Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California.
His books, available on Amazon, include:
Rabbi Moshe Walter, The Making of a Halachic Decision. Menucha Publishers.ISBN: 1614650896. 231 pages, $24. Rating: 3* out of 5. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Any student of Jewish law has often wondered about the origin of the Halachic decision-making process. True, the Talmud is full of arguments. If you […]
Book Review: ‘The Making of a Halachic Decision’ Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Question from Jewish Values Online: In the Torah parsha (selection for reading) Yitro, the Torah tells us that Jethro took Moses’ wife, Tziporah and their two sons, and sent them home. I once heard a teacher explain in a homiletical way that this was an example
What kind of a family man was Moses? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
A New Psalm: A Guide to Psalms as Literature by Rabbi Benjamin Segal; Gefen Publishing House (2013); ISBN-10: 965229618X; Price: $31.29 (on Amazon). By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Rabbi Benjamin Segal’s new commentary, A New Psalm: The Psalms as Literature is an excellent medley of numerous thoughts that Judaic commentaries have expressed on the Psalms
Understanding the Psalms as literature Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiChumash Mesoras Harav – Chumash with Commentary Based on the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik – Sefer Bereishis by Dr. Arnold Lustiger: OU Press and Ohr Publishing; First edition (2013) ISBN-10: 0989124606. Price: $38.24 Rating: 5* By Rabbi Michael Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — As one of the most important Orthodox thinkers of his time,
Soleveitchik via Lustiger illuminates the Torah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California–Hassidic literature teaches that one of the reasons given for Hassidim swaying in prayer is based upon the analogy of the movement that occurs in the act of love making. Prayer is like “making love to the Shekhinah.” The Baal Shem Tov is purported to have taught: Prayer
Davening at Victoria’s Secret Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — After some reluctance, I decided it was important for me to weigh in on the Duck Dynasty controversy involving Phil Robertson and his off-the-cuff remarks regarding gays and African Americans. Robertson’s equation of homosexuality to bestiality is incorrect. The biblical passages dealing with homosexuality pertain to
A Voltairian view of the Duck Dynasty controversy Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USABy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –This past week, a newspaper featured a picture of a Lubavitcher rabbi smilingly putting tefillon on Santa Claus. It reminded me of a story from Eli Plaut’s book, Kosher Christmas. It mentions how an old Ukrainian Jewish immigrant dressed up as Santa Claus and spoke Yiddish. When speaking
Letting go of our past fear… and prejudice Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — An interesting conversation took place been CNN host Piers Morgan and Barbara Walters that caught my attention. Morgan asked Walters an important question. “You have interviewed every president of my lifetime. Why is Obama facing so much opposition now? Why is he struggling so much to
No Barbara, Obama’s not the messiah Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USARabbi Shiloh Ben-David, Shalom Aleichem: A Collection of Halachos, Aggados, and Anecdotes about Greeting People; ISBN-13: 978-9657599136; 217 pages; Publisher: Self-Published; Price: $23.95. Rating: 2.5 * out of four. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The 20th century Orthodox scholar and philanthropist Irving Bunim, in his monumental study on makes a profound observation about
What halacha says about greeting people Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Human behavior and animal behavior resemble one another in so many interesting ways. When an animal approaches the territory of another, it is commonplace for one creature to growl or make noise whenever it perceives its space is invaded. A dog will characteristically bark whenever it
Obama’s handshake a commendable gesture Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USARabbi Menachem Genack, In Letters to President Clinton: Biblical Lessons on Faith and Leadership Sterling Ethos/OU Press, New York, 2013. 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-4549-0791-6. Price: $24.95 By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — President Bill Clinton is in many ways one of the most iconic and beloved presidents of recent history. His congenial manner
Rabbinic letters to Clinton prove grist for sermons Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — One of the famous and most important questions asked about Hanukkah reads: What is Hanukkah? [i.e., “Why do we celebrate Hanukkah?”]. The question strikes a modern reader as odd. Surely, the Jews must have known about the holiday’s significance for several centuries! On the surface, one
What historic sources say about Chanukah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Jesse Jackson once said that he gets nervous whenever he sees a group of young black men standing on a corner doing nothing—and he’s not the only one. By now, most of you may have heard about a game called “Knockout.” In places like Crown Heights in
Beware Black racism and ‘knockout’ gangs Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USABy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — I often get asked the questions, “What is the symbolism of the dreidel? What exactly is its origin?” The dreidel is a four cornered top that was popular in the medieval era and originally used for gambling. Jewish folklore purports that when the Syrians prohibited the
Symbolism of the dreidel and other Chanukah lore Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi