Judaism

SAN DIEGO — This photo comes to us via Sandi Masori, who “shared” it from the Facebook page of Shari Marks.  Over so many generations, the photo has lost its sharpness but the poignancy of the message “ANIMAMIN” — “I Believe” — remains  ever strong.  A song with that title became the anthem of the […]

                  SAN DIEGO — This license plate contains an Arabic word meaning “my beloved” and it is an expression also used by Israeli Jews.  It was spotted by Sandi Masori.  

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO –There are times in our lives that though our hearts may be pulled in different directions, we know it is better to just say “no.” Something happened this week which reminded me of this important lesson. On Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. our congregation hosts an Alzheimer’s caregiver support

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Bilam was traveling with his donkey, when for no apparent reason, the donkey stopped in its tracks. Biliam started to beat the donkey, when miraculously, the donkey spoke and said to Bilam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden since you first started until now?

By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — Ugaritic. Sumerian. Akkadian. Hittite. These are words that I never heard in all the years of my traditional Jewish education. They are the names of four important cultures and languages in the Ancient Near East. All of these cultures were contemporaneous with the stories of the Bible

  TORONTO (Press Release)–The eighth in a series of very successful Moslem-Jewish Dialogues (MJD)was held in a Toronto community centre on the afternoon of Sunday June 9th. The humbling majesty of respectful, good-natured dialogue was in full display as high school students met with their peers separate from adults, who met in circles. Stereotypes were

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Parashat Chukkat is best known for containing the mitzvah of the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer, whose ashes were used for ritual purification. Parashat Chukkat also contains various other laws dealing with Tumah v’Tahara, ritual uncleanliness and ritual purity. One of the greatest sources of ritual impurity is

By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — Everyone has his or her own voice. Some express it loudly and clearly; some just mumble or whisper. There are those who let their voices be heard only in their professional lives and are silent and withdrawn at home. Others use their voices only within their families

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — In this week’s parasha we find one of the most infamous disputes of all Jewish history: that of Korach and his followers. Korach led an uprising against Moses and Aaron. He wanted to remove them from leadership and make himself ruler instead. Moses challenged him to a “duel.”

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — On Thursday, Sivan 28, 5764, June 17, 2004; Rebbetzin Pesha Leibowitz, a”h, returned her soul to her creator. “The Rebbetzin” as we called her, was at the same time very simple and very complex. I was privileged to be able to fly in from San Diego for the

By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — In between the endless stream of loud commercials attacking incontinence, leaking, psoriasis, erectile dysfunction, bad cholesterol, mood disorder, computer romance, toilet stains, and bankruptcy, American television programming is clearly narrowing its themes to the basic, divine two: Sex and Death. These two categories are the bookends of the