Judaism

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — When the Torah speaks about Moses and Aaron, it sometimes puts Moses first and at other times, Aaron. For example, in Ex. 6:26 Aaron comes first: “It is the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said….” and in the very next verse it is Moses: “….these

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —  Religious societies probably grapple with the problem of shame more so than your typical secular community. Rigors of ordinary Orthodox Jewish life are daunting enough. When compared to the members of the Haredi community, Orthodox Jews might just as well consider themselves, “Reform,” or even Unitarian. The

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Reb Yisroel Salanter, founder of what is now the worldwide Mussar Movement, said, “When I was younger I wanted to change the  world. When I realized I couldn’t do that, I decided to change my city. When I realized I couldn’t do that, I decided to change my 

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — In reading a book (“Galileo’s Daughter” by Dava Sobel) about the sixteenth and seventeenth century scientist, astronomer, and philosopher Galileo Galilei, I learned that despite his run-ins with the Catholic Church, Galileo was a deeply religious man. His religious beliefs, however, were out of synch with the orthodoxies

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal   SAN DIEGO — One of the more noticeable differences between Reform and more traditional worship services is how the congregation says the first two lines of the Sh’ma. Most Reform congregations stand for the Sh’ma while more traditional congregations remain seated. Additionally, Reform congregations say the second line of the

By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO–A benevolent calendar coincidence, occurring every few years, brings us on Dec. 24 to the shared lighting of solstice calendars by both Christians and Jews. The solar and lunar calendar cycles have intertwined, and so this Christmas Eve will share the fifth night of Hanukkah, 5772. The circumstances should work

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Our sages taught that the entire point of lighting a Chanukah Menorah is pirsumei nisa, “to publicize the miracle of Chanukah.” To accomplish this they instructed that the Menorah be lit at dusk, the time people returned from work in ancient times, and placed outside the front door