Jewish Religion

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Is ignorance of the law an excuse? Should people be held responsible for things they do not know? The Ten Commandments appear twice in the Torah, first in parashat Yitro and again in parashat va-Etchanan. While the commandments themselves are substantially the same, there are variations in wording.

By Rabbi Ben Kamin LAGUNA WOODS, California– They call themselves “a synagogue without walls,” which was especially ironic and heartening when I first was interviewed by the leadership several years ago.  My pastoral agency is called Reconciliation: The Synagogue Without Walls and—once the meeting warmed into a promising new relationship—one of the officers teased me: 

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — If everything God does is perfect, can God regret what God does? Tisha B’Av, literally the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples. This year the ninth of Av falls on Shabbat. Therefore, the commemoration and fast are

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — On Tisha B’Av we mourn the destruction of the Temple, which was due to sinas chinam – unwarranted hatred. We also mourn the  hatred itself and the disunity and isolation which it causes. When Jews are united, amazing things can happen as the following true  story, related by

By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK (Press Release)–There is a biography. And then there is an autobiography. Our biography is the way others see us. Our autobiography is the way we see ourselves. Typically, there are sharp differences between the two. Others see us from their own perspectives. Some biographers can be boldly objective,

By Bruce Kesler ENCINITAS, California — Edward Alexander’s latest book, The State of the Jews: A Critical Appraisal, would better have been titled “The State of the Anti-Jews.” Edward Alexander is a professor emeritus of English as well as one of the better informed writers on matters Jewish, who brings this broad knowledge to a

By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK –It was a typical park bench conversation. I hadn’t seen my friend for quite some time, and we both were delighted when we ran into each other by chance that afternoon. We shook hands, and withdrew to a bench in the shade to spend a few minutes together

By  Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Pinchus cared about G-d’s honor and accomplished outstanding things because of it. The daughters of Tzelofchad cared deeply  about the Land of Israel and as a result, accomplished amazing things. When we care passionately about something, incredible  things can happen as the following true story, written by Abraham

By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK–Except for the saints among us, we all boast. Sometimes we boast about our own natural endowments, our good looks, or our athletic prowess. Often we boast about our achievements, social or professional. There is one type of boasting that seems to be unique to the traditional Jewish community.