Jewish Religion

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Someone once said, “Character is what we do when no one else is looking.”  Of course, we believe there really never is such a time, with G-d in Heaven.  Yet, there are those who still believe, “The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — This Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first day of the month of Elul. During Elul we recite Psalm 27, the Psalm of Repentance, during morning and evening services. On weekdays we also sound the Shofar during minyan services. Psalm 27 and the call of the Shofar remind us

By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — It would be so much easier to cope with things if God simply intervened and cleaned up all the messes.  But where would that really leave us? The miracles described in the Bible are wonderful cartoons and they salve anxiety for a little while.   They are imaginative dramas

By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — The Dalai Lama and many of his people fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959.  Now after more than 50 years in exile, he has been considering the problem of how to keep both the culture and religious heritage of his people alive.  It occurred to him that there

By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — “Take off your shoes,” God admonished Moses at the site of the Burning Bush. “You are standing on holy ground.” What was God actually saying? Moses was not at the Vatican. He was not at the Mosque of Omar. He was not even in Jerusalem. He was in