Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi Archives - Page 22 of 34

Noah & Abraham: A Rabbinical Comparison

October 4, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfecta in his generations, and Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9). אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹחַ (Gen 6:9 ) in his generation – What is signified by “perfect in his generation”? R. Yochanan said: […]

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Jewish Orthodoxy and the Cosmos

September 26, 2013

Rabbi Yosef Bitton, Awesome Creation: A Study of the Thirst Three Verses of the Torah; Gefen Publishing House (2013). ISBN-10: 9652295566. Price: $24. 26. Rating: 3 stars out of 5. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — As someone who has written on the first three chapters of Genesis, I was interested in seeing

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Chelmites in Washington D.C.?

September 19, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The Wise Men of Chelm have an iconic and legendary status in the history of Jewish storytelling. According to traditions to have emerged from Eastern Poland, the town of Chelm had a dubious reputation for being incredibly foolish. Whenever the townspeople were confronted with any kind

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Post Yom Kippur question: What are limits of forgiveness?

September 17, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The Chinese say, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Recently we began our spiritual journey with a celebration of Yom Kippur—a holiday that is wholly devoted to the cultivation of forgiveness and spiritual renewal—both as individuals and as a community. “I

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Let’s not sacrifice our Isaacs

September 4, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — A friend of mine in Israel told me the following story: Shortly after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 a young man went to enroll in a basic Judaism class in Israel. My friend asked him why he wanted to study the Torah. The young man, whose name was

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Learning to appreciate our bounty

August 23, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Once upon a time, some American tourists went to Mexico on a vacation; they toured some hot springs, where they saw the natives washing their clothes! One tourist said to his guide, “My, isn’t wonderful how Mother Nature provides her children with hot water to wash their

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

God, not government, should know our every thought

August 22, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Most rabbinical students attribute omnipresence and omniscience as qualities befitting a Creator. Only God is called, The Knower of Thoughts, and The Searcher of the human heart. Rabbinical wisdom has long taught, “Always keep in mind these three things, and you will never come to the brink

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

The suicide of a contestant on ‘The Bachelor’

August 15, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Personally, I have never been one for reality television shows. Life is much too interesting to “observe” from afar. When I was growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember “The Dating Game.” This show would pit a number of contestants who would compete for

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Some amazing facts about the earth and sun

August 10, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — When I read about the sun’s magnetic field reversing its polarity within the next several months, part of me felt a little nervous. How will the sun’s changes affect the earth? Does this mean that our earthly days are numbered? Actually, astronomers and meteorologists have indicated

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Science, Medicine, & Education

The case of the atheistic rabbis

July 29, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Dr. Paul Shrell-Fox is someone I admire. As a clinical psychologist and researcher living in Israel, he has researched a social and religious phenomenon about a subject that many of us rabbis would sooner deny than admit: there are an increasing number of Orthodox and Conservative

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Question: What is Tu b’Av?

July 22, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel SAN DIEGO — What is Tu b’Av? Do we celebrate it today? What is the significance of the day? The summer holiday of Tu B’Av (the 15th of Av) is a rabbinical holiday, one that the Mishnah describes in colorful detail: Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel said, “There were no happier days

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Zimmerman, no racist, has African-American ancestors

July 19, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The media did its best to portray George Zimmerman as a racist in its efforts to influence the public and the jury to convict him for the crime of manslaughter. Eric Holder, as of today, is still investigating whether Zimmerman might be prosecuted for civil rights

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Akiba stayed optimistic even after Temple destroyed

July 12, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Philosopher George Santayana is perhaps best known for saying, “He who forgets the past, is condemned to repeat it.” This attitude finds profound expression in much of the rabbinic literature regarding the period of time that is better known as, “The Three Weeks,” which culminates

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Tisha B’Av and the attack on a Haredi soldier

July 10, 2013

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — When the nine days of the Jewish month of Ab arrives, our joy diminishes accordingly.[1] Unlike other times of the year, this period in particular beckons us to give thought to the reasons why the Second Jewish Commonwealth of the 1st century ended in disaster for the

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East

Noah & Abraham: A Rabbinical Comparison

Jewish Orthodoxy and the Cosmos

Chelmites in Washington D.C.?

Post Yom Kippur question: What are limits of forgiveness?

Let’s not sacrifice our Isaacs

Learning to appreciate our bounty

God, not government, should know our every thought

The suicide of a contestant on ‘The Bachelor’

Some amazing facts about the earth and sun

The case of the atheistic rabbis

Question: What is Tu b’Av?

Zimmerman, no racist, has African-American ancestors

Akiba stayed optimistic even after Temple destroyed

Tisha B’Av and the attack on a Haredi soldier

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