Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel The first proclamation of the Ten Commandments, “ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” (Exod. 20:2) has puzzled Jewish scholars and philosophers for well over 2,000 years. Maimonides deduced from this passage the biblical precept

One of the interesting points that Maimonides and Philo of Alexandria agree on in this week’s Torah portion is the role of human freedom and responsibility.  Philo routinely pointed out that God is never the source of moral evil in the world—human beings are, and they alone must be responsible for the moral condition of society—whether it be good or bad, harmonious or chaotic. This idea is also one of ancient Stoicism’s greatest moral teachings. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

Maimonides’ understanding of the Book of Exodus ought to have great relevance to people who study the weekly Torah portion. Although he did not write an exposition on this book of the Torah, he writes about it profusely in his Mishneh Torah and his Guide for the Perplexed; the same may be said about his other voluminous writings. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

Philo’s treatment of the Joseph trilogy is unique in many respects. Not only does he explain the peshat–the contextual meaning of the biblical text—he also spends considerable time developing the psychological portrayal of the various biblical personalities in a style that makes the entire narrative seem almost contemporary. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]