Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –This past week, I watched the new movie Noah with considerable interest. The newest book of my Genesis commentary deals largely with the story of Noah and the moral questions raised by the Noah narrative. Naturally, whether a person writes a script or a commentary on a biblical story,

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —The Jerusalem Post featured an unusual article about the Chief Rabbi of Holon Rabbi Avraham Yosef, the son of the late Sefardic-Haredi leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. His son sits on the Israel Chief Rabbinate’s council and commands considerable influence in Orthodox politics in Israel and abroad. In

 By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — This question is based on a question posed to the “Ethicist” column in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. My colleague at work spends most of his time posting to the website, Reddit. He could be posting information about his boss or work environment that could

The Tefillah Revolution by Chaya Sara Lefkowitz; Menucha Publishers (Brooklyn, 2013); 184 pages; ISBN-10: 1614650950;$17.98. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –In her beautifully attractive book, The Tefillah Revolution, Chaya Sara Lefkowitz begins her subject focusing on one of the most important problems regarding the prayer life of people: Why do we find it

David’s Psalms by David Sharir and Benjamin Segal; Gefen Publishing House, 2013; ISBN 9789652296191, 110 pages, Rating 5+ Stars. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — This new book on the Psalms is very simple and yet very elegant. Rabbi Benjamin Segal’s previous volume, New Psalm: The Psalms as a Literature, is an excellent

Nahum HaLevi, The Color of Prophecy: Visualizing the Bible In a New Light;  Hardcover; Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House 2012 By Rabbi Michael Samuels CHULA VISTA, California — The Zohar teaches that there are many different layers of Torah interpretation. This mystical work cautions us to take the biblical text at face value. In reality, many

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California– As Creator, and the Source of our being, God continuously brings our existence out of the abyss of nothingness, and is renewed with the possibility of new life.  God’s love and compassion is bio-centric and embraces the universe in its totality.  God’s power is not all-powerful (in

  Rabbi Moshe Walter,  The Making of a Halachic Decision. Menucha Publishers.ISBN: 1614650896. 231 pages, $24. Rating: 3* out of 5. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Any student of Jewish law has often wondered about the origin of the Halachic decision-making process.  True, the Talmud is full of arguments. If you

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Question from Jewish Values Online: In the Torah parsha (selection for reading) Yitro, the Torah tells us that Jethro took Moses’ wife, Tziporah and their two sons, and sent them home. I once heard a teacher explain in a homiletical way that this was an example

Chumash Mesoras Harav – Chumash with Commentary Based on the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik – Sefer Bereishis by Dr. Arnold Lustiger: OU Press and Ohr Publishing; First edition (2013) ISBN-10: 0989124606. Price: $38.24 Rating: 5* By Rabbi Michael Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — As one of the most important Orthodox thinkers of his time,

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California–Hassidic literature teaches that one of the reasons given for Hassidim swaying in prayer is based upon the analogy of the movement that occurs in the act of love making. Prayer is like  “making love to the Shekhinah.” The Baal Shem Tov  is purported to have taught: Prayer