By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — “It was a hundred years ago,” said the gentleman encountered at a conference. “Why do you people still keep talking about it?” I corrected him and responded that it was not a hundred years ago; that the Wannsee Conference of top Nazi officers—a number of whom held doctorates—was […]
Why we keep talking about the Holocaust Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK –If you are reading this column regularly, you may remember that Miriam was the shy participant in the class that I have been describing. You will surely remember that this was a class in which I used the book of Genesis as a springboard for discussions about leadership.
Noah and Abraham were different kinds of leaders Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Obviously Jewish survival must depend upon something more than empty sentimentalism. There must be something more than a cultural Jewish identity that finds Jewish fulfillment in bagels and lox. While many Jews live a nostalgically religious life, at least an equally large number have become ambivalent
When Jews seek spirituality elsewhere Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiDexter Van Zile writes that the letter calling on Congress to investigate military aid to Israel—which prompted major Jewish groups to walk away from interfaith dialogue—has all the markings of Churches for Middle East Peace, an organization that interprets its mandate to promote peace as a call to assail Israel with one-sided criticism and treat
Christian letter on Israel a ‘big muddy’ for their leaders Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Noah, the “hero” of the flood story, was saved because: “…Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.” (Gen 6:9) However, later on when God spoke to Avraham, he instructed him: “…walk before Me and be blameless…” (Gen. 17:1) That is,
Noah not so righteous as Abraham Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Noah was a remarkable man. Just how remarkable was he? How would he compare to Abraham or to Moses? Rabbinical tradition grapples with this question. Rashi cites the midrashic text that offers an answer to our question. Two rabbinic scholars differ on how they interpret the
That remarkable man, Noah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
TORONTO — Our Jewish-interest license plate spotter, Michael Glassman, found this one, proclaiming the driver to be a Yiddishe Mama.
Jewish-interest license plate: YDSHMAMA Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO– Hashem (G-d) commanded Noach to build an ark because He wanted people to have the opportunity to see what was going on and repent. Noach’s job was not just to build a boat, but to lead people back to the proper path. The Seforno (Gen. 6:8) teaches that Noach failed
The Chofetz Chaim and the Sabbath sinner Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — A lot of things flash before you as you anticipate the event: the time another man, much less worthy than the one she’s marrying, toyed with her heart; the late night call she made from London, quivering with anxiety about academics, the distance, the sense of loneliness,
A rabbi’s thoughts as he officiates his daughter’s wedding Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK –The three women in the class unanimously favored one point of view. The six men were evenly split, three agreeing with the women and three disagreeing vehemently. Last week, I introduced readers of this column to another experiment of mine in which I used the book of Genesis
Noach and the lessons of leadership Read More »
Jewish Religion
The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492 by Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ; ISBN 978-0-691-14487-0 ©2012, $39.50, p. 273, plus appendix, bibliography, and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — How many Jewish doctors and lawyers do you know? How many Jewish farmers? I would hazard
How an educational edict helped shape the Jewish people Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — According to rabbinic tradition, in order to impress upon Adam the need for human companionship, God brought him all the animals so that he might notice that each one had a partner. This parade of God’s creatures was intended to lead to a deepening of Adam’s own consciousness
The woman who stood against Adam Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Space exploration has always fascinated me so I followed the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket last Sunday with great interest. On Wednesday, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule docked at the International Space Station with close to 1,000 lbs of supplies. It was the first private commercial non-NASA supply mission
Lifting off and lifting up Read More »
Jewish ReligionRabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — Loyal readers of this weekly column will remember Richard, Leon, and Simon. They were the three young men who signed up for my class on the Book of Genesis, Sefer Bereshit, many years ago. I then used Genesis as the source text for an introductory course on basic
The Book of Genesis as a guide to time management Read More »
Jewish Religion