In this week’s Parshah, Vaera, God continues speaking to Moses. God remembers the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to bring them to the Promised Land as Israel. God hears the Israelites suffering as slaves now and tells Moses to let the people know they will soon be free. [Marcia Berneger]
Torah for Children: Helping Others Read More »
Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger
The biblical book Esther made a significant impact upon Americans, Jews and non-Jews, as seen in the new book Esther in America.
As I described in detail in my book Ruth, Esther, and Judith, the biblical book Esther is in no way similar to what many think the book contains. Most noteworthy is that it contains no mention of God and no indication that the Judeans observed any biblical command. Even when the Judeans fasted when prompted by Esther’s request, no mention is made that they prayed for divine aid. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Book Review: Esther in America Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
One day, a boy found a fuzzy caterpillar and put it in a cage as a new pet. Soon, he observed the fascinating metamorphosis as the caterpillar disappeared within a cocoon. He checked the crusty shell daily and eventually noticed a small opening. As he’d hoped, a butterfly was trying to emerge. The boy waited impatiently and feared it was stuck. He took a scissors and gently opened the hole so the creature could escape. Sure enough, the butterfly inched out with a large swollen body and small, misshapen wings. Sadly, those wings never grew properly and the malformed insect spent its last days haplessly crawling around the cage. The boy learned that wings only develop when butterflies mount a tenacious struggle to escape their cocoons. His misguided act of kindness led to the creature’s doom. [Sam Glaser]
The Science of Struggle Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser
This week’s parasha is tailored to the times in which we are living. Fear of the unknown, “uncertainty,” has spun many into anxiety, depression, and self-destruction. Many have so weakened their sense of hopefulness, that they live with exhaustion, believing nothing can, or will, improve. The events in the nation’s capital last week have beaten down many. How can we see our strife, our fear, our disbelief, today in this week’s Torah reading? [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]
Opening our ears to HaShem’s messages Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer has announced his office in San Diego “will work closely with our law enforcement partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Columbia, to ensue that any individuals from San Diego or Imperial Counties who were involved in criminal activity at the U.S. Capitol are brought to justice. If we determine that federal charges should be brought in this District, we will aggressively prosecute all such matters.” [Donald H. Harrison]
U.S. Attorney in San Diego investigating local connections to Capitol riot Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA
Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) and his wife Sarah Bloom, disclosed in a moving essay that their son Tommy, who was eulogized during the opening day of Congress by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, had committed suicide while in the throes of severe depression. [Donald H. Harrison]
Rep. Raskin’s moving tribute to son who took his life Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USAThis Parshah contains a very strong message: Any child can grow up to become a hero. As a baby, Moses shouldn’t have survived. Through the courage of his mother and sister, he not only survives, he grows up in Pharaoh’s court. Then disaster strikes and he becomes an outcast, living in the desert. But God sees something strong in Moses and chooses him to lead the Jewish people to freedom. Even when Moses objects, God pushes him into accepting that role. As Moses faces Pharaoh, things grow worse instead of better and helping the Jewish people seems like a distant dream. [Marcia Berneger]
Torah for Children: Don’t Give Up! Read More »
Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger
This week’s portion is titled, “Shemot,” which translates as, “Names.” It is the first portion in the second book of the Torah, the Book of Exodus. The name of a portion is always indicative of its content and the same thing goes as far as the name of one of the Books of the Torah. In this case we can therefore assume that the theme of the entire book is hinted at in its name, which incidentally is, “Names.” [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: The Springboard Effect Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
Following are streaming Jewish programs of academic and lay interest that may be accessed via the Internet. All times Are Pacific Standard Time. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Streaming Jewish Programs (January 10-16, 2021) Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
Modern scholars easily detect that they refer to events in at least three widely separated chronological times. This leads to the conclusion that the package called the Book of Isaiah had at least three major authors, and likely many more minor contributors. [1] These three are called by modern scholars, respectively: Isaiah I (Chapters 1-39, c. 730-701 BCE), Isaiah II (Chapters 40-55, c. 586-539 BCE), and Isaiah III (Chapters 56-66, c. 5th Century BCE). [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Notes on the Haftorah Reading of January 9, 2021 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
The mid-life journey that led me back to college began in the mikvah. I had been observing the laws of Niddah (aka “Family Purity” or Taharat haMishpacha) for about six years when this immersion initiated a series of changes that brings me to where I am today. The night of this immersion (momentous only in retrospect), I had been struggling with post-partum hip pain for about a year and a half that no amount of physical therapy or chiropractic treatments was fixing. This night, the pain was unusually bad as I limped sideways down the mikvah steps. The attendant asked with clear concern in her voice, “Do you need help?” I said, “No, it only hurts”. But stairs had never hurt that bad. [Isobel-Marie Johnston]
Out of the Mikvah and onto a Ph.D Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, USAHashem appears to be saying “I will be one with you just as you are one with the people for whom you care so much.” Five times in the parasha, Hashem tells Moses that He feels the suffering of the Israelites. Moses, too, felt a tug to connect with his people. Hashem sees this and recognizes Moses’ special quality. We learn in this week’s Torah reading a most contemporary and timely lesson: We are not to simply see the suffering of others, but to experience it fully, as if it is our own–and act to reduce that suffering. As we reduce the pain in others, we then reduce our own. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]
Moses teaches us the need for compassion Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellOn Saturday, Jews around the world read Parshah Vayechi, the last Parshah in the first book of the Torah. We’ve gone from the creation of the world all the way through to the lives of our three forefathers. We end with the final words of Jacob, our last forefather. Jacob asks Joseph to take his body our of Egypt and bury it in the cave with Abraham and Isaac. Joseph promises to fulfill his father’s request. Jacob then blesses Joseph’s two sons. Just as Jacob tricks his father into blessing him, he now switches the blessings for Joseph’s sons. Ephraim. the younger son is given the blessing to become the father of a great nation. Menasseh, the older son, will also be important, but Ephraim with be head of the greater nation. [Marcia Berneger]
Torah for Children: Kindness and Good Choices Read More »
Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger
Isaac Herzog, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, has been busy writing letters to the heads of state in various European countries to protest the ban on kosher slaughter recently enacted by Belgium and upheld by the European Court of Justice. [Donald H. Harrison]
Herzog asks European leaders to defend kosher slaughter Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA