tend to ignore the minor ones. This week's Torah Portion comes to remind us that there are no "minor" commandments in the eyes of God.

The Torah admonishes us to remember that our wealth comes from two sources. Our hard work and God. We want Jews to succeed in business but we also want them to remember the source of their prosperity.

The 18th of Av is one of the happiest days of the Jewish year. It comes on the heels on the 9th of Av. The reason is to tell the Jewish people that there is a future. That no matter what bad thing you have experienced we will continue.

Today is the 9th of Av, the anniversary of the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. What is important is not that we remember that they were destroyed but why God allowed them to be destroyed.

The 10th Commandment is not to covet. This is the real basis of a moral society. When we covet what others have we forget all they had to do to acquire their things in life.

In Exodus the commandment is to keep the Sabbath while in Deuteronomy the commandment is to remember it. The reason is simple, if you do not remember it there is nothing to keep and if you do not keep it then there is nothing to remember.

The first of the Ten Commandments is that God took us out of Egypt. One of the thoughts is that we were not taken out of Egypt to be a normal nation but to be a light until the other nations.

One of the prime lessons we learn is that Moses is denied entry into the Land of Israel. One reason is that his time as leader was over. His mere presence would have undermined the leadership of Joshua. A leader has to know when to step down.

The Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred of Jew against Jew. The cause of baseless hatred is the abuse of accusations. When a person is accused of behavior that he is not guilty of he will react. And not in the manner that the accuser expects.