Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

By Rabbi Michael Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Children have an unusual ability when it comes to confronting our spiritual hypocrisy as parents and as adults; very often they get to the essence of the problem as they perceive things. Frequently, as parents, we often fail to hear the questions our young people ask of us; […]

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California–With great anticipation, I was intrigued who the next Pope was going to be. Then the news came on the airwaves: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was chosen  the next Pope; and he has chosen the name, “Francis I,” after the St. Francis of Assisi because he

 -Third in a series– The Gaon of Vilna and His Messianic Vision. By Arie Morgenstern, Translated by Naftali Greenwood. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2012, Pp. xiii + 446; plates. Cloth, $29.95. I would give this book 4 stars! By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — When I received Morgenstern’s book, The Gaon of Vilna and His

  By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Most modern Jews have considerable difficulty understanding why the Satmar, Chabad, Belzer, and other Hassidic movements oppose Zionism. In this short article, I will try to explain some of the theological and exegetical background regarding the history of this problem. In the course of the

The Gaon of Vilna and His Messianic Vision by Arie Morgenstern, translated by Naftali Greenwood. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2012, Pp. xiii + 446; plates. Cloth, $29.95. I would give this book 4 stars! -First in a series — By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –The Vilna Gaon’s life is the stuff that

  By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Purim is here once more. For me, it is a bitter-sweet holiday. The year was 1996. Earlier that day, I went to the hospital to wish my father a “Freilach Purim” (Happy Purim). I was reading the Megillah for my synagogue, when suddenly, somebody informed

By Rabbi Michael Leo SamuelCHULA VISTA, California — Purim Fest 1946. 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

By Rabbi Michael Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — It seems strange, but there is scarcely a day when we don’t hear about some person losing his or her grip on reality. We are bombarded by a series of rampage shootings that we hear on the radio and television that occur with almost clockwork regularity.  Christopher

  Passing Life’s Tests: Spiritual Reflections on The Trial of Abraham, The Binding of Isaac by Rabbi Bradley Shavit-Artson. Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing (2012). ISBN-10: 1580236316. 150 pages. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Rabbi Bradley Shavit-Artson’s new book, Passing Life’s Tests: Spiritual Reflections on The Trial of Abraham, The Binding of

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Many people would say that there is a lot to like about Rabbi Manis Friedman. He is a leading exponent of Chabad theology and his book, Doesn’t Anyone Blush Anymore?: Reclaiming Intimacy, Modesty, and Sexuality discusses a very important concept that is seldom heard or discussed in modern

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Here is a question I received from one my students in our synagogue Introduction to Judaism class.  There seems to be a tension between the Jewish mitzvah (commandment) concerning marriage (and subsequently being fruitful), and the concept of love (specifically romantic love, as defined in terms

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — In this week’s Torah portion, we read about a strange story that nearly costs Moses his life (Exod. 4:24-27). As he was about to return to Egypt, Moses takes his wife (Tsipporah) and sons and travel toward Egypt. However, along the way, it appears that Moses

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel  CHULA VISTA, California — One of the most exciting exegetical works I have read in years is Rabbi Ari D. Kahn’s Echoes of Eden on Sefer Shemot: Salvation and Sanctity—Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion on the Book of Exodus. Publisher: Gefen Publishing House, 2012. ISBN-10: 965229585X, 350 pages. Price: $29.95  His