By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Hashem counts us over and over again. Each new census is a new show of His great love and affection for us. There is one natural response to this, as Rav Chaim Volozhin teaches, “How is it possible for us to declare in the Shema prayer that we […]
Attention San Franciscans: why banning circumcision is a bad idea Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO–We often wonder where our happiness will come from – and when? The Torah tells us the answer, “Im Bechukosai tailaichu” If we follow in Hashem’s ways we will find happiness and fullfillment. The Mishnah tells gives us the same message, “Eizehu ashir hasameach bechelko” “Who is wealthy? He who
The golden house across the valley Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — This week we begin our exploration of the Torah with a trivia question. For 613 Mitzvah points, which Jewish singer-songwriter helped pen the following opus to the virtues of hard work? Money for Nothin’ Now look at them yo-yo’s, that’s the way you do it You play the
Working hard six days will make rest on seventh more meaningful Read More »
Jewish Religion
Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection by Joseph Ratzinger, Ignatius, San Francisco; ISBN 978-1-58617-500-9 ©2011, $24.95, p. 293 plus appendices By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California–Nearly two thousand books on the Amazon website are linked to the words Jesus and Passion. With so many books one might wonder
Pope’s book on Jesus important interreligious document Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Shortly after the death of Osama Bin Laden by American Special Forces, Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles posted the following comment on his Facebook page: “Yesterday, Yom Hashoah, Bin Laden was killed. The proper reaction is sobriety, not revelry. This is a time to remember those
Bin Laden’s death cause for some satisfaction but not for revelry Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Joel A. Moskowitz, M D, FAAP, FAPA LA JOLLA, California — Visiting the sick is a Jewish obligation. The Talmud enjoins that those who visit the sick cause him/her to live These days, it is just good health sense for you to be there to protect a loved one who has to be hospitalized.
Prescription for assisting one who is hospitalized Read More »
Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – There had been a community-wide commemoration of the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah, the day before. but on Monday night, in the surroundings of the synagogue that has been home to the New Life Club, Holocaust Aurvivors held another, more intimate remembrance service. Prayers and readings were preceded by
Tifereth Israel holds an intimate remembrance of the Holocaust Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–During Pesach Jews are obsessed with ridding their homes of chametz. (fermented wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt.) They remove bread, cookies, and beer (sigh), clean and scrub their counters and sinks, vacuum their carpets, and blowtorch their ovens (or use the self clean mode!). The process of getting rid
The symbolism of ridding our homes of chametz Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — There’s some controversy about President Barack Obama’s Passover message. The key passage is this: “The story of Passover…instructs each generation to remember its past, while appreciating the beauty of freedom and the responsibility it entails. This year that ancient instruction is reflected in the daily headlines as we see
President Obama’s Passover problem Read More »
Jewish Religion, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–French Hill is a largely secular Jewish neighborhood, with families who are religious and ultra-Orthodox, as well as a few Arab families and Arab plus East Asian singles and young couples who are students at the nearby university. The neighborhood synagogues are one Ashkenazi, one Sephardi, one mixed Ashkenazi-Sephardi, one Conservative, and
Passover, French-Hill style Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — In the last couple of weeks there has hardly been a lamp post or a bus shelter in Jerusalem – and probably elsewhere in Israel – that hasn’t been covered with offers of pre-Pesach home cleaning. Even yeshiva students, normally not associated with physical (or perhaps any other) work,
As Pesach approaches, Israel has Obsessive Cleaning Disorder Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — Passover is the best gift we ever gave to the world; nobody who was ever a human being could turn down its message of freedom, its transformation of the taste of tears into the wine of hope, its view of the leaves of parsley as the springtime of
An ode to Passover Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Toward the beginning of the Passover Seder we hold up our plate of matzah and recite: “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat!” On Tuesday students from our Community Jewish High were blessed with
Teens help feed the hungry through Hand Up organization Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO–Hashem orchestrates the world and takes care of us in amazing unexpected ways. He showers us with blessings. We need to be able to accept those brachos (blessings), as the following story illustrates: (continued from last week) Mendel excused himself and asked his wife to join him in the next
Yossi and Sheindel — how it all turned out Read More »
Jewish Religion