Michael Mantell

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — In this week’s parasha, Naso, “to lift up,’’ the longest single parasha in the Torah with its 176 pasukim, the Torah reading, following Shavuot, opens with a description of the responsibilities placed on the Levites, who are “lifted up” to perform their duties. We are introduced to […]

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha is read on the Shabbat before the celebration of Shavuot (this year beginning on Saturday evening, June 4, and concluding on Monday evening June 6). Both the parasha and the holiday involve counting. In the parasha, we learn of the importance of counting each

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha is the 33rd weekly Torah reading we’ve been learning from this year. With this parasha, we complete the reading of Sefer Vayikra, the book of Leviticus. It reads with a direct — or so it seems — promise that if we follow Hashem’s commandments, we will

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha, Behar, instructs us not to wrong another with ona’at mamon, “wronging one another with respect to monetary matters,” and with ona’at devarim, “wronging one another with words.” “And you shall not wrong, one man his fellow Jew, and you shall fear your God, for

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha, Kedoshim, sums up an all-encompassing responsibility we have: “Kedoshim tihyu, ki kadosh ani Hashem Elokeichem,” translated as, “Be holy, for I, Hashem your Lord am holy.” Rashi tells us that most of the Torah depends on this parasha. Is that why it’s in the

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — About a month ago, we read in parasha Shemini about the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. This Shabbos, in Parasha Acharei Mos, once again, the Torah takes the time to mention their deaths. In this week’s parasha, Aaron and his family are forbidden to mourn their loss,

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — In less than one week, our approaching celebration of liberation, Passover, will be within us. This Shabbat, Shabbat Hagadol, brings with it an opportunity for even more preparation than we’ve already been doing for the holiday, a special preparation, one that is spiritual. Our Torah is called

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — In this week’s parasha, Tazria, we discover tzara’as, which we have come to know in modern terms as leprosy. While this disease is uncommon today, who hasn’t found a spot or two on their body, had a biopsy and been told, B’H, “all is clean?” This seems

Night of Beginnings: A Passover Haggadah; Text and art  by Maria Falk; Published March, 2022, University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book. By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — When a Haggadah is written by a founding mother of feminist Judaism, as poet and author Marcia Falk is described, the reader

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Of course, thousands of years before we began learning that “we are what we eat,” Judaism was already teaching the importance of the food we put inside of our bodies and its significance in living optimally. This week’s Torah education brings us a long list of nourishing

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Each week we read of stories and learn messages in the Torah to offer us the strength and direction in how to serve Hashem, our Creator, in the best way possible, to live life most optimally. He is, in the words of “Yedid Nefesh” a piyyut first

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Purim. It’s our happiness, fun-filled, dramatic, costume-drinking-upside down-holiday. Many have the tradition to fast on the day before Purim (Fast of Esther). Some have the custom to give three coins to charity to recall the half-shekel donated annually to the Temple during Adar (Machatzit HaShekel), and this