Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California.
His books, available on Amazon, include:
By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, Caliornia — The ritual of the scapegoat persists even to this day in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. When I was a young Orthodox teen, I recall how we would all get up early in the morning and go to the slaughterhouse backyard, and we would take a […]
Yom Kippur and the Scapegoat Ritual, Past and Present Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiMost 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]
The Ox Ate My Sermon Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiThese 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
‘These are the Developments of the Human’ Offers Novel Concept, Poetic Commentaries Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiI 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]
Censorship a Hallmark of the ‘Woke’ Society Read More »
International, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Bar-Giora Goldberg’s The Mind is Mightier: Reflections on the Historic Rise of Cognition and Complexity offers a novel and panoramic view about the cognitive evolution of the human race—not an easy topic, but it is one that the author transforms into an exciting intellectual journey. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
How Humans Mentally Shape Our World Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiRabbi 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]
Author Dissects Popular Myths About the Bible Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiFor the second year in a row, we find ourselves asking the same question as we asked last year: “How is this Passover Seder in the era of the COVID 19 pandemic different from other Passover celebrations?” [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel}
A Seder During a Pandemic is Like the Original Passover Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiOur 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]
Prayers for the New Year Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiThis 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]
A Siddur for the Holocaust Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
The idea of a Holocaust Haggadah is fabulous; we have a Tu’B’ Shevat Seder Haggadah, why not one on the Holocaust—especially since Yom HaShoah occurs within a week after Passover ends? Historically, the Passover Haggadah provided a practical template how to convey the meaning of Passover; Rabbi Rosenberg’s Holocaust Haggadah aims to create a practical syllabus on how to make the Holocaust relevant to the themes of Passover and redemption. For the children of Holocaust survivors (like myself), we must find new and creative ways to preserve the sacredness of Jewish memory. This is similar to the way the retelling of Passover serves to challenge new generations with the seminal thoughts since the time when the traditional observance of Passover ceased with the destruction of the Temple. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
A Holocaust Haggadah To Help Preserve Memory Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiMost people are not born with an attitude of gratitude. I want to share with you some Thanksgiving meditations I have thought about this week. To begin, here are two brief anecdotes that illustrate this point. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Meditations on Thanksgiving weekend Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiEvery year around Halloween, many Americans watch various monster movies about creatures who are often “undead.” Let’s be honest; nothing is appealing about zombies. They lack the sexiness of vampires; they lack the glamor and good manners. At least vampires know how to blend in society. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Some underlying reasons for zombies’ popularity Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Theatre, Film & BroadcastThere is hardly a day that passes when I don’t marvel at an individua’s power and ability to move mountains and change history. Our current presidential election underscores the importance of one vote and a single individual’s power to bring about change in society. The same could be said concerning Abraham. Abraham believed he could change and transform the world. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Abraham exemplified the power of an individual Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiSen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-California) praise of her Republican colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), followed by a spontaneous show of appreciation, shocked her liberal colleagues by hugging Graham. This would have been a positive note to end the raucous debates we have seen and imbibed since the beginning of the hearings. Yet, we are living in a time when conformity to the Democratic status quo is considered more important than anything else. Surprisingly to most of us, Feinstein stirred a hornets’ nest and many of her fellow Democrats excoriated her for showing a token of civility. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Feinstein demonstrated civility at Barrett’s hearing Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA