Sam Glaser is a performer, composer, producer and author in Los Angeles. He has released 25 albums of his music, he produces music for various media in his Glaser Musicworks recording studio and his book The Joy of Judaism is an Amazon bestseller. Visit him online at www.samglaser.com. Join Sam for a weekly uplifting hour of study every Wednesday night (7:30 pm PST, Zoom Meeting ID: 71646005392) for learners of all ages and levels of knowledge.
By Sam Glaser LOS ANGELES — I love the connection of numbers and Torah. In macro terms, Torah is the blueprint of the universe. What is the secret of six? According to the famous Passover song, Who Knows One?, one is God, two are the tablets, three are the forefathers, four are the matriarchs, five […]
By Sam Glaser LOS ANGELES — The 14th of Adar, Purim, is one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing in costumes, getting together with my community and partying with friends. Hopefully, we do this more than once a year! But on Purim, the joy and communal harmony is mandated. What fun it is to
Purim: From Exodus to Esther Read More »
Jewish Religion, Sam GlaserTwo key factors have kept us sane while raising the next generation of Jewish kids: involving God in the process and striving for consistency in our parenting effort. My wife, Shira and I leave the heavy lifting to God. What we eat, how we treat others and what we do on Shabbat and holidays isn’t something we have to negotiate. We have a priceless 3500-year-old tradition offering precise guidelines on maximizing life and minimizing drama. [Sam Glaser]
Our Jewish Parenting: Keeping Consistency Constant Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam GlaserBy Sam Glaser LOS ANGELES — I love to watch our quiet street come alive when I daven Shacharit on our front porch, bound in my tefillin and enveloped in my tallit. Our next-door neighbors have two adorable kids, the oldest a loquacious blonde with a favorite game. I watch him try, often successfully, to
The Teenage Years: Better Run Away Read More »
Lifestyles, Sam GlaserI practice telescope parenting. When my kids were younger, I loved watching them run around in public and got great amusement observing their antics. I let them pick the agenda on the outing, interact with whomever they fancied and climb or explore at will. This worked great on hikes, at the beach, visiting museums or shopping malls, where they could safely wander and express themselves. It was always interesting to see who was charmed by their personalities, who would initiate conversation and who would look around for the irresponsible guardian who set the kids loose. [Sam Glaser]
‘Telescope Parenting’ Means Watching Your Kids from a Safe Distance Read More »
Lifestyles, Sam GlaserThe month of October unleashes a tension of sorts in our predominantly Jewish Pico-Robertson neighborhood in Los Angeles. As one walks farther from Pico Boulevard, the ubiquitous sukkot on front lawns give way to macabre Halloween decorations. Jewish kids must grapple with a continuum of responses to trick-or-treating: for the far right, it’s as if the holiday doesn’t exist. In a non-COVID year, Modern Orthodox might allow their kids to make the rounds seeking kosher candy and haunted houses, but downplay any outward signs of participation. Sadly, Jews of other denominations are more likely to be carrying a light saber than a lulav. [Sam Glaser]
Comparing and contrasting Halloween and Sukkot Read More »
Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser, USABy Sam Glaser LOS ANGELES — As a yeshiva student in the Old City of Jerusalem in my 20s, I learned that the month of Elul was a big deal, a 29-day period to buckle down on preparation for the imminent High Holidays. I remember the rabbis telling us that “the King is in the
High Holiday Preparations in the Jungle Read More »
Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser, Travel and FoodJudeo-Christian theology espouses an immanent, loving God, a celestial coach rooting for each individual’s spiritual growth. Scripture is filled with reminders of this abundant love, with prayers and rituals offering myriad opportunities for returning God’s grace with grateful service. On the other hand, Biblical stories are rife with descriptions of disastrous cause-and-effect chain reactions resulting from arrogance, indifference and infidelity. God’s love includes challenging us with real life responses to our choices. The secret of true love is tough love, the presence of consequences. But it all starts with love. [Sam Glaser]
Spiritual Parenting: The Gift of a Reprimand Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam GlaserI am who I am thanks to Shabbat. Due to this biblically mandated institution, I have peace of mind, a flourishing community, a great relationship with my family and a career where I traverse the country singing its praises. All this benefit for just taking a day off! The Torah emphasizes Shabbat more than any other ritual because it provides the most profound physical, financial and emotional evidence that one is serious about a relationship with God. [Sam Glaser]
When my father had back surgery, he shopped around to nearly every top orthopedic surgeon in L.A. until he found one willing to cut into his ailing eighty-five-year-old frame and repair three levels of his lumbar vertebrae. We were overjoyed to see him recover from the spine operation but soon thereafter he needed a knee replacement. Oy vey! For all his health issues, he still maintains his Dodger and Laker season tickets, trades on the stock market and teaches a monthly Jewish history class. But his pleasure in life is sharply curtailed in what seems to be a cruel downward spiral of Job-like proportions. [Sam Glaser]
Caring for Aging Parents and Beyond Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam GlaserThe Jewish People are players in a grand scheme I refer to as “War of Worldcraft.” We are in the midst of a 3500-year peer-to-peer networking phenomenon unrivaled in history. In every generation, we are engaged in a battle to the death against the monsters of ignorance, immorality and violence. With courage and unrivaled conviction, we cleave to our ancient texts and traditions, hoping to thrive while influencing those around us. The Torah reveals the contradictory nature of our future as an eternal people: we will remain few in number and yet have vast impact on all of humankind as we wander the globe. [Sam Glaser]
Pesach: War of Worldcraft Read More »
Jewish Religion, Sam GlaserBy Sam Glaser LOS ANGELES — My wife, Shira, shops for the smallest packages of food in order to conserve space in our three-shelf pantry. When I find one of those ten-ounce boxes of Cheerios, I cringe and dream of buying supersize at Costco. I prefer a plethora of cereal options to mix and match
Shefa: The Jewish ‘Secret’ Read More »
Lifestyles, Sam GlaserOne day, a boy found a fuzzy caterpillar and put it in a cage as a new pet. Soon, he observed the fascinating metamorphosis as the caterpillar disappeared within a cocoon. He checked the crusty shell daily and eventually noticed a small opening. As he’d hoped, a butterfly was trying to emerge. The boy waited impatiently and feared it was stuck. He took a scissors and gently opened the hole so the creature could escape. Sure enough, the butterfly inched out with a large swollen body and small, misshapen wings. Sadly, those wings never grew properly and the malformed insect spent its last days haplessly crawling around the cage. The boy learned that wings only develop when butterflies mount a tenacious struggle to escape their cocoons. His misguided act of kindness led to the creature’s doom. [Sam Glaser]
The Science of Struggle Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam GlaserBy Sam Glaser LOS ANGELES — During the Sukkot holiday, the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles erupts in joyful celebration. Our forty-plus kosher restaurants all have sukkot attached. There’s a sukkah on top of Ralph’s supermarket. One could conceivably sukkah hop to a different hut every five minutes and not exhaust the inventory. Google “Sukkah’s
The Joys of Sukkot Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Sam Glaser, USA