By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Space exploration has always fascinated me so I followed the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket last Sunday with great interest. On Wednesday, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule docked at the International Space Station with close to 1,000 lbs of supplies. It was the first private commercial non-NASA supply mission […]
Lifting off and lifting up Read More »
Jewish Religion
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — Loyal readers of this weekly column will remember Richard, Leon, and Simon. They were the three young men who signed up for my class on the Book of Genesis, Sefer Bereshit, many years ago. I then used Genesis as the source text for an introductory course on basic
The Book of Genesis as a guide to time management Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — I have been an avid reader of books about the psychology of religion since I was an adolescent. I remember going to the local public library and systematically taking out every book on the shelves that related to the topic of the human phenomenon of religious behavior.
Are some of us programmed to believe in God? Read More »
Jewish ReligionSo, what does it mean to be Jewish? Andrew Lustig, a student at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, performs his poem explaining what it means to him. Have a look, and a listen!
What does it mean to be Jewish? Read More »
Jewish ReligionSecurity up at French Jewish sites after blank bullets fired at synagogue near Paris (JNS.org) France is boosting security at Jewish religious sites after blank bullets were fired on a synagogue west of Paris, Israel Hayom. French President Francois Hollande met Oct. 7 with leaders of the country’s Jewish community, and pledged to fight extremism
JNS news briefs: October 7, 2012 Read More »
International, Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — In one of the most thrilling permutations of Christianity and Judaism, the Second Coming of Jesus is generally understood as being scheduled for the Jewish fall harvest festival, Sukkot. Since Sukkot—the sweet holiday of the little huts—is well on its way, I’d like to personally invite Jesus to
Rabbi invites Jesus into his sukkah Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — One of my guilty pleasures is reading spy and espionage books. Last week I stopped short after reading a sentence in The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA by Antonio J. Mendez. Mendez was describing one-time pads which are used for secure encrypted
Demystifying the Torah Read More »
Jewish ReligionSAN DIEGO–We were alerted by Phil Snyder of San Diego to this moving video about the descendants of Nazi SS guards, who in an act of atonement visited former Nazi concentration camps in various parts of Europe.
Nazi descendants visit concentration camps Read More »
Jewish Religion
The Good Friday Prayer by Howard Rubenstein (San Diego: Granite Hills Press, 2012); ISBN-10: 1929468237; 520 pages; $24:95; Rating 4* By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — When one considers all the new books that have appeared in the news about Jesus, Howard Rubinstein’s book, The Good Friday Prayer is one of the
‘The Good Friday Prayer’ challenges Catholic theology Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK –It was advertised as one symposium at a major psychology conference. It was to be a discussion about memory and forgetfulness. But it turned out to be one of the most intense and instructive days that I have ever witnessed. The first speaker began by insisting that the
Repressing our memory of God Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —Today in the news I came across the following article: · On September 18, 2012, Muhib Ru’yat Al-Rahman, a senior writer on leading jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, suggested that Muslims living in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S. kill Westerners and display their decapitated heads
Religion like rain: sometimes soft, sometimes murderous Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
SAN DIEGO — Okay, here’s one that is a “puzzlement.” If it read A 18, it would mean the owner was a member of the California Assembly from the 18th district. But this is 18 A. Melanie Rubin decided that since “18” is the numeric value of “Chai,” that 18 A must mean Chai-A, or
The secret of 18A? Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Not all life issues are black and white. In fact usually they are not. We need the Torah sage to enlighten us. Only the wisdom gained through years of delving in the Torah can guide him. He can then help us see things in a different light
When eating on Yom Kippur is acceptable Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — He was one of the greatest Talmud scholars of the last century, but outside of a small circle of disciples, he was never well-known. He was a tragic figure in many ways, and although few have heard of him today, he has not been totally forgotten. Interestingly,
The rabbi who dwelled on what may be forgotten Read More »
Jewish Religion