By Rabbi Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida —I enjoyed the poetry book “Brought Down” by Simon Constam. It is both delightful to read and thought-provoking. The phrase “brought down” is a literal translation of Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic terms suggesting an ancient Jewish idea or teaching being recalled. The 30 poems are easy to read. […]
May We Condemn God? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
By Teresa Konopka SAN DIEGO — Why do we believe what we do? Is our religion any better than others? Street epistemology aims to find out. In contrast to evangelism where one tries to convert another to a belief, street epistemology is quite different in that it does not aim to sway anyone. It is
Does Your Faith Stand Up to the Test? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Opinion, Teresa_KonopkaBy Rabbi Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The mistreatment by too-many rabbis of women is inexcusable. Many alterations were made in biblical marriage and divorce laws, but not for agunot. The Hebrew Bible gives few details about marriage and divorce. Deuteronomy 24:1 states: “If a man takes [yikach] a wife and has sex with
A Horrible Rabbinical Mistake! Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. When you walk into a synagogue, what do you feel? A deep-rooted home, a sense of connection and a feeling of being appreciated regardless of your age, religious ritual practices, sexual orientation, cultural background, family life? I seek to feel an authentic connection, a well-anchored link and emotional stir to
Parashat Matot – Massei: Helping Our Synagogues Do Better Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – The San Diego Rescue Mission received a donation of $1,800 from Leo Fink, a 13-year-old San Diego resident from Carmel Valley who recently had his bar mitzvah and wanted to give part of his gift money to help his neighbors experiencing homelessness. Leo has been volunteering at the San Diego
After her divorce from her cantor husband, author Zark wanted to make certain that the small son whose custody they shared would be brought up Jewishly in both homes. She wanted to make Shabbats and the full range of Jewish holidays interesting and accessible to her son, and in the process, she reflected upon the meanings of the holidays, Torah passages, and various Jewish customs. [Donald H. Harrison]
Single Mom Stokes Her Son’s and Her Own Jewish Faith Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles
The Book of Jewish Knowledge, Rabbi Yanki Tauber, ed., The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, Brooklyn, NY, ©2022, ISBN 978-1-63668-012-5 p. 432, plus Appendices, $69.75. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Is it feasible to adequately convey the skills, information, and wisdom acquired by the Jewish people who, after nearly 4,000 years of living in
Surveying the Full Range of Jewish Life Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
(JNS) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced on Wednesday that it had unearthed an ancient Jewish ritual bath (mikveh) dating back to the Late Second Temple period, or the first century C.E. The ritual bath was found inside a private village, the University’s statement said, “hewn into the bedrock and featuring a vaulted ceiling with
Ritual Bath Dating to Eve of Second Temple’s Destruction Uncovered Near Temple Mount Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha comes once again filled with lessons to live life optimally. For example, we learn of the essential component of greatness. The Torah tells us, “And Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Take to yourself Yehoshua ben Nun, a man in whom there is spirit…’” The story
Parashat Pinchas: Having a Seeker’s Mindset Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellThe concept of BC and AD was apparently invented by a monk around the year 533 who thought Jesus was born 533 years before the day he invented the system. BC stood for “before Christ” and AD for the Latin “anno domini.” the year of our Lord. He was mistaken. [Rabbi Israel Drazin]
‘B.C.’; ‘New’ Testament and Other Historic Mistakes Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
Try as we might, we cannot turn back the hands of time. But there are a few things we can do. We can face the world with our eyes open, and never allow ourselves to become accomplices by apathy again. [Rabbi Bernhard H. Rosenberg]
Prayers for Ukrainians and an Appeal to President Zelensky Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, International, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionWe learn in Choshen Mishpat 137, “Behold, the first ‘good’ in the Torah was based on sight. And from this Rabbi Eliezer learned that the general way to achieve goodness is ‘ayin tova.’” Indeed, in Bereshit, we see that the first verse in the Torah using the word “good” is in relation to sight: “And G-d saw the light and it was good…” [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parashat Balak: Opening Our Eyes to Goodness Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellBy Rabbi Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The destruction of the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, and neighboring towns is a well-known tale filled with obscurities that people often fail to notice. When they do, they stop thinking about the story and fail to learn from it. Here are some of the many obscurities. Was
What We Don’t Know About Sodom and Gomorrah Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish ReligionBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. If you want to believe that our Torah is obsolete and without consequence in our modern society, and if you choose to believe that those who live a more Torah–observant life than you do are thoughtlessly following nonsensical and senseless foolish “religious rules,” then this week’s Torah portion may put
Parashat Chukat: One Imperfectly Human Step at a Time Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell