By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — My friend Maria has dyslexia, so reading and writing are more difficult for her than most. To make matters worse, Maria was raised in parochial school in the 1950s when dyslexia was not well-known and the nuns’ pedagogy was pretty much limited to rote memorization and corporal punishment. […]
Irreconcilable Mindsets Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Jewish Religion, Opinion, USA
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. The parasha this week begins with a deep psychological insight into leadership with the words, “Vayikach Korach,” “and Korach took.” He was a taker, not a giver. Contrast this to Moshe who responded to Korach’s rebellion against him by “falling on his face.” A taker? No. Moshe demonstrated the inner
Parashat Korach: Seeking Compromise Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Rabbi Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Whatever one believes, it is widely agreed upon that God did not divide the Bible into sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. So what happened to make the reading and understanding of the Bible easier? Masorites The division between sentences and paragraphs as well as punctuation signs were initiated
What Many Do Not Know About Bible Chapters Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
The San Diego real estate scene has yet again taken residents by surprise. In January 2020, the median sale price was $600,000. A year later in January 2021, that rose to $650,000. In January 2022, the price rose yet again to just under $800,000 and leveled out just under $900,000 in April 2022. Going into Summer 2022, prices have started to plateau and even drop. [Teresa Konopka]
Biblical Insights into San Diego’s Housing Market Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Teresa_Konopka, USA
(Press Release) Young Jews seek out the weekly ritual of Friday night Shabbat dinners to build social connections, mitigate loneliness, and deepen ties to their community and Jewish identity, says a new report released today from OneTable. The study, Craving Connection: Researching OneTable’s Impact, was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group (BSG) and provides rich data
Calev says, “Let’s go,” but he was ignored when the people listened to and bought the groupthink, “…the people are big and strong, and the land is difficult. The people there are giants; we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them.” So much for Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not fear…” Calev was not the cognitive coach he may have hoped he’d be, since he could not help the People overcome their cognitive distortion that led them to want to return to Egypt. It takes independence of thought, being “FIT” (fundamentally independent thinking), to move forward to achieve optimal living. They held on to their slave mindset due to their cognitive distortions. Through the Spies, Hashem tested our abilities to see through negative filters and properly, with wisdom, discernment and insight, see what was truly good and bad. The spies magnified the negative and minimized the positive – a common distortion that many of us are also guilty of doing. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Parasha Shelach: Guard Against Negative Thoughts, Gossip Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Beginning in 2014, Rabbi and Mrs. Meltzer invested $100 per month in the Kiva organization until they had built up a credit of approximately $8,000. They pored over lists of worthy borrowers, who were vetted by Kiva’s microloan partners throughout the world. The Meltzers then decided to which borrowers they wished to make interest-free repayable loans. [Donald H. Harrison]
Rabbi Scott Meltzer Introduces B’nai Mitzvah to the Joy of Giving Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
By Doron Krakow It’s all so straight forward. That’s the key in any event. Take the complex and unpack it until it becomes something requiring little more than an elevator ride to explain. After all, who has time for a deep dive? It’s all in the turn of a phrase. The political divide. Social unrest.
Learners, Not Knowers Read More »
Doron Krakow, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, OpinionOy! There’s a lot of whining in this week’s Torah reading.
Come to think of it, it appears to be the basis of one of my mother’s oft-repeated sayings, “Keep complaining and I’ll really give you something to complain about.” We are world-class kvetchers, aren’t we? The food isn’t good enough, the seat at the table isn’t good enough, the hotel room isn’t the best, the politics, oy gevalt, the list goes on and on. [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parasha Behaalotecha: Stop Complaining, Be Grateful Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellAside from the terrible tale of the kidnapping and apparent rape of Jacob’s daughter Dinah in the biblical book Genesis, we know very little about Dinah other than the usual obscurities which the Torah does not explain, which prompt us to think of what is happening and why, some of which we list below. This tale also raises the question of the Bible’s view of women. [Rabbi Israel Drazin]
Bible Leaves So Many Quesions Unanswered about Dinah Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — Sinai Temple, one of the largest and most prominent synagogues on the West Coast, announced today that their board of directors has approved Rabbi Nicole Guzik and Rabbi Erez Sherman as the congregation’s new Senior Rabbis. Rabbis Guzik’s appointment is historical, as she will be the first female senior rabbi
Prominent West Coast Synagogue Sinai Temple Appoints New Senior Rabbis Read More »
California, Jewish ReligionBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — In this week’s parasha, Naso, “to lift up,’’ the longest single parasha in the Torah with its 176 pasukim, the Torah reading, following Shavuot, opens with a description of the responsibilities placed on the Levites, who are “lifted up” to perform their duties. We are introduced to
Parashat Naso: Waking Up to the Messages Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellBy Doron Krakow Spring is a time of renewal. Longer, warmer days. Blooming trees and gardens. It is a season of beginnings—of new life. A season of weddings and graduations, major milestones in the lives of individuals and families. A season in which we come together, in settings both large and small, to mark these
To Everything There is a Season Read More »
Doron Krakow, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, San Diego County, USABy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha is read on the Shabbat before the celebration of Shavuot (this year beginning on Saturday evening, June 4, and concluding on Monday evening June 6). Both the parasha and the holiday involve counting. In the parasha, we learn of the importance of counting each
Parashat Bamidbar and Shavuot: The Multifaceted Importance of Counting Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell