Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California.

His books, available on Amazon, include:

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*A Shepherd’s Song
*Gentle Judaic Wisdom for a Troubled World
*Maimonides Hidden Torah Commentaries: Genesis 1-21
*Maimonides Hidden Torah Commentaries: Genesis: 22-50
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 1): Genesis
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 2): Exodus
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 3) Leviticus
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator(Vol 4) Numbers
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 5) Deuteronomy

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Ivanka: A fitting successor to Queen Esther?

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Someone in my synagogue asked me an interesting question about Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner: What kind of Halakhic dispensation was given to them to drive on the Sabbath to the Inauguration of the President? The same question came up recently when the Trump entourage […]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USA

Practical tips for studying the Talmud

Understanding the Talmud: A Systematic Guide to Talmudic Structure and Methodology by Rabbi Yitzchak Feigenbaum; Feldheim; 2nd edition (1988); ISBN By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Some Aramaic scholarly friends of mine who speak and know Talmudic Aramaic often complain about the poor syntax of the Talmud. To most English readers, it almost

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Warsaw’s secret diaries recalled at Yom HaShoah

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel LA JOLLA, California — This year’s San Diego Yom HaShoah presented one of the finest programs I have experienced in many years since arriving in San Diego almost eight years ago. The musical selections were excellent; the theme of the program was “Memory and Morality” and featured Roberta Grossman, who is

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International, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County

Thoughts on Chagall’s ‘White Crucifixion’

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –This past Shabbat at Temple Beth Shalom we had a most remarkable discussion on the famous Russian painter, Marc Chagall, as we discussed his various paintings of Jesus’s crucifixion. A panel consisting of Dr. David Strom, Dr. Tzvi Sax, and myself explored the history of several of

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Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

‘Paid protesters’ report a hoax which had me fooled

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — It was brought to my attention this morning that the story about paid protesters to which I alluded in a column, here linked, was indeed a fake story.  For this I apologize.  Paul Horner loves fooling people with fabricated articles. In fact, Horner’s con was so effective,

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Paid protesters and employers must be condemned

Editor’s Note:  News articles to which this column alluded were a hoax.  Apologizing for being taken in, Rabbi Samuel has filed an updated column, here linked.  By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The riots and protests spreading around the country might give one the impression that these are spontaneous outbreaks, yet there

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

From election’s dissonance, perhaps comes a pathway

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — After everything that has been said and done, this election will probably be remembered as one of the most acrimonious elections, full of mudslinging, accusations of improprieties, and personal attacks that our country has ever seen. The brilliant French political thinker, Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) wrote

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA