Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi – Page 25 – San Diego Jewish World

‘A Shepherd’s Song’ analyzes Psalm 23’s metaphor

May 1, 2014

A Shepherd’s Song: Psalm 23 and the Shepherd Metaphor in Jewish Thought by Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel, Kodesh Press, New York, NY; ISBN 978-0-61599-132-0 ©2014, $22.95, p. 360, plus Notes and Index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Psalm 23 is arguably the most well known of the one hundred fifty psalms. Its opening […]

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Examining Protestant animus toward the Jews

April 29, 2014

-First in a series- By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Jesus once said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good

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Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Arab professor visits Auschwitz with his students

April 27, 2014

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The language of empathy is hardwired into the consciousness of many higher mammals. Human beings share the capacity to experience empathy for others. Of course, human beings are different in one basic respect from the animal kingdom. Whereas empathy is something that is instinctual in the

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Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East

Brandeis was wrong to cancel Ali’s honor

April 12, 2014

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — One of the most important feminists fighting for women’s rights in the Islamic world is a woman named Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This remarkable woman was born in Somalia where she was raised as a Muslim. She spent her youth and young adulthood in Africa and Saudi

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

‘Noah’ departs in many ways from biblical narrative

April 4, 2014

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,

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Rabbi Yosef’s opinion on plagiarism is mistaken

March 28, 2014

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

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Employees surfing unrelated Internet sites are stealing

March 22, 2014

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

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Opposites: Samuel Rosenman and Queen Esther

March 16, 2014

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –The Mishnah teaches that, “Anyone reading the Megillah backwards (or out of sequence) has not fulfilled his obligation” (BT. Megillah 17a).[1] Hassidic Scholars noted that one should never think that the miracles and the story of Purim are a relic of the ancient past. Rather its message continues

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Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Purim and the Nazi Julius Streicher

March 14, 2014

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –During the Holocaust years, Purim celebrations were forbidden to the Jews. Christians and Jews could not even own the book of Esther. Such decrees did not stop the Nazis from poking fun at the Jews on this Jewish holiday. With diabolical glee, the Nazis frequently orchestrated special

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Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Women’s prayers more spiritual than men’s?

February 27, 2014

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

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Five stars plus for a book on Psalms

February 26, 2014

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

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

A Bible is illustrated as never before

February 18, 2014

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

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Creating an inner space for God to dwell

January 31, 2014

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

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Book Review: ‘The Making of a Halachic Decision’

January 25, 2014

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

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

‘A Shepherd’s Song’ analyzes Psalm 23’s metaphor

Examining Protestant animus toward the Jews

Arab professor visits Auschwitz with his students

Brandeis was wrong to cancel Ali’s honor

‘Noah’ departs in many ways from biblical narrative

Rabbi Yosef’s opinion on plagiarism is mistaken

Employees surfing unrelated Internet sites are stealing

Opposites: Samuel Rosenman and Queen Esther

Purim and the Nazi Julius Streicher

Women’s prayers more spiritual than men’s?

Five stars plus for a book on Psalms

A Bible is illustrated as never before

Creating an inner space for God to dwell

Book Review: ‘The Making of a Halachic Decision’

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