Jewish Religion

Has Orwell’s ‘1984’ arrived 36 years later?

Wherever you go, whether to the local corner market or to the mall, the all-seeing eye of surveillance monitors virtually every segment of modern life—whether you go to the hospital, or to a school—even the sidewalks. Nobody ever thinks to question its legitimacy; it is a fact of today’s modern technological age. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Ancient camel milk and urine remedy not recommended today

This past week one article from the Middle East created an uproar of discussion., Sabili Mehdi is the chairman of prophetic medicine society and has over 60,000 followers. In a video, Sabili urges his followers to drink camel urine, but it must be taken “fresh and warm.” [i] [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Chai-times and humor among Florida’s Jewish retirees

Of the Jewish friends and relatives who have migrated to the land of the Early Bird – southern Florida –few have supplied as many laughs and good feelings as William Rabinowitz, the fictional hero of Jerry Klinger’s book, Boynton Beach Chronicles: Tails of Norman. [Book review by Joel H. Cohen]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jerry Klinger, Jewish Religion, Joel H. Cohen, Lifestyles, Trivia, Humor & Satire

An excellent revelation of the style of the Torah

Rabbi Dr. Joshua A. Berman is a brilliant scholar, writer, and speaker. In his new book Ani Maamin, words that mean “I believe,” he answers questions that bothered Bible readers – Jews, Christians, and Muslims – for centuries, and answers them in an interesting, readable, eye-opening, and engaging way. Why was the Bible written? How do we explain the biblical writing style? How do we reply to Bible critics? And much more. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Ancient practices: scapegoats, charity, hybrids

Aharot Mot/Kedoshim Leviticus Chapters 16-20 deals with multiple topics including specified rituals for Aaron, notably about a sin offering. It involved a bull plus two he-goats, one for a sacrificial sin offering, the other to be loaded with community sins and sent off to the wilderness. This ceremony is identified with Yom Kippur. [Irv Jacobs, MD]

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International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Does the Torah speak in divine or human language?

In the classic Torah Min Hashamayim Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) masterly tells the methodology of Rabbi Akiva and the difference between him and Rabbi Ishmael. Gordon Tucker translated the work into English as Heavenly Torah: As Refracted Through the Generations. The two Talmudic sages lived around 130 CE and disagreed on how to interpret the Bible. Rabbi Akiva won out, and Rashi, Nachmanides, and most ancient Bible commentators as well as most Midrashim and most rabbinical sermons today follow his view. Others, such as Rashi’s grandson Rashbam, ibn Ezra, and Maimonides interpret the Torah along the lines of Rabbi Ishmael. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Global memorials for Poway’s Lori Gilbert Kaye

With prayers, reflections and songs, first from her home synagogue, Chabad of Poway, and later from around the world, Jews memorialized Lori Gilbert Kaye, who was slain one year ago during a gunman’s attack that also wounded Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein and two congregants, Almog Peretz and his elementary-school-aged niece Noya Dahan. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Lessons from the Warsaw Ghetto uprising

Last week, we observed Yom HaShoah—Holocaust Memorial Day — which corresponds to the start of the famous Warsaw Ghetto uprising. On April 19, 1943, the Jews fought back and attempted to prevent the Nazis from deporting them to the concentration camps. This holiday helped the Jews realize that they cannot passively accept their fate. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Ancient views on menstruation, epidemics STDs

Leviticus 12-15 – The text deals with purification procedures after menstruation and childbirth; evaluating and separating out various skin lesions, and stains on objects, to sort the serious from the benign; the purification of a healed leper/leprous lesion; and dealings with venereal discharges, benign or serious. [Irv Jacobs, MD]

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International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Jewish Travel: Great Synagogue of Vilna

VILNIUS, Lithuania (Press Release) — Today marks the 300th birth anniversary of Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman. On this occasion, the city of Vilnius offers a new possibility to explore one of the treasures of Jewish heritage in Vilnius – the Great Synagogue of Vilna. These days, when travel possibilities are limited, the new

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Travel and Food

Especially during pandemic, we must avoid lashon hara

Once again, with open eyes, we can see the weekly parasha coming with contemporary lessons to help us live better. Parashat Tazria – Metzorah focuses on our physical wellbeing and a specific disfiguring infectious disease, tzara’at, or what has come to be seen as leprosy. The first parasha deals with the infliction while the second deals with the purification process. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell