Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

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]

Jacob’s wrestling with the angel is arguably one of the most famous images we encounter in the Torah. Commentaries since rabbinical times wondered: Did it really occur? Or did Jacob imagine it? Maimonides’ interpretation is novel; he offers a view that Freud and Jung have found fascinating. Although we tend to think of psychology as beginning with Freud, medieval scholars such as Maimonides and Aquinas possessed a remarkable understanding of human psychology. Here is one such example from Maimonides Guide for the Perplexed 2:42. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

In this week’s Torah portion (Parshat Vyetse), Philo’s comments about Leah and Rachel’s relationship is striking. One can see that it is not merely brothers who fight with one another. The same also applies to sisters—especially when it is over the love of the same man! Although the Bible is full of tales regarding polygamy, one should not infer that the biblical writers endorsed this ancient Bedouin practice, which still occurs today. Quite the opposite—the ideal marriage is between one man and one woman. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

Philo of Alexandria’s insights is among the most original expositions of Parshat Toledot, this week’s Torah portion. According to him, Isaac is well-aware of Esau’s shortcomings, but he wishes to bless his son so that he might realize his hidden spiritual potential. Bu in the end, as we know, Jacob took his brother’s blessings. Philo saw Jacob’s relationship to Esau as a spiritual mentor. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

– In this week’s Torah portion, from Maimonides, we will be viewing some of his ideas on the custom of visiting graves. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

Although most Judaic, Christian, and Muslim commentators and thinkers interpret the Akedah as having actually occurred while Abraham was in a wakeful state of consciousness, Maimonides hints that there may be another way of interpreting the story. Maimonides mentioned on many occasions how the Divine speaks to mortals in either a dream, or by granting them a visionary experience. Perhaps the Akedah was also a visionary experience. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

In this week’s Torah portion, we shall briefly compare the thoughts of Maimonides, Philo, and Spinoza on the subject of circumcision. We shall first mention some interesting citations from Philo, who spent considerable time explaining the rationale of Jewish precepts to the non-Jewish world. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

The following selections are from the commentaries I have written on Philo and Maimonides. The selection from Philo comes from Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Jewish Commentary: Vol. 1: Genesis (Sarasota, FL: First Edition Design, 2016). The selections from Maimonides are from my new commentary, Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary Vol. 1 Genesis (Sarasota, Florida: First Edition Design, 2016). Each work introduces an approach I call “philosophical peshat,” which contains the plain meaning of a biblical passage along with its philosophical nuances and meaning. Although both these scholars lived over a thousand years apart, they often arrived at a similar philosophical understanding of Scripture. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]