Sam Glaser

Sam Glaser

Sam Glaser is a performer, composer, producer and author in Los Angeles. He has released 25 albums of his music, he produces music for various media in his Glaser Musicworks recording studio and his book  The Joy of Judaism  is an Amazon bestseller. Visit him online at www.samglaser.com.  Join Sam for a weekly uplifting hour of study every Wednesday night (7:30 pm PST, Zoom Meeting ID: 71646005392) for learners of all ages and levels of knowledge.

Jewish Biography: Sam Glaser, Musician and Author

If you were to walk into a JCC or visit a Camp Ramah in virtually any city in this country and utter the name Sam Glaser, you would likely receive a smile of recognition and maybe even be treated to a few bars from a track of one of his 26 albums. [Eva Trieger]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Eva Trieger, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Glaser, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The Secret of Six

By Sam Glaser LOS ANGELES — I love the connection of numbers and Torah. In macro terms, Torah is the blueprint of the universe. What is the secret of six? According to the famous Passover song, Who Knows One?, one is God, two are the tablets, three are the forefathers, four are the matriarchs, five

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Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser

Our Jewish Parenting: Keeping Consistency Constant

Two key factors have kept us sane while raising the next generation of Jewish kids: involving God in the process and striving for consistency in our parenting effort. My wife, Shira and I leave the heavy lifting to God. What we eat, how we treat others and what we do on Shabbat and holidays isn’t something we have to negotiate. We have a priceless 3500-year-old tradition offering precise guidelines on maximizing life and minimizing drama. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser

‘Telescope Parenting’ Means Watching Your Kids from a Safe Distance

I practice telescope parenting. When my kids were younger, I loved watching them run around in public and got great amusement observing their antics. I let them pick the agenda on the outing, interact with whomever they fancied and climb or explore at will. This worked great on hikes, at the beach, visiting museums or shopping malls, where they could safely wander and express themselves. It was always interesting to see who was charmed by their personalities, who would initiate conversation and who would look around for the irresponsible guardian who set the kids loose. [Sam Glaser]

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Lifestyles, Sam Glaser

Comparing and contrasting Halloween and Sukkot

The month of October unleashes a tension of sorts in our predominantly Jewish Pico-Robertson neighborhood in Los Angeles.  As one walks farther from Pico Boulevard, the ubiquitous sukkot on front lawns give way to macabre Halloween decorations. Jewish kids must grapple with a continuum of responses to trick-or-treating: for the far right, it’s as if the holiday doesn’t exist. In a non-COVID year, Modern Orthodox might allow their kids to make the rounds seeking kosher candy and haunted houses, but downplay any outward signs of participation. Sadly, Jews of other denominations are more likely to be carrying a light saber than a lulav. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser, USA

Spiritual Parenting: The Gift of a Reprimand

Judeo-Christian theology espouses an immanent, loving God, a celestial coach rooting for each individual’s spiritual growth. Scripture is filled with reminders of this abundant love, with prayers and rituals offering myriad opportunities for returning God’s grace with grateful service. On the other hand, Biblical stories are rife with descriptions of disastrous cause-and-effect chain reactions resulting from arrogance, indifference and infidelity. God’s love includes challenging us with real life responses to our choices. The secret of true love is tough love, the presence of consequences. But it all starts with love. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser

Shabbat: TGIF

I am who I am thanks to Shabbat. Due to this biblically mandated institution, I have peace of mind, a flourishing community, a great relationship with my family and a career where I traverse the country singing its praises. All this benefit for just taking a day off! The Torah emphasizes Shabbat more than any other ritual because it provides the most profound physical, financial and emotional evidence that one is serious about a relationship with God. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser

Caring for Aging Parents and Beyond

When my father had back surgery, he shopped around to nearly every top orthopedic surgeon in L.A. until he found one willing to cut into his ailing eighty-five-year-old frame and repair three levels of his lumbar vertebrae. We were overjoyed to see him recover from the spine operation but soon thereafter he needed a knee replacement. Oy vey! For all his health issues, he still maintains his Dodger and Laker season tickets, trades on the stock market and teaches a monthly Jewish history class. But his pleasure in life is sharply curtailed in what seems to be a cruel downward spiral of Job-like proportions. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser

Pesach: War of Worldcraft

The Jewish People are players in a grand scheme I refer to as “War of Worldcraft.” We are in the midst of a 3500-year peer-to-peer networking phenomenon unrivaled in history. In every generation, we are engaged in a battle to the death against the monsters of ignorance, immorality and violence. With courage and unrivaled conviction, we cleave to our ancient texts and traditions, hoping to thrive while influencing those around us. The Torah reveals the contradictory nature of our future as an eternal people: we will remain few in number and yet have vast impact on all of humankind as we wander the globe. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser

The Science of Struggle

One day, a boy found a fuzzy caterpillar and put it in a cage as a new pet. Soon, he observed the fascinating metamorphosis as the caterpillar disappeared within a cocoon. He checked the crusty shell daily and eventually noticed a small opening. As he’d hoped, a butterfly was trying to emerge. The boy waited impatiently and feared it was stuck. He took a scissors and gently opened the hole so the creature could escape. Sure enough, the butterfly inched out with a large swollen body and small, misshapen wings. Sadly, those wings never grew properly and the malformed insect spent its last days haplessly crawling around the cage. The boy learned that wings only develop when butterflies mount a tenacious struggle to escape their cocoons. His misguided act of kindness led to the creature’s doom. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser