Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi Archives - Page 15 of 34

Practical tips for studying the Talmud

May 16, 2017

Understanding the Talmud: A Systematic Guide to Talmudic Structure and Methodology by Rabbi Yitzchak Feigenbaum; Feldheim; 2nd edition (1988); ISBN By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Some Aramaic scholarly friends of mine who speak and know Talmudic Aramaic often complain about the poor syntax of the Talmud. To most English readers, it almost […]

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Warsaw’s secret diaries recalled at Yom HaShoah

April 23, 2017

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel LA JOLLA, California — This year’s San Diego Yom HaShoah presented one of the finest programs I have experienced in many years since arriving in San Diego almost eight years ago. The musical selections were excellent; the theme of the program was “Memory and Morality” and featured Roberta Grossman, who is

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International, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County

Beware of insults to other religions

February 25, 2017

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Translations of the Bible often reveal more about a translator’s world view than they do about the actual text. Once we decipher the context, a translation reveals something that is hidden to the reader. This is especially the case with respect to one of the more straightforward

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Disagreeing with rabbi who rewrote prayer for U.S.A.

January 24, 2017

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — There is a good reason why politics and religion may be compared to the mixture of meat and milk. Milk by itself is a very nutritious food. Meat by itself is also a source of protein and vitamins, yet when we mix the two together, they

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USA

Missed religious opportunity at the Inaugural

January 24, 2017

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — This past Friday, the world witnessed a peaceful transition of power in our country. Indeed, it is the kind of event we ought to be celebrating regardless how we may feel about the new President being elected. In North Korea, Muslim theocracies, and in other totalitarian

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Thoughts on Chagall’s ‘White Crucifixion’

December 18, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –This past Shabbat at Temple Beth Shalom we had a most remarkable discussion on the famous Russian painter, Marc Chagall, as we discussed his various paintings of Jesus’s crucifixion. A panel consisting of Dr. David Strom, Dr. Tzvi Sax, and myself explored the history of several of

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Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

‘Paid protesters’ report a hoax which had me fooled

November 17, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — It was brought to my attention this morning that the story about paid protesters to which I alluded in a column, here linked, was indeed a fake story. For this I apologize. Paul Horner loves fooling people with fabricated articles. In fact, Horner’s con was so effective,

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Paid protesters and employers must be condemned

November 16, 2016

Editor’s Note: News articles to which this column alluded were a hoax. Apologizing for being taken in, Rabbi Samuel has filed an updated column, here linked. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The riots and protests spreading around the country might give one the impression that these are spontaneous outbreaks, yet there

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

From election’s dissonance, perhaps comes a pathway

November 10, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — After everything that has been said and done, this election will probably be remembered as one of the most acrimonious elections, full of mudslinging, accusations of improprieties, and personal attacks that our country has ever seen. The brilliant French political thinker, Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) wrote

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Hillary Clinton and Abimelech

November 1, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —The Book of Judges speaks of a time of great social chaos in the generations leading to the formation of the ancient Israelite monarchy. The author of Judges bluntly says, “In those days there was no king in Israel and every man did what was right in

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

What is the true nature of a zombie?

November 1, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –This past week, I enjoyed watching some scary zombie movies on Hulu and Netflix; it’s a custom I have kept since I was a boy of seven or eight years old. Halloween was always a fun time for me as a child. Watching scary movies still remains

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

On giving Donald Trump a tallit

September 5, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –This past weekend, Detroit pastor Bishop Wayne Jackson draped a tallit around Donald Trump’s shoulders at service. What was the Jewish reaction? Well, that takes us to the rest of the story that I am about to tell you. Most Jews I know are probably confused about

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

On Tisha B’Av, let’s also remember R. Yohanan

August 11, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — So long as the Ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Israel act as though they are the only true Jewish leaders, I think rebuilding the Temple would only serve to divide and not unite the Jewish people. With a fractured Jewish polity, what good would rebuilding the Temple be if

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Conversion by Rabbi Lookstein should be honored

July 14, 2016

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — One of my favorite concepts in logic is the reductio ad absurdum (Latin: “reduction to the absurd”) argument, which is a logical method of argument that proves the falsity of a premise by following its implications to a logical but absurd conclusion. The latest news regards the nullification

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Practical tips for studying the Talmud

Warsaw’s secret diaries recalled at Yom HaShoah

Beware of insults to other religions

Disagreeing with rabbi who rewrote prayer for U.S.A.

Missed religious opportunity at the Inaugural

Thoughts on Chagall’s ‘White Crucifixion’

‘Paid protesters’ report a hoax which had me fooled

Paid protesters and employers must be condemned

From election’s dissonance, perhaps comes a pathway

Hillary Clinton and Abimelech

What is the true nature of a zombie?

On giving Donald Trump a tallit

On Tisha B’Av, let’s also remember R. Yohanan

Conversion by Rabbi Lookstein should be honored

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