Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

Rabbi Israel Drazin

Dr. Israel Drazin served for 31 years in the US military and attained the rank of Brigadier General. He has a PhD in Judaic Studies and a Masters Degree in psychology and a Masters Degree in Jewish Literature. He is an attorney and a rabbi.

He developed the legal strategy that saved the military chaplaincies when its constitutionality was attacked in court, and received the Legion of Merit for his service.

He was the scholar who recognized that the Aramaic translation Targum Onkelos took hundreds of items from the Tannaitic Midrashim, which were edited around 400 CE; therefore, the Targum must have been composed after that date, a period much later than had been widely accepted.

He is the author of more than 50 books, including a series of five volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, and a series of books on the twelfth century philosopher Moses Maimonides, a history of the legal case he handled, and dozens of books on the Bible.

His works, available on Amazon, include:
*A Rational Approach to Judaism and Torah Commentary
*Can’t Start Passover Without the Bread (Children’s Literature) ***
*For God and Country: The History of a Constitutional Challenge to the Army Chaplaincy
*Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets
*Maimonides: Reason Above All
*Maimonides: The Exceptional Mind
*Mysteries of Judaism (Maimonides and Rational)
*Mysteries of Judaism II: How the Rabbis and Others Changed Judaism
*Nachmanides: An Unusual Thinker
*Onkelos on the Torah Understanding the Bible Text (5 Volume Set)**
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 1: Genesis) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 2: Exodus) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 3: Leviticus) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 4: Numbers) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 5: Deuteronomy) **
*Sailing on Moti’s Ark on Sukkoth (Children’s Literature) ***
*Stories that Teach the Truth: Ecclesiastes, Tobit, Susanna, and Other Stories.
*Studies in Onkelos (Hebrew edition)
*Targum Onkelos to Exodus [2]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*Targum Onkelos to Leviticus [3]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*Targum Onkelos to Numbers [4]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
Targum Onkelos to Deuteronomy [5]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*The Authentic King Solomon
*The Tragedies of King David
*Understanding Onkelos
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Five Books of Moses (Maimonides and Rational)
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Hosea
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Jonah and Amos
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Joshua
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Judges
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Ruth, Esther, Judith
*What’s Beyond the Biblical Text? **
*Who Really Was the Biblical David?
*Who Was the Biblical Prophet Samuel?

** Co-Authored with Stanley Wagner
** Co-Authored with Leba Lieder

Excellent dating advice, Marry a Mensch

Kigel’s longest chapter contains her Dating Don’ts. She discusses breaking up a relationship with a so-so man, experiencing opposite traits in a person, confusing bad habits with bad character, being attracted to a “bad boy,” dating guys who are not interested in marriage, having unrealistic expectations, what feelings should be taken seriously, being the pursuer as a woman, being friends with other men, and dating more than one man at a time. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Wiesel’s 1973 Novel ‘The Oath’ is Worth Reading Again

The plot is interesting, enlightening, and engaging, a delight to read. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 because of what he wrote about the horrors of the Holocaust, Russia, and other subjects.  He artistically paints his characters in his poetic style, as Rembrandt painted in oils and brought his subject to life with his paints. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors

The Shabbat meal, its origin, beauty, and intelligence

The Shabbat meal contains significant items, including zemirot, which are medieval songs and ancient biblical psalms. They are a powerful means of preserving and showcasing Jewish culture’s rich and diverse nature. These sacred, secular, serious, and playful lyrics praise God and the Shabbat, transforming the meal into a time of joy and inspiration. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Novel Depicts Trials of Nazi Doctors at Nuremberg

The Nuremberg Nazi Doctors’ Trials, called United States of America v. Karl Brandt et al., occurred from December 9, 1946 to August 20, 1947. There were 23 defendants. Twenty were medical doctors. They were accused of performing Nazi human experimentation and mass murder under the guise of euthanasia. (Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

In Appreciation of Elie Wiesel’s ‘The Testament’

The Testament is a novel focusing on the Soviet leader Stalin murdering Russia’s greatest Jewish poets and novelists on August 12, 1952, and before that date. Wiesel gathers the lives, thinking, and acts of these martyrs by imagining the tale of Paltiel Kossova , a Jewish poet who, despite devoting himself to communism, was murdered by the communist leader. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors

Always Act with a Goal in Mind

Since childhood, one of my life guides has been “Always act with a goal in mind.” Later, I saw that Friedrich Nietzsche put the idea this way, “Humans need a goal to live,” and Andrew Carnegie wrote, “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

In Defense of a 25-Year-Old Novel by Elie Wiesel

Many reviewers found Elie Wiesel’s 1999 book The Judges difficult and abandoned it before reaching the end. They enjoyed the dozens of this Nobel Peace Prize winners’ books but dismissed this one, although it is in easy-to-read English, because they could not understand what was happening. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors

Samson vs. Hercules

Many consider Hercules the strongest ancient Greek and Samson the most muscular Jew. Both tales involve eating and drinking. Both were engaged in romantic affairs; Hercules had four wives, and Samson had liaisons with three women and married one of them. The two had miraculous births involving a deity: Hercules’ father was the god Zeus, and Samson gave birth after his mother received a message from heaven delivered by an angel. The two births focused on their mother, the woman Zeus cohabited with, and the woman with whom an angel communicated. In both instances, the husbands were ignored. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

J.D. Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’: An Argument for a Universal Military Draft

One of the many things we can learn from Vance’s experience and use it to help not only hillbillies but all disadvantaged cultures. We can institute a universal draft. All males and females from age 18 must either join one of the military services for at least two years or a new, somewhat similar service that helps improve the lives of US citizens. Israel has such a system. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The Difference Between the Law and Justice

Most people need to realize the profound difference between law and justice. The difference also exists between ethics and thinking and other matters in this world, such as human habits and the active forces of nature. I will describe the difference by focusing on the 2024 movie The Beekeeper. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast