Demons and magic in the Passover seder

There is probably no more meaningful and enjoyable service than the Passover Seder. The word “Seder” means “order.” The Seder service is arranged and celebrated in the Jewish home by the family to teach its participants about the message of the holiday: to recall the Exodus from Egyptian slavery, and recognize the need for freedom for all people from all kinds of enslavements today. Yet, a rather curious ceremony was inserted into the Seder. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

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

The Jewish candidates: Kate Schwartz in the 75th A.D.

Kate Schwartz, a Fallbrook Democrat who will face incumbent Assemblywoman Marie Waldron (R-Escondido) in the Nov. 3 runoff election, said the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the necessity to re-open community and rural hospitals. Furthermore, she said, it is evidence that California should switch from competing private health systems to a unified, single-payer health care system.  She said California could set an example for the rest of the nation. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, The World We Share, USA

Nine steps to help you worry less

Sometimes, you just need to take a deep breath. After all, Robert Frost observed, “The real reason that worry kills more people than work does, is that more people worry than work.” Perhaps we’d all worry less, and therefore be healthier, if we would just follow the wise advice of Marcus Aurelius who urged, “When you arise in the morning, think of what precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” Ahh, if it were only so easy, right? [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

The odd couple: Bibi and Benny

Did Benny Gantz betray those who voted for the Blue and White party by joining Netanyahu to form a government in which he will play second fiddle to the sitting prime minister? Many people seem to think so, among them Yair Lapid and Boogie Yaalon who have left Gantz and chosen to remain in opposition together with many of their followers. Both had served in Netanyahu governments in the past, which may account for their distrust of him and their refusal to join him again. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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Middle East

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

A Word of Torah: VaYikra

Animal sacrifice was one of the primary modes of service until the destruction of the Second Temple two thousand years ago. Many people do not understand the effectiveness of animal sacrifice. It was not the idea that a person sinned so he/she could have an animal slaughtered in his/her place. An animal sacrifice that was not accompanied by genuine contrition and deep Kavanah/intent, was utterly without value. No, the physical sacrifice represented the necessity of an internal sacrifice made by the individual who offered it. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Saying yes, when you really should say no

I do it; all my friends do it; everyone I know does it. “We all say “yes,” “OK,” “I’ll do it,” when we don’t want to. It can be a favor for a friend, additional work for an employer, a helping hand to a co-worker, an errand for a relative, a committee we don’t want to sit on, a fundraiser we don’t want to attend. Why do we say “yes” when we really mean “no”? Do women do it more often than men? I believe they do. After I have said, “yes,” agreed, committed myself, I often regret it. By then, it’s too late. If it is hard to say “no,” it is ten times harder to say, “I’ve changed my mind.” [Natasha Josefowitz, Ph,D]

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

Animal sacrifices in the ancient world

This parasha deals in tedious detail with the various conditions for sacrifices: I have chosen three topics from the text and looked for equivalents practiced by ancient pagan nations.
I. Did pagans also practice grisly animal sacrifice? Yes, it was common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East, and in fact continues in some cultures/religions today. [Irv Jacobs, MD]

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Assembly candidate rues growing anger amid pandemic

State Assembly candidate Kate Schwartz eared her graduate degree in psychiatric social work, and today as a mental health professional, she serves as one of five members on the Fallbrook Regional Health District Board.  As our society experiences the coronavirus pandemic, she says that Americans appear to be moving from the first stage of grief — shock and denial — to the far more dangerous second stage, which is anger. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA