Judaism

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Although we Jews firmly believe we can argue with God, bargaining with God is another story. Of course there is nothing that forbids us from trying to formalize an agreement with God, but if we think we will receive confirmation from above, we are sadly mistaken. Jacob’s words, therefore, are

SAN DIEGO– There are days, of course, when you can’t take a Torah or a Chumash with you, but for Melanie Rubin that was no problem.  It was as if the Book of Genesis and the Book of Exodus came looking for her on the roadways.  We have added  both biblically inspired license plates to

By Rabbi Baruch Ledeman SAN DIEGO — Rivkah was the perfect wife for Yitzchok because she possessed chessed (loving kindness).   Caring kindness and sensitivity to others, are hallmarks of the Jewish people as the  following true story, documented in  A Mother’s Favorte Stories by Sheina Medwed, illustrates:   Beth Shapiro was shopping with her elderly

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Rabbis are fond of telling couples they are marrying that the chuppah beneath which they stand resembles Avraham Avinu’s tent. How so? Just as the chuppah is open on all four sides, so was Avraham’s tent. Avraham’s tent was open on all four sides to welcome guests from

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO–Avraham was visited by three angels, one of whom was there to heal him after his recent bris milah (ritual circumcision).  This brings to mind the following story: Rav Shlomo Kluger ztz”l accepted a new position as Rav. Shortly thereafter, there was bris (ritual circumcision) to which he of course

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your native land and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1) There is a general consensus among rabbinic sources that God’s command to Abraham to leave his family and all that he knew in

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Avraham grew up in a world where the norm was idolotry. His father was a card carrying idolator. That was the family business. But Avraham, through his penetrating insight and  honest analysis, realized that this norm was wrong. Despite the social  mores, despite fierce, even violent resistance he held on

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Not long after the flood (“Noah, he built him, he built him an ark-ee, ark-ee…”) human beings got into mischief once again. (Humans, it seems, are very slow learners!) “Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon