This week’s Torah reading has more passukim, 154 verses, than any other in Sefer Bereishis. There must be a good reason, and indeed, there are many lessons from which we can derive benefit inside the depth of these many verses. The parasha is bursting with scheming, compromise, desire, retaliation, hostility, birth, and death. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]
Torah Reading for November 20, 2021 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Located twenty miles south of Haifa, Zichron Yaakov is a charming city of 25,000 people situated on the southern end of the Carmel Mountain range. One of the oldest cities in modern Israel, it was established at the end of 1882 by one hundred pioneers from Romania, members of the Hovevei Tzion – or Lovers of Zion – movement. Hovevei Tzion was one of several organizations that gained traction in Europe in response to the waves of pogroms and openly antisemitic laws that had the cumulative effect of causing approximately 2,000,000 Jews to relocate, a minority of whom made their way to Israel. [Gedaliah Borvick]
Celebrating Diversity in Zichron Yaakov Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, Jewish History, Middle East
Bert Edelstein elevated his hand one foot above the table at which he was sitting. “My correspondence file is almost this thick,” he commented. He sent letters to the House of Representatives and the Senate. After the House adopted legislation to recognize the Ghost Army with a Congressional Gold Medal, the focus turned to the U.S. Senate. Under the rules, for the measure even to be considered in committee, it must have at least 67 co-sponsors — two-thirds of the full Senate. The count is getting closer and closer. [Donald H. Harrison]
Psychologist Advocates for Recognition of The Ghost Army Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA
In this week’s Torah portion (Parshat Vyetse), Philo’s comments about Leah and Rachel’s relationship is striking. One can see that it is not merely brothers who fight with one another. The same also applies to sisters—especially when it is over the love of the same man! Although the Bible is full of tales regarding polygamy, one should not infer that the biblical writers endorsed this ancient Bedouin practice, which still occurs today. Quite the opposite—the ideal marriage is between one man and one woman. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Philo and Maimonides Analyze the Relationship of Leah and Rachel Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
After raising the flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, military veterans at Tifereth Israel Synagogue on Veterans Day, Thursday, Nov. 11, shared some of the happier stories about their time in the military or just afterwards. [Donald H. Harrison]
Jewish Veterans Swap Favorite Stories of Military Times Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA
The annual Remembrance Day commemoration on 11th November, not only marks the day when World War One officially ended, commemorating those who served and made the ultimate scarify in a war over a century ago, but is an continuing tribute to all who served in subsequent wars and conflicts in which Australian personal were involved. [Garry Fabian]
In Australia, Veterans Day is Remembrance Day Read More »
International, Jewish History
This literary Prophet’s entirely poetic passages are filled with moral castigation of the priestly class. They are set in c. 740 BCE in the Northern Kingdom. They follow well the literary rules of ancient Hebrew poetry. Scholars note that Hosea’s writings reflect traditions about the patriarchs, which diverge from those in Genesis. [1] As with other prophets, he likely is a composite figure. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Haftorah Reading for November 13, 2021 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The biblical story of the flood during the days of Noah raises many questions, especially about divine punishments, and the answers help us to understand how to interpret biblical events. Some of the questions are: Why did divine punishments vary in delivery? Some examples are as
The Story of Noah and Divine Punishments Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish ReligionBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. In this week’s parasha we learn about the psychology of living life well, that is, how to strengthen our character. This includes a) reinforcing our spirituality and b) intensifying our commitment to a strong work ethic, two areas of contemporary societal life that are clearly in need of improvement. וְאַתֵּנָה
Parashat Vayetzei: Strengthening Our Character Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Rabbi Steven Burg (JNS) Many of us know the themes of the Hanukkah story: pride in being Jewish; the few against the many; the defeat of our enemy; and the rededication of the Jewish Temple. Or perhaps some have only learned of the miracle of the oil and how it burned continuously for eight
The Hanukkah Story that Jews Need to Learn Read More »
Jewish Religion
Published by Chicago Tribune I’m a huge sports fan. And while I have a particular penchant for my hometown Chicago teams, I’ll tune in to any big game. For me, sports provide the unscripted drama that supersedes the latest Netflix binge. Watching an underdog college basketball team make a surprise run to the Elite Eight
Commentary: As Kristallnacht anniversary approaches, I still hope hate speech will end Read More »
Jewish HistoryVirtually all, if not all that we are told about Isaac is obscure, as with Abraham and Jacob. The Torah leaves out explanations for behaviors, leaving it to us to imagine what occurred and to derive meaning from our own ideas. The following are some examples of opaque events. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
What Do We Know About Isaac, the Second Patriarch? Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
In a style reminiscent of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs of Disney fame, this book, reissued for Hanukkah, features a series of unidimensional characters with Yiddish names: Noshy Boy, Kvetchy Boy, Shmutzy Girl, Klutzy Boy, Shluffy Girl, Shleppy Boy, Kibbitzy Girl, and Keppy Girl. [Donald H. Harrison]
Chanukah with Some Stereotypical Yiddish Characters Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion
I created the Jaclyn Beth Kaufman Tauber Memorial Fund through the Jewish Community Foundation to honor the memory of my beautiful daughter Jackie, she was my best friend. Jackie had the ability to connect with people on a very personal level, especially children. Jackie was creatively gifted. A master puppeteer, she was a member of the San Diego Guild of Puppetry, a non-profit organization created to educate through the magic of Puppet Theater [Dale Kaufman]
A Mother’s Plea on the Sixth Anniversary of Her Daughter’s Death Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County