Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California.

His books, available on Amazon, include:

In defense of unkosher animal toys

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California–The other day, I came across an interesting story, worthy of a Sherlock Holmes tale. Some time ago in 2011, Lubavitcher women sponsored a special collection for Shaarei Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem. Deena Yellin writes, “The herd of brightly-colored stuffed animals filled our front porch with all the panache of […]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

‘The Kosher Jesus’ raises eyebrows but is not very deep

“[My] book is telling the Jews to reclaim Jesus, the authentic Jesus, the historical Jesus, the Jewish Jesus” and to be inspired by his “beautiful” teachings, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach said this week in Jerusalem. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Shmuley Boteach reminds me a lot of Paul, the Apostle.  In fact, I

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Should a Chabadnik say “Today is Thursday, January 5th, in Santa Monica”?

  By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Some time ago, I had a friendly discussion with Rabbi Yisrael Goldberg, a young Chabadnik who lives in Israel. In the course of our talk, he told me that Rabbi Avraymo Levitanski (a former teacher of mine) had recently died. Avraymo was a great man;

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

The guilty silence of some Haredi rabbis

  By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —   Jewish legal tradition, better known as “Halachah,” teaches that silence is “tantamount to admission.” The moral implications ought to be clear enough for anyone to readily grasp. When somebody is attempting to do something wrong and illegal, one cannot dissociate oneself from the situation and

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East

More than a shave, Matsiyahu’s shorn beard represents a change in outlook

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The other day, I watched an interview with the Jewish Reggae singer Matisyahu, shortly after he had shaven his beard! I could just imagine what some of his Hassidic fans were saying to one another after they heard the news, “Matisyahu! Please

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Reflections on ‘the God Particle’

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California– Stephen Hawking in the beginning of his book, A Brief History of Time, relates a story he believes originated with the scientist-philosopher Bertrand Russell, who once fielded an interesting question asked by an elderly woman after finishing a lecture he gave on astronomy: “He described how the

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Not by might, but by light – A modern Hanukkah message

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Historically, the holiday of Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday when compared to holidays like Passover or Yom Kippur, or the Sabbath. Nevertheless, its significance should not be under-appreciated. Hanukkah celebrates the first triumph for religious freedom in the ancient history of late antiquity. Although the

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi