Jewish Religion

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

Are internet minyans kosher?

The question has come up: May one may participate in a virtual minyan on the Internet?  Many of my colleagues tend to rule against such a possibility for a variety of reasons. Judaic law specifies the importance of ten people (we count women in the Conservative Movement) must be clustered in one central place. Even if they are in another room, but within hearing distance of the place where people are praying, they may not be counted as part of the minyan.[1] [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

The Life and Time of Hasdai Crescas

One of the most tragic occurrences in Judaism’s long history is the frequent absorption of alien, often heathen and Christian notions. For example, many people do not realize that when they say “gosh almighty” they are speaking about the Christian Holy Ghost and when they say “bloody” they are talking about the blood of Jesus or when they say “knock on wood” they are referring to the crucifixion cross. This occurred not only among the uneducated masses; rabbis fell prey to this phenomenon as well, simply because they did not know Jewish history or understand the processes involved in the assimilation and rationalization of beliefs to correspond with what is being said around them or a person’s perception of proper Jewish thinking. The story of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas and his impassioned battle against Christianity is a good example of this phenomenon.[Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Waxie hires staff as demand for toilet paper, supplies swells

It’s not every day that Charles Wax, owner of Waxie Sanitary Supply, receives phone calls from mayors, county supervisors, or governors. But these are not everyday times. As the largest privately owned janitorial and sanitary supply company in America, Waxie Sanitary Supply stocks the bathrooms and janitorial supply cabinets of many schools, hospitals, government office buildings, prisons, and other institutions throughout the nine western states. To do so, it has 200 delivery vehicles stationed at 25 regional warehouses. Headquarters for the entire operation is in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

A Word of Torah: Vayakhel/ Pikudei/HaChodesh

Wow! What a long and involved Torah reading this week! Just look at the title of this article; it took up a significant portion of this page. This week we read a double portion plus a special additional reading, which has to do with the impending month of Nissan. Let’s start at the beginning. The first portion we read is titled VaYakhel / And (Moses) Assembled. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Coronavirus in Israel complicated by government crisis

Like apparently in most other countries, life is coming to a near-standstill in Israel. But, as I’ve written before, unlike in most other countries, the coronavirus crisis in Israel is interwoven with the political crisis that, after three general elections within a year, still has only a transition government with its long-serving prime minister desperately clinging to power. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Biblical craftsmen, donors and cherubim

This parasha deals with the actual construction of the Tabernacle, with the lavish materials provided as gifts by the Israelite population. The work was performed under the guidance of the designated skilled craftsmen, Bezalel and Oholiab. I have chosen three passages, from which I have sought Internet sources for comparison with our Hebrew texts. [Irv Jacobs, MD]

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Local Jewish candidates series: Joe Leventhal

San Diego City Council candidate Joe Leventhal served on the City of San Diego’s Ethics Commission for only a year before resigning to run for office, but he’s proud that he has left behind what he says colleagues on the commission refer informally to as the “Leventhal Amendment.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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