Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

[caption id="attachment_22661" align="alignright" width="100"] Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel[/caption]

Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California.

His books, available on Amazon, include:

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*A Shepherd’s Song
*Gentle Judaic Wisdom for a Troubled World
*Maimonides Hidden Torah Commentaries: Genesis 1-21
*Maimonides Hidden Torah Commentaries: Genesis: 22-50
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 1): Genesis
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 2): Exodus
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 3) Leviticus
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator(Vol 4) Numbers
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 5) Deuteronomy

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Will the Messiah come this year?

Ever since the coronavirus started, many of my congregants asked me whether this year might be the year of the Messiah’s arrival. A couple of days I ago, I came across an earlier article about how the Israeli Health Ministry Yaakov Litzman has done a poor job in managing the coronavirus crisis that we see in the Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) community in Israel. The pandemic has impacted their community, as much as four to eight times faster than elsewhere in Israel. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Passover awakens Jewish memory

Passover is a unique holiday. While most people tend to see themselves as a product of the present, the Jew is different in one basic respect. Regardless of denomination, Jews are a people forged by the fiery crucible of memory. We say in the Passover Haggadah, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt . . .Had not the Holy Blessed One taken us out of Egypt, then we and our children, and our grandchildren would still be slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

When the Haredim met Humpty Dumpty

Although Haredim, also known as ultra-Orthodox, make up only 12 percent of Israel’s population, the Haredim account for 40 to 60 percent of the coronavirus patients at four major hospitals, hospital officials told Israeli news media. The true dimensions of the epidemic among the Haredim can only be estimated because testing is rare. All of this has occurred under Rabbi Litzman’s watch. And to make the situation even worse, he himself contracted the virus. All of this could have been avoided, had he committed to the same rules of social-distancing he was supposed to have recommended to his communities.[1] [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East

Humans — and countries — always responsible for actions

The Mishnah discusses an interesting case concerning an individual assuming personal liability for damages that one inadvertently causes to another. The text reads: “A human being is always considered ‘forewarned’ and is responsible in all situations where he inadvertently or purposely caused damage to another—whether he was awake, or even if he was asleep. If someone blinded another person’s eye, or broke his vessels, he must pay full damages. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Pandemics in an age of political correctness

When President Trump referred to the coronavirus, he referred to it several times as “the Chinese Virus.” This led to a barrage of criticisms claiming the President was stigmatizing Chinese Americans and other Asian ethnicities in this country. Looking at the comment, I thought it reaffirmed Rahm Emanuel’s cynical remark: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Actually, it was not Emanuel who originated this remark, it was Winston Churchill who first said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” When seen through the lens of realpolitik, Nancy Pelosi’s and Joe Biden’s accusation that Trump is a racist is clever—especially in an election year. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Science, Medicine, & Education

DeBlasio stumbles over First Amendment

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a penchant for making controversial comments. As a politician who always tries to win the loyalty of his constituency, it is quite possible he may have dug a hole for himself that he cannot climb out of. The Mayor said: “If your congregation continues to meet, you could be done for good. If you go to your synagogue, if you go to your church and attempt to hold services, after having been told so often not to, our enforcement agents will have no choice, but to shut down those services, … I don’t say that with any joy. It’s the last thing I would like to do, because I understand how important people’s faiths are to them, and we need our faith in this time of crisis. But we do not need gatherings that will endanger people.”[1] [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Cremation, Judaism, and the coronavirus

It is with surprise, one of Israel’s leading Modern Orthodox Rabbis, Kenneth Brander, who is the dean of the Israeli Ohr Torah Stone network of institutions, came out with an unexpected ruling: bodies infected by the coronavirus ought to be cremated in order to save the life of the living. One such person in Buenos Aires was cremated despite protests from his community. This ruling applies only when the government demands that cremations take place for the health of the public. In places like Italy or Britain, the governments there have made an exception to the faith communities. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Weaponizing the coronavirus

At a time when the world ought to be banding together for the common good, there is another segment of the human population that is contemplating new ways of weaponizing the coronavirus. In Gaza, Hamas came up with a new way harming Israelis. By raining missiles on Israel from Gaza, they are well-aware that Israelis will crowd themselves into bomb-shelters, an environment that would make it very easy to spread the pandemic among Israelis. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East

The Mezuzah and the Coronavirus

One of the fascinating aspects of the coronavirus and its impact upon our society is the impact it is having on the religious lives of people across the world. In Israel, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi asked Jews to stop kissing mezuzahs because of the coronavirus, while a major European rabbinical group published its own directives how to contain the spread of the illness. For those who are unfamiliar with what a mezuzah is, a mezuzah is a small parchment that contains some of the most sacred Jewish prayers, most notably, the Shema. Some Jews are instructed not to touch the mezuzah, or a Torah scroll with their hands. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Theology and the coronavirus

Whenever a pandemic occurs, people will inevitably ask the question: Why do such viruses occur? Why does God allow such harmful things to happen? The answers will vary based upon a person’s religious tradition. No one faith tradition can speak for the whole religion. Religious diversity demands we take the context and parish story of each religious denomination seriously, if we are to understand where someone else is coming from. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Torah teaches officials to be good financial stewards

Moses gave an exact accounting of the raw material brought to the Sanctuary: gold (29 talents, 730 shekels), silver (100 talents, 1,757 shekels), copper (70 talents, 2,400 shekels) etc. The first thing which strikes us is that this seems to be an accountant’s report on Moses’ business affairs. Moses, after all, is the leader of the Jewish People; if he isn’t above suspicion, who is? But why encumber Moses with a ledger?The answer ought to be obvious. The sacred text comes to teach us that no one is above suspicion. Even Moses is accountable. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Are internet minyans kosher?

The question has come up: May one may participate in a virtual minyan on the Internet?  Many of my colleagues tend to rule against such a possibility for a variety of reasons. Judaic law specifies the importance of ten people (we count women in the Conservative Movement) must be clustered in one central place. Even if they are in another room, but within hearing distance of the place where people are praying, they may not be counted as part of the minyan.[1] [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi