Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Rosh Hashanah is almost here! According to Jewish mystical tradition, Elul is a period of spiritual awakening. The name of Elul is an acrostic for:   אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי   “I belong to my beloved and my beloved belongs to me …” (Song of Songs 6:3). Hence, the time of

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — One of the best-known blessings Orthodox Jews recite every day is the blessing, “Thank you God for not making me a woman.” The recent transformation on the cover of Vanity Fair’s 22-page cover story featuring Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce, raises a number of fascinating questions pertaining to

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — One of the most important but also neglected customs of the year is when we observe the Yahrzeit of a loved one.  It occurs with such frequency that we often will forget about the date altogether because we may have forgotten the Hebrew calendar date. According to

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Shirley MacLaine is a better actress than she is a philosopher or theologian. Jewish groups are justifiably upset with some comments she penned in her new memoir, “What If… A Lifetime of Questions, Speculations, Reasonable Guesses, and a Few Things I Know For Sure.” The quote that is

By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — When you look at the history of Islamic art, its inclusion in the Islamic faith has not been without periods of repression. Among those singled out for the most severe penalties of the afterlife, are the artists, and other “makers of images or pictures.”Although the Quran did