Rabbi Yosef Bitton, Awesome Creation: A Study of the Thirst Three Verses of the Torah; Gefen Publishing House (2013). ISBN-10: 9652295566. Price: $24. 26. Rating: 3 stars out of 5. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — As someone who has written on the first three chapters of Genesis, I was interested in seeing […]
Jewish Orthodoxy and the Cosmos Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiFrom Enemy To Brother: The Revolution in Catholic Teaching on the Jews, John Connelly, author. Harvard University Press, 2012, 376 pp. By David Strom CHULA VISTA, California— From Enemy to Brother is a powerful and moving account of the origins and passage of the 1965 Vatican II document on Jews that changed centuries of official
Book traces church’s warming toward the Jews Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The Chinese say, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Recently we began our spiritual journey with a celebration of Yom Kippur—a holiday that is wholly devoted to the cultivation of forgiveness and spiritual renewal—both as individuals and as a community. “I
Post Yom Kippur question: What are limits of forgiveness? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–There are times I believe we Jews should begin a Society for New Israel. The objectives for this society would be to find some place on Earth where we Jews can begin a nation anew, a place where our traditions, customs, inventiveness, drive and values would be welcomed, not rejected.
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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish ReligionSAN DIEGO — For the first time in its long and distinguished history, Beth Israel, San Diego’s largest synagogue, will offer live streaming of many of its High Holy Days services. Live streaming of these services will be available free to members and non-members, Jews and non-Jews. While especially beneficial for members who are ill,
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Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Whenever we refer to Moses, we call him Moshe Rabeinu, Moses our teacher. It is curious that although we normally add the words: zichrono l’vracha, “May their name be a blessing,” when we speak about someone who has died, when it comes to Moses, we refer to him
Why we call Moses our teacher Read More »
Jewish Religion
SAN DIEGO — Our license plate maven, Melanie Rubin, found someone who rates a 10 (esser), or perhaps it is the owner’s car that gets a perfect score.
Jewish-interest license plate: ‘Esser’ Read More »
Jewish Religion, Melanie Rubin
SAN DIEGO — Melanie Rubin says it was a matter of crazy good luck that she spotted this Jewish-interest license plate: att
Jewish-interest license plate: Mshgnah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Melanie Rubin
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Once upon a time, some American tourists went to Mexico on a vacation; they toured some hot springs, where they saw the natives washing their clothes! One tourist said to his guide, “My, isn’t wonderful how Mother Nature provides her children with hot water to wash their
Learning to appreciate our bounty Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — I must confess that it was with regret that I learned that soon-to-be-former Mayor Bob Filner will resign. With his resignation I lose the butt of some of my recent jokes. (“Did you hear that the synagogue is cancelling its sexual harassment training program this year? In its
Filner should have resigned long ago Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Berk SAN DIEGO — The lurid allegations of politicians acting badly overcame the usual summer lull in news this season. Mayor Bob Filner and Anthony Weiner spent much of the summer trying to survive politically. But what about spiritual survival? What does their common faith, Judaism, teach about sin, atonement and forgiveness?
Time for Filner, Weiner and us to do teshuvah Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — We all have our secret lives. I don’t mean to say that each of us has a sinister side, which we wickedly act out in some deep, dark, private world. What I do mean is that we all act differently when we are alone, or with a
The sins that we commit in the privacy of our homes Read More »
Jewish Religion
SAN DIEGO — Our license plate maven Melanie Rubin has no idea whose initials CES are, but she figures that the owner of the license plate has a very lucky number: 18, which, of course, is the numeric value of the Hebrew word for life, “Chai.” So mazal tov, CES, and L’Chaim!
Jewish-interest license plate: CES 18 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Melanie Rubin
The Gods are Broken! The Hidden Legacy of Abraham by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, U. of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE as a Jewish Publication Society Book’; ISBN 978-0-8276-0931-0 ©2013, $19.95, p. 133, plus notes and bibliography By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — The life of Abraham, the first patriarch of the Hebrew nation, is
Rabbi reconstructs the life of Abraham Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion