Jewish Religion

The Torah, quarantines, and wellbeing

This week’s parasha, Tzav, is filled with korbans, “offerings,” from burnt ones (“olah”), to thanksgiving ones (“todah”) , to peace ones (“shlamim”), the latter sometimes referred to as “goodwill” or “wellbeing” ones. We surely need peace and wellbeing now in the midst of the “coronapocalypse” we are asked to grow through. So, the timeliness of delving into the laws of the “sacrifice of the shlamim,”are especially timely. Why? Because as we as we learn in Tanchuma Tzav, 10, “Great is the shlamim, for they bring peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Passover and the five levels of the soul

On the first night of Nissan, we start counting until the moon is full on the fifteenth. This is Seder night, our annual birthday party as a nation. Some 3000 years ago, we were an enslaved people yearning for liberation from a decadent tyrant. Thanks to the genius of the Haggadah, every year we gather to start our calendar anew by retelling the saga of the birth of the unbreakable soul of our nation. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Glaser

Cremation, Judaism, and the coronavirus

It is with surprise, one of Israel’s leading Modern Orthodox Rabbis, Kenneth Brander, who is the dean of the Israeli Ohr Torah Stone network of institutions, came out with an unexpected ruling: bodies infected by the coronavirus ought to be cremated in order to save the life of the living. One such person in Buenos Aires was cremated despite protests from his community. This ruling applies only when the government demands that cremations take place for the health of the public. In places like Italy or Britain, the governments there have made an exception to the faith communities. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

The Jewish candidates: Bernie Rhinerson (S.D. Community College District B)

Bernie Rhinerson, 69, is seeking a third four-year term on the San Diego Community Colleges Board of Trustees.  With the challenges that community colleges will face in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, he said, the board will need a seasoned advocate to make certain there will be sufficient funding from the federal and state governments to provide San Diego students with the classes and support that they need.  [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Demons and magic in the Passover seder

There is probably no more meaningful and enjoyable service than the Passover Seder. The word “Seder” means “order.” The Seder service is arranged and celebrated in the Jewish home by the family to teach its participants about the message of the holiday: to recall the Exodus from Egyptian slavery, and recognize the need for freedom for all people from all kinds of enslavements today. Yet, a rather curious ceremony was inserted into the Seder. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

The Mezuzah and the Coronavirus

One of the fascinating aspects of the coronavirus and its impact upon our society is the impact it is having on the religious lives of people across the world. In Israel, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi asked Jews to stop kissing mezuzahs because of the coronavirus, while a major European rabbinical group published its own directives how to contain the spread of the illness. For those who are unfamiliar with what a mezuzah is, a mezuzah is a small parchment that contains some of the most sacred Jewish prayers, most notably, the Shema. Some Jews are instructed not to touch the mezuzah, or a Torah scroll with their hands. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Theology and the coronavirus

Whenever a pandemic occurs, people will inevitably ask the question: Why do such viruses occur? Why does God allow such harmful things to happen? The answers will vary based upon a person’s religious tradition. No one faith tradition can speak for the whole religion. Religious diversity demands we take the context and parish story of each religious denomination seriously, if we are to understand where someone else is coming from. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

A Word of Torah: VaYikra

Animal sacrifice was one of the primary modes of service until the destruction of the Second Temple two thousand years ago. Many people do not understand the effectiveness of animal sacrifice. It was not the idea that a person sinned so he/she could have an animal slaughtered in his/her place. An animal sacrifice that was not accompanied by genuine contrition and deep Kavanah/intent, was utterly without value. No, the physical sacrifice represented the necessity of an internal sacrifice made by the individual who offered it. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Animal sacrifices in the ancient world

This parasha deals in tedious detail with the various conditions for sacrifices: I have chosen three topics from the text and looked for equivalents practiced by ancient pagan nations.
I. Did pagans also practice grisly animal sacrifice? Yes, it was common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East, and in fact continues in some cultures/religions today. [Irv Jacobs, MD]

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Judaism migrated from Temple to synagogues, and now to homes

This week, we begin the third book of the Torah, Vayikra. The book is somewhat of a challenging book to read and relate to. That is because it spends significant time talking about the sacrifices that the ancient Israelites brought to the temple. As an ancient ritual, bringing a sacrificial offering to the temple was the primary way that the ancient Israelites interacted with their faith, and with God. In the wake of the destruction of the temple, Judaism had to reinvent itself. It had to create a new way for Jews to connect to God, when the traditional method of connection was no longer a viable option. [Rabbi Joshua Dorsch]

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Jewish Religion

Torah teaches officials to be good financial stewards

Moses gave an exact accounting of the raw material brought to the Sanctuary: gold (29 talents, 730 shekels), silver (100 talents, 1,757 shekels), copper (70 talents, 2,400 shekels) etc. The first thing which strikes us is that this seems to be an accountant’s report on Moses’ business affairs. Moses, after all, is the leader of the Jewish People; if he isn’t above suspicion, who is? But why encumber Moses with a ledger?The answer ought to be obvious. The sacred text comes to teach us that no one is above suspicion. Even Moses is accountable. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA