Judaism

By Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — In years past, I’ve rejected the commemoration of Tisha B’av.  Over time, the legend of what an awful day this is for the Jewish people has growth.  It’s become the Friday the 13th of Friday the 13ths – except for the fact that I don’t believe in Friday the

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO–During The Three Weeks (Bein Hametzarim) culminating in 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

  By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Parashat Mas’ei begins with a review of the journeys of the Israelites after the Exodus: “These were the marches of the Israelites who started out from Egypt . . . Their marches, by starting points, were as follows:” (Num. 33:1-4) In the first half of Numbers 33:2 the Torah

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — The tribes of Gad and Reuvain wanted to live on the other side of the Jordan River, which would separate them from the rest of the Children of Israel. Moshe  realizing that this could potentially have a debilitating demoralizing effect on Klal Yisroel established parameters

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Pinchus in his famous episode and the daughters of Tzelofchod in theirs, had the courage to not follow the norm like sheep. They weren’t afraid what people  might think. They did what was right, not what was convenient, not what everyone else was doing. Our