By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Noah was a remarkable man. Just how remarkable was he? How would he compare to Abraham or to Moses? Rabbinical tradition grapples with this question. Rashi cites the midrashic text that offers an answer to our question. Two rabbinic scholars differ on how they interpret the […]
That remarkable man, Noah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
TORONTO — Our Jewish-interest license plate spotter, Michael Glassman, found this one, proclaiming the driver to be a Yiddishe Mama.
Jewish-interest license plate: YDSHMAMA Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO– Hashem (G-d) commanded Noach to build an ark because He wanted people to have the opportunity to see what was going on and repent. Noach’s job was not just to build a boat, but to lead people back to the proper path. The Seforno (Gen. 6:8) teaches that Noach failed
The Chofetz Chaim and the Sabbath sinner Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — A lot of things flash before you as you anticipate the event: the time another man, much less worthy than the one she’s marrying, toyed with her heart; the late night call she made from London, quivering with anxiety about academics, the distance, the sense of loneliness,
A rabbi’s thoughts as he officiates his daughter’s wedding Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK –The three women in the class unanimously favored one point of view. The six men were evenly split, three agreeing with the women and three disagreeing vehemently. Last week, I introduced readers of this column to another experiment of mine in which I used the book of Genesis
Noach and the lessons of leadership Read More »
Jewish Religion
The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492 by Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ; ISBN 978-0-691-14487-0 ©2012, $39.50, p. 273, plus appendix, bibliography, and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — How many Jewish doctors and lawyers do you know? How many Jewish farmers? I would hazard
How an educational edict helped shape the Jewish people Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — According to rabbinic tradition, in order to impress upon Adam the need for human companionship, God brought him all the animals so that he might notice that each one had a partner. This parade of God’s creatures was intended to lead to a deepening of Adam’s own consciousness
The woman who stood against Adam Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
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 ReligionRabbi 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 ReligionBy 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 Religion