By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Once upon a time, some American tourists went to Mexico on a vacation; they toured some hot springs, where they saw the natives washing their clothes! One tourist said to his guide, “My, isn’t wonderful how Mother Nature provides her children with hot water to wash their […]
Learning to appreciate our bounty Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — I must confess that it was with regret that I learned that soon-to-be-former Mayor Bob Filner will resign. With his resignation I lose the butt of some of my recent jokes. (“Did you hear that the synagogue is cancelling its sexual harassment training program this year? In its
Filner should have resigned long ago Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Berk SAN DIEGO — The lurid allegations of politicians acting badly overcame the usual summer lull in news this season. Mayor Bob Filner and Anthony Weiner spent much of the summer trying to survive politically. But what about spiritual survival? What does their common faith, Judaism, teach about sin, atonement and forgiveness?
Time for Filner, Weiner and us to do teshuvah Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — We all have our secret lives. I don’t mean to say that each of us has a sinister side, which we wickedly act out in some deep, dark, private world. What I do mean is that we all act differently when we are alone, or with a
The sins that we commit in the privacy of our homes Read More »
Jewish Religion
SAN DIEGO — Our license plate maven Melanie Rubin has no idea whose initials CES are, but she figures that the owner of the license plate has a very lucky number: 18, which, of course, is the numeric value of the Hebrew word for life, “Chai.” So mazal tov, CES, and L’Chaim!
Jewish-interest license plate: CES 18 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Melanie Rubin
The Gods are Broken! The Hidden Legacy of Abraham by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, U. of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE as a Jewish Publication Society Book’; ISBN 978-0-8276-0931-0 ©2013, $19.95, p. 133, plus notes and bibliography By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — The life of Abraham, the first patriarch of the Hebrew nation, is
Rabbi reconstructs the life of Abraham Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — One of the most conspicuous signs of a Jewish home is the mezuza on the doorpost. While sometimes people think that the essence of the mitzva is affixing the decorative case on the doorpost, the important part of the mezuza is what’s inside: a small scroll with the
Building a parapet around our roofs and our hearts Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Personally, I have never been one for reality television shows. Life is much too interesting to “observe” from afar. When I was growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember “The Dating Game.” This show would pit a number of contestants who would compete for
The suicide of a contestant on ‘The Bachelor’ Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — There is a phrase that one hears quite commonly nowadays: “It is what it is.” There is something that has always disturbed me about that phrase. To me, the phrase seems to be stating that things will remain as they are and that there is no possibility
Torah considers the actual and the potential Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Living in a Jewish country has its attractions. One of them is that you can enjoy being a Jew without being religious. Living in a Jewish country also has its problems. One of them is that you cannot avoid Judaism. Even outspoken Jewish atheists are surrounded by stimuli associated with
Israeli rabbinate grapples with homosexual sexploitation Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — King Louis XIV (at least the Mel Brooks version) famously said, “It’s good to be the king.” He uttered this line whenever he wanted to justify his boorish behavior. The implication was that a king can do whatever he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it,
How should a Jewish ruler behave? Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — More than one Torah School parent has told me that when their children daven (participate in a prayer service) at a Jewish camp, they love it. The campers tell their parents about the ruach and enthusiasm that are generated by all of the participants. However, their children tell
Bringing enthusiasm to group prayer Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Yonatan Gordon NEW YORK — Why I’m boycotting the Ender’s Game movie. Okay, it’s not for the reason that others are now bringing. Much like the boycott itself, my story actually begins long before the movie adaption for the upcoming November 1st film was developed. It dates back to the night after Tisha B’Av
My reason for boycotting ‘Ender’s Game’ Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — It is difficult to tell you much about my high school friend without disclosing his identity. He is now world-famous, having become a major figure in the field of high finance. So, in the interests of protecting his privacy, I will alter some of the facts of
Wealth is irrelevant to those with true Torah values Read More »
Jewish Religion