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
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — One of the most conspicuous signs of a Jewish home is the mezuza on the doorpost. While sometimes people think that the essence of the mitzva is affixing the decorative case on the doorpost, the important part of the mezuza is what’s inside: a small scroll with the
Building a parapet around our roofs and our hearts Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Personally, I have never been one for reality television shows. Life is much too interesting to “observe” from afar. When I was growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember “The Dating Game.” This show would pit a number of contestants who would compete for
The suicide of a contestant on ‘The Bachelor’ Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — There is a phrase that one hears quite commonly nowadays: “It is what it is.” There is something that has always disturbed me about that phrase. To me, the phrase seems to be stating that things will remain as they are and that there is no possibility
Torah considers the actual and the potential Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Living in a Jewish country has its attractions. One of them is that you can enjoy being a Jew without being religious. Living in a Jewish country also has its problems. One of them is that you cannot avoid Judaism. Even outspoken Jewish atheists are surrounded by stimuli associated with
Israeli rabbinate grapples with homosexual sexploitation Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — King Louis XIV (at least the Mel Brooks version) famously said, “It’s good to be the king.” He uttered this line whenever he wanted to justify his boorish behavior. The implication was that a king can do whatever he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it,
How should a Jewish ruler behave? Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — More than one Torah School parent has told me that when their children daven (participate in a prayer service) at a Jewish camp, they love it. The campers tell their parents about the ruach and enthusiasm that are generated by all of the participants. However, their children tell
Bringing enthusiasm to group prayer Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Yonatan Gordon NEW YORK — Why I’m boycotting the Ender’s Game movie. Okay, it’s not for the reason that others are now bringing. Much like the boycott itself, my story actually begins long before the movie adaption for the upcoming November 1st film was developed. It dates back to the night after Tisha B’Av
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Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — It is difficult to tell you much about my high school friend without disclosing his identity. He is now world-famous, having become a major figure in the field of high finance. So, in the interests of protecting his privacy, I will alter some of the facts of
Wealth is irrelevant to those with true Torah values Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Dr. Paul Shrell-Fox is someone I admire. As a clinical psychologist and researcher living in Israel, he has researched a social and religious phenomenon about a subject that many of us rabbis would sooner deny than admit: there are an increasing number of Orthodox and Conservative
The case of the atheistic rabbis Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — When most people quote the Biblical expression, “Man does not live on bread alone,” they often omit the rest of the sentence, “but that man may live on anything the Lord decrees.” The Torah is teaching us that life is not about physical existence alone, it is also
Humanity needs physical and spiritual nourishment Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — As a parent, grandparent, and psychologist, I am often considered to be something of an expert on parenting and child-rearing. In that capacity, I have frequently been asked to review or give an opinion about any of the plethora of books on the subject of raising one’s
True discipline is setting goals, not limits Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel SAN DIEGO — What is Tu b’Av? Do we celebrate it today? What is the significance of the day? The summer holiday of Tu B’Av (the 15th of Av) is a rabbinical holiday, one that the Mishnah describes in colorful detail: Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel said, “There were no happier days
Question: What is Tu b’Av? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Parashat Va-etchannan contains the first paragraph of the Shema: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Since the Torah is never redundant, the
Analyzing the three parts of the Shema Read More »
Jewish Religion