Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

Rabbi Israel Drazin

Dr. Israel Drazin served for 31 years in the US military and attained the rank of Brigadier General. He has a PhD in Judaic Studies and a Masters Degree in psychology and a Masters Degree in Jewish Literature. He is an attorney and a rabbi.

He developed the legal strategy that saved the military chaplaincies when its constitutionality was attacked in court, and received the Legion of Merit for his service.

He was the scholar who recognized that the Aramaic translation Targum Onkelos took hundreds of items from the Tannaitic Midrashim, which were edited around 400 CE; therefore, the Targum must have been composed after that date, a period much later than had been widely accepted.

He is the author of more than 50 books, including a series of five volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, and a series of books on the twelfth century philosopher Moses Maimonides, a history of the legal case he handled, and dozens of books on the Bible.

His works, available on Amazon, include:
*A Rational Approach to Judaism and Torah Commentary
*Can’t Start Passover Without the Bread (Children’s Literature) ***
*For God and Country: The History of a Constitutional Challenge to the Army Chaplaincy
*Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets
*Maimonides: Reason Above All
*Maimonides: The Exceptional Mind
*Mysteries of Judaism (Maimonides and Rational)
*Mysteries of Judaism II: How the Rabbis and Others Changed Judaism
*Nachmanides: An Unusual Thinker
*Onkelos on the Torah Understanding the Bible Text (5 Volume Set)**
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 1: Genesis) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 2: Exodus) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 3: Leviticus) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 4: Numbers) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 5: Deuteronomy) **
*Sailing on Moti’s Ark on Sukkoth (Children’s Literature) ***
*Stories that Teach the Truth: Ecclesiastes, Tobit, Susanna, and Other Stories.
*Studies in Onkelos (Hebrew edition)
*Targum Onkelos to Exodus [2]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*Targum Onkelos to Leviticus [3]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*Targum Onkelos to Numbers [4]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
Targum Onkelos to Deuteronomy [5]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*The Authentic King Solomon
*The Tragedies of King David
*Understanding Onkelos
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Five Books of Moses (Maimonides and Rational)
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Hosea
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Jonah and Amos
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Joshua
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Judges
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Ruth, Esther, Judith
*What’s Beyond the Biblical Text? **
*Who Really Was the Biblical David?
*Who Was the Biblical Prophet Samuel?

** Co-Authored with Stanley Wagner
** Co-Authored with Leba Lieder

The Year Passover Died

The biblical holiday Passover, a significant event in Jewish history, disappeared entirely when the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE. This cataclysmic event marked the end of an era and led to a significant shift in religious practices. However, its name, Passover, was resurrected and given to the holiday Chag Hamatzot, symbolizing the resilience and adaptability of Judaism. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A Very instructive Haggadah

Thirty-five Jewish men and women contributed short essays to stimulate participation. One points out that Moses tried to persuade God not to send him to Egypt by saying, “I am not a man of many words.” However, tonight, we read how he led the Israelites from slavery. Doesn’t this show that limited words can achieve great things? Can you think of examples? [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A New Superb Haggada in Time for Passover

It includes 15 scholarly, easy-to-read essays, such as “Israel’s Enemies,” “Lincoln Dying on Passover,” “An American Moses,” “An American Joshua,” “The Power of Imagination,” and “America’s Favorite Prophet.” Virtually every page has paintings or drawings, and many famous Jewish and American leaders are mentioned and their teachings narrated. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Deconstructing the Myths of King Solomon

Solomon is credited for discovering the true mother of a baby simply because one of the two disputing prostitutes agreed to give up the child when Solomon foolishly said he would slice the child in two and give each a half. Rational thinkers and legal experts recognize this was Solomon’s unintelligent decision. Her act proves nothing. She may not have been the mother,
but she agreed to give up the child to the true mother simply because she did not want to carry her farce to the end, where the child was murdered. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Thoughts Prompted by the Tabernacle in Parasha Pekudei

Although Moses and Bezalel were beyond suspicion, they set an example about using public funds. They felt the Israelites were entitled to a reckoning since the donated materials had initially belonged to them. As a result of their example, many people learn to do likewise. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Aesop’s Fables Through a Jewish Lens

Dr. Samuel, the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California, translates the fables in a very readable manner that captures our interest and curiosity. He highlights the messages in each Tale and includes the parallel teachings in Jewish wisdom, including quotes from a vast collection of Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers, ancient and modern. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

What Can We Know About God?

In Exodus 33:18-23, Moses asked God to tell him what God is. Moses requests God: “Please show me your glory,” meaning, “Show me what you are.” God replies that He will make the divine goodness pass before Moses. But He tells Moses that he cannot see God’s face. Moses should stand behind a rock. Then, only after God passes, “You will see my back, but my face will not be seen.” [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Rashi: Marvelous but Irrational

Rashi’s commentaries are not original ideas. He drew fascinating stories from Midrashim and placed them into his commentary. Midrashim are books that collected fanciful, engaging stories written as parables and teaching aids − enjoyable and sometimes even exciting accounts − that, for the most part, were not originally intended to be understood as true history, or the true meaning of scriptural passages. However, Rashi and others, such as Nachmanides in the thirteenth century, took these tales as facts and used them to explain the Bible. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Daniel Sperber’s Superb New Book: ‘Vegetarianism, Ecology, and Business Ethics’

Many readers will be surprised by the 82 pages of facts that Dr. Sperber reveals from both Jewish and non-Jewish sources about vegetarianism, how animals are treated, often in unhealthy ways for the animals and those who eat them, and how animals suffer. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Business & Finance, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA

Some Facts about the Torah and its Laws

The weekly portion of Mishpatim, Exodus 21-1-24:1, begins with laws concerning an eved ivri, translated “Hebrew Slave.” But the term is not explained. It continues with laws when a man sells his daughter as a slave, a death sentence to a person who kills another, the law of an accidental killing, the rule that holding on the altar does not protect a murderer, injuries are punished “an eye for an eye,” and striking a father or mother and kidnapping result in the death penalty. There are many more laws. The rabbis changed all of these listed laws. This is not unusual. As I will explain, the rabbis saw multiple hints in the Torah that the Torah wanted the change. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion