Being F.I.T. through the pandemic

 At this time of ever-growing COVID19 anxiety, conditioning our mind for mental vigor and fitness may be more important than many other steps we are all taking during our heightened awareness of disease transmission. At the very least, it will lead to less hand wringing and could lead to more hand washing. Now before you think this column is about physical exercise and muscle growth, I’m talking here about another type of being F.I.T., one that I’ve been writing and speaking about for many years. This F.I.T. has to do with being a “Fundamentally Independent Thinker” and requires no exercise equipment. Oh, right, the link is what you think, remember? Let’s delve into this a bit and see how being an independent thinker, not hooked into external events, can help you through the COVID19 upheaval. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Being F.I.T. through the pandemic Read More »

Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Israel needs economic stimulus in wake of coronavirus

As the coronavirus sweep its destructive path around the world, including in Israel, leaving health and medical experts advising governments and authorities to take radical measures to “flatten the curve,” healthy populations have had their lives totally disrupted potentially to the point of personal and familial ruin. The virus and stringent government imposed steps have inflicted an unbearable economic toll on the nation. [Barry Shaw]

Israel needs economic stimulus in wake of coronavirus Read More »

Barry Shaw, Middle East

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]

Demons and magic in the Passover seder Read More »

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]

The Mezuzah and the Coronavirus Read More »

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]

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

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]

Nine steps to help you worry less Read More »

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]

The odd couple: Bibi and Benny Read More »

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]

Theology and the coronavirus Read More »

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]

A Word of Torah: VaYikra Read More »

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]

Saying yes, when you really should say no Read More »

Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz