Jewish Religion

Author Adopts Maimonides’ Principles as True Judaism

Emuna is the Hebrew word for faith, and in his newest book, 13 Principles of Emuna, Rabbi Lazer Brody passionately reexamines Maimonides thirteen assertions, ranging from the fervent belief in one God to acknowledging the future resurrection of the dead and the coming of the Messiah, through a traditional orthodox-Jewish frame of reference. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion

Haftorah Reading for April 24, 2021

This short, entirely poetic message is from the writings of Amos, one of the 12 ‘minor’ prophets. He was from the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but his preaching (760-755 BCE) was against the Northern Kingdom of Israel, notably its cities of Samaria and Bethel. This was during the reign of Jeroboam II (788-747 BCE), a time of foreign conquests, thus internal peace and prosperity in the North. [1] Amos’ preaching coincided with the reign in the Southern Kingdom of King Uzziah (785-733 BCE), considered one of the ‘good and righteous kings.’ [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Extending Kavod to Others

This week’s double Torah portion, Acharei and Kedoshim, springs off the scroll with applicability to the pandemic of our times, COVID, or if you prefer, kaf, bet, dalet, KOVOD. The English letters, K, V, D, form the root of the word Kavod. What’s dignity, respect or honor have to do with these parshiot? Plenty. Kavod, ,כָּבוֹד KVD, a word of strength and importance, refers to “glory,” “respect,” “majesty,” and “honor.” Other uses of kavod can refer to wealth (Gen. 31:1, the first use of kavod in the Bible), reputation (Gen. 45:13), the quantity of something, or splendor, all of which may be summed up in the word “dignity.”  Another very important application is found in the fifth commandment, commanding us to “honor” (kavod in verb form) our fathers and mothers. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Caring for Aging Parents and Beyond

When my father had back surgery, he shopped around to nearly every top orthopedic surgeon in L.A. until he found one willing to cut into his ailing eighty-five-year-old frame and repair three levels of his lumbar vertebrae. We were overjoyed to see him recover from the spine operation but soon thereafter he needed a knee replacement. Oy vey! For all his health issues, he still maintains his Dodger and Laker season tickets, trades on the stock market and teaches a monthly Jewish history class. But his pleasure in life is sharply curtailed in what seems to be a cruel downward spiral of Job-like proportions. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser

Receiving Direct Feedback from Hashem

Tzarat was a consequence of numerous sins, most prominent of them was Lashon Harah – evil gossip. Interestingly, the person suffering from Tzarat was placed into quarantine, not so that the disease wouldn’t spread, but instead to demonstrate to the person with the disease that his anti-social behavior resulted in an anti-social situation. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Steinsaltz’s Sage Book on the Sages

A Concise Guide to the Sages is made up of five parts. The first 271 pages of the 511-page volume focuses on the more than fifty weekly biblical portions of the Five Books of Moses which Jews read in synagogues and which many Jews study at home. Virtually all of the sayings of the Sages quoted in this section are midrashic (ideas derived from the biblical text which are not explicit in the text). {Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin}

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Jewish Religion

Recovering and allowing others to recover

We learn in this week’s reading to see the potential for extending our own community to include those ill in body, mind, or spirit, and are charged with fully welcoming them back after whatever diagnosis and treatment they receive for the “disease,” that does not, after all, alter their essential humanity. The Torah directs us to welcome and comfort the afflicted instead of solely expelling them. [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

‘Jews in Space’ Lecture Filled with Anecdotes

Boris Volynov was first among approximately 19 Jews who have flown in space, serving as a Russian cosmonaut in 1969.  Thereafter, Judy Resnik, Ilan Ramon and Gregory Chamitoff joined him in an exclusive club, being the first Jews from their nations to go into space.  Resnik was from the United States, Ramon from Israel, and Chamitoff from Canada. These were among the factoids presented by Roger Weiss, a contractor on the International Space Station (ISS) program, in a Zoom program sponsored on Sunday, March 11, by the San Diego Outreach Synagogue. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

Chabad of California: ‘No Control’ Over Poway Chabad’s Security

An attorney representing Chabad of California said Friday the organization “feels terrible” for the victims of the 2019 Chabad of Poway shooting but has “no control” over the local synagogue’s security, in response to a lawsuit filed against the synagogue and the state Chabad organization for alleged insufficient security measures. [Elizabeth Ireland, Times of San Diego]

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County

Another Shoe May Drop in Chabad of Poway Case

The Passover 2019 attack on Chabad of Poway in which congregant Lori Gilbert-Kaye was murdered and three other persons were wounded has prompted a pair of criminal cases and a civil case in its wake, while a fourth criminal case involving tax fraud proceeds in federal court. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, USA