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]
Animal sacrifices in the ancient world Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
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]
Assembly candidate rues growing anger amid pandemic Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA
Columnist Laurie Baron has been scouring the TV and Internet services for movies of Jewish interest that you can watch at home. Combined with the previous installments of his research, it is quite a collection. Here are links to Parts I, II, III, and IV. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Streaming Jewish movies at home, Part V Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Well, first we had climate change angst, with dozens of cli-fi novels and movies about runaway global warming and all the nightmares that issue evokes. Now, cli-fi, of course, is on the back burner, replaced by the current coronavirus global pandemic which is really something to start worrying about. [Dan Bloom]
We have cli-fi fiction; is corona-fi the next genre? Read More »
Lifestyles, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Okay, before you go all holier than thou, critical, or laugh so hard you can’t pay attention to the content of this article, here’s what being “All FFF’d Up” means when it comes to preventing emotional turmoil during this COVID19 unbalanced time. It means you need to have Fun, include Friends and be Focused. C’mon, what’d you think I meant? Besides, I like it better than Conviction, Commitment and Consistency. Three C’s or three F’s? See what I mean? [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
The three FFF’s of emotional balance Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell
This week, we begin the third book of the Torah, Vayikra. The book is somewhat of a challenging book to read and relate to. That is because it spends significant time talking about the sacrifices that the ancient Israelites brought to the temple. As an ancient ritual, bringing a sacrificial offering to the temple was the primary way that the ancient Israelites interacted with their faith, and with God. In the wake of the destruction of the temple, Judaism had to reinvent itself. It had to create a new way for Jews to connect to God, when the traditional method of connection was no longer a viable option. [Rabbi Joshua Dorsch]
Judaism migrated from Temple to synagogues, and now to homes Read More »
Jewish Religion
There’s too much drama going on in my life. First there’s the coronavirus and all its ramifications – seclusion, isolation, alienation, claustrophobia, agoraphobia, to name but a few. And on top of all that, there’s the political situation in Israel. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Coronavirus, political machinations — what’s next? Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East
Via such Internet communication systems as Zoom and Facebook, San Diegans have been receiving scientific, psychological, and spiritual information during this coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego sponsored a 40-minute online briefing by Prof. Erica Ollmann Sapphire, Ph.D, of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in which some of the points that she covered were: [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Scientific, psychological, spiritual advice during pandemic Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Ed [Richard]was understandably deeply moved by the dedication ceremony, and profoundly touched when he saw us using the Torah that he had donated in loving memory of his amazing parents. And so, a few years later, when Ed had an Aliyah, and when we made the blessing for him following his Aliyah, he whispered to me, “I want to donate another Torah.” “What?!” I exclaimed. I was sure I must have misheard. NOBODY donates two Torahs! [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
Remarkable history of Holocaust Torah at Chabad of La Costa Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
On her first two days as a freshman, two teachers laughed when pronouncing a student’s last name, Guiffre, as Jew-Frey. One teacher remarked, “I wouldn’t want a last name like that,” and the same teacher would later recommend Mein Kampf as a great book. An anti-Semitic photo displayed in a group chat in 2018 prompted an investigation by the state attorney general, which last October found probable cause that Paige fell victim to discrimination by the school and the school district based on her religion. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Neo-Nazi youth taunt Jewish student in New Jersey Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
“Democracy or anarchy?” was a front-page headline in yesterday’s The Marker, the business section of Ha’aretz. The issue was the conflict between the Speaker of the Knesset (former prisoner of Zion in his native Soviet Union Yuli Edelstein) and Israel’s Supreme Court. The court decreed that he isn’t allowed to delay a plenary session of the new Knesset, as is the law, to elect a Speaker.
Yuli Edelstein and Israel’s Supreme Court Read More »
Middle East
Editor’s Note: Columnist Laurie Baron has been scouring the TV and Internet services for movies of Jewish interest that you can watch at home. Combined with the previous installments of his research, it is quite a collection. Here are links to Parts I, II, and III.
Streaming Jewish movies at home, Part IV Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & BroadcastSure, you may be thinking that word might be “hate,” “poverty,” “illness,” or “death.” No, these words are mild compared to the self-disturbing, life-sucking, contentment-robbing, depression-boosting, anxiety-inducing, and anger-building word I’m thinking of. That word is “should.” In the wonderful words of my mentor and teacher, Albert Ellis, Ph.D., “Should-hood leads to sh#&-hood.” He also observed, “It’s far better to masturbate than MUSTurbate.” Yes, he was a straight talking guy. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D.]
One word makes COVID19 even worse Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell
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]
Torah teaches officials to be good financial stewards Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA