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:

Maimonides on The Akedah and Biblical Visions

Although most Judaic, Christian, and Muslim commentators and thinkers interpret the Akedah as having actually occurred while Abraham was in a wakeful state of consciousness, Maimonides hints that there may be another way of interpreting the story. Maimonides mentioned on many occasions how the Divine speaks to mortals in either a dream, or by granting them a visionary experience. Perhaps the Akedah was also a visionary experience. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

What Philo and Maimonides Said About Parashat Noach

The following selections are from the commentaries I have written on Philo and Maimonides. The selection from Philo comes from Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Jewish Commentary: Vol. 1: Genesis (Sarasota, FL: First Edition Design, 2016). The selections from Maimonides are from my new commentary, Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary Vol. 1 Genesis (Sarasota, Florida: First Edition Design, 2016). Each work introduces an approach I call “philosophical peshat,” which contains the plain meaning of a biblical passage along with its philosophical nuances and meaning. Although both these scholars lived over a thousand years apart, they often arrived at a similar philosophical understanding of Scripture. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Chula Vista Rabbi A ‘Top World Expert’ on Maimonides and Philo

Rabbi Dr, Michael Leo Samuel of Chula Vista, California, is one of the top world experts on Maimonides and Philo. His books on both philosophers are filled with easy to read information that will open the eyes and minds of readers. Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary to Deuteronomy is the final book of Rabbi Samuel’s series on Maimonides’ hidden Torah commentary. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Book on Maimonides Clarifies Many Rules of Judaism

Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel, author of Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary, Leviticus, has made a significant contribution to posterity by writing this beautiful book and bringing the thinking of Maimonides and many dozens of others, ancient and modern, Jewish and non-Jewish, rational and mystic, to his readers. Among many other sources, he focuses on the writings of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, his Guide of the Perplexed, his commentary to the Mishnah, his ethical work Shemoneh Perakim, as well as his Responsa, and even the Commentary on Exodus that his son Abraham wrote. This volume follows his successful books about Maimonides on Genesis and Exodus. He reveals much that many people do not know and does so in a clear easy to read and engaging fashion. There is much in these books that we can learn. [Rabbi Dr. israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

The Ox Ate My Sermon

Most congregants probably think that writing sermons about the Rosh Hashanah holiday is easy. Actually, given the plethora of themes one can choose from, it is not the case at all. Using recycled sermons can diminish the power of one’s delivery. Personally, I always look to create new sermons based on certain perennial themes, e.g., time, sweetness, communal solidarity, Israel, being Jewish in the 21st century, etc. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

‘These are the Developments of the Human’ Offers Novel Concept, Poetic Commentaries

These are the Developments of the Human by Ethan Daniel Davidson; self-published 2021; ISBN 1978057-883010; 459 pages; price not listed. By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Ethan Daniel Davidson’s These are the Developments of the Human is a collection of poetic commentaries on thoughts drawn from the Pentateuch. His background is

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Censorship a Hallmark of the ‘Woke’ Society

I must confess. I am a sci-fi fan. One of my favorite films of all time is the Matrix series. People like me cannot help but feel excited that Matrix 4 will soon be coming out. When I first saw a Matrix film, it made me think about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.[1] In my younger years, I wondered whether this world is a simulation–God’s video game, as it were. But now, my appreciation for the film has morphed into something more political. Now I think the Matrix offers a remarkable lesson about today’s political reality. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Author Dissects Popular Myths About the Bible

Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin’s latest book in his trailblazing series entitled Mysteries of Judaism IV;  Over 100 Mistaken Ideas about God and the Bible offers the reader a glimpse into this seasoned scholar’s views on many of Judaism’s most sacred beliefs concerning subjects as diverse as the importance of the creation narrative in the early chapters of Genesis, as well as many of the thorny problems emerging out of the creation narrative.  [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Prayers for the New Year

Our lives involve a constant series of rebirths that affords us the opportunity to expand our horizon and vision of the world around us. Whenever we wake up on the first day of the New Year, it behooves us to think about what we must accomplish and achieve while we travel through time. Let us use this time to set goals and make new promises to our soul that each of us will boldly live our lives and realize the God-given potential that we each have. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

A Siddur for the Holocaust

This new groundbreaking work helps a generation of Jews, many of whom have felt incapable of expressing prayer when speaking about the evils and horrors of the Holocaust. At last, somebody has come up with a way to help survivors, the children of survivors, and ordinary thoughtful people who have felt as if they were wandering in the wilderness of silence. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi