Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California.
His books, available on Amazon, include:
For the second year in a row, we find ourselves asking the same question as we asked last year: “How is this Passover Seder in the era of the COVID 19 pandemic different from other Passover celebrations?” [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel}
A Seder During a Pandemic is Like the Original Passover Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiOur lives involve a constant series of rebirths that affords us the opportunity to expand our horizon and vision of the world around us. Whenever we wake up on the first day of the New Year, it behooves us to think about what we must accomplish and achieve while we travel through time. Let us use this time to set goals and make new promises to our soul that each of us will boldly live our lives and realize the God-given potential that we each have. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]
Prayers for the New Year Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiThis new groundbreaking work helps a generation of Jews, many of whom have felt incapable of expressing prayer when speaking about the evils and horrors of the Holocaust. At last, somebody has come up with a way to help survivors, the children of survivors, and ordinary thoughtful people who have felt as if they were wandering in the wilderness of silence. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
A Siddur for the Holocaust Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
The idea of a Holocaust Haggadah is fabulous; we have a Tu’B’ Shevat Seder Haggadah, why not one on the Holocaust—especially since Yom HaShoah occurs within a week after Passover ends? Historically, the Passover Haggadah provided a practical template how to convey the meaning of Passover; Rabbi Rosenberg’s Holocaust Haggadah aims to create a practical syllabus on how to make the Holocaust relevant to the themes of Passover and redemption. For the children of Holocaust survivors (like myself), we must find new and creative ways to preserve the sacredness of Jewish memory. This is similar to the way the retelling of Passover serves to challenge new generations with the seminal thoughts since the time when the traditional observance of Passover ceased with the destruction of the Temple. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
A Holocaust Haggadah To Help Preserve Memory Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiMost people are not born with an attitude of gratitude. I want to share with you some Thanksgiving meditations I have thought about this week. To begin, here are two brief anecdotes that illustrate this point. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Meditations on Thanksgiving weekend Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiEvery year around Halloween, many Americans watch various monster movies about creatures who are often “undead.” Let’s be honest; nothing is appealing about zombies. They lack the sexiness of vampires; they lack the glamor and good manners. At least vampires know how to blend in society. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Some underlying reasons for zombies’ popularity Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Theatre, Film & BroadcastThere is hardly a day that passes when I don’t marvel at an individua’s power and ability to move mountains and change history. Our current presidential election underscores the importance of one vote and a single individual’s power to bring about change in society. The same could be said concerning Abraham. Abraham believed he could change and transform the world. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Abraham exemplified the power of an individual Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiSen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-California) praise of her Republican colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), followed by a spontaneous show of appreciation, shocked her liberal colleagues by hugging Graham. This would have been a positive note to end the raucous debates we have seen and imbibed since the beginning of the hearings. Yet, we are living in a time when conformity to the Democratic status quo is considered more important than anything else. Surprisingly to most of us, Feinstein stirred a hornets’ nest and many of her fellow Democrats excoriated her for showing a token of civility. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Feinstein demonstrated civility at Barrett’s hearing Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USAOnce again, we are hearing more discussion about social distancing. Here is a chapter from my new book, God and the Pandemic, A Judaic Reflection on the Coronavirus. The concept of social-distancing at a time of pandemics is discussed in the Responsa literature. The term “responsa” refers to questions people have asked rabbis for almost 1500 years in matters of Judaic law, traditions, and values. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Social distancing in Jewish law Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Science, Medicine, & Education
In his newest book, God and the Pandemic, Rabbi Samuel starts with a historical look at plagues in antiquity, comparing and contrasting leadership skills combating them, praising Marcus Aurelius, a stoic, for guiding his nation through the Antonine Plague in the second century, and condemning Roman emperors in the following century for failing to protect the citizenry during the Plague of Cyprian. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]
Pandemics through history and the religious response Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, International, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USA
Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel, the author of ten books, has made a fascinating, enlightening, and much needed contribution to our understanding of the Coronavirus pandemic and Jewish and other views on the subject in his book God and the Pandemic. He gives readers a thorough very readable analysis of the many pandemics, earthquakes, plagues, and other occurrences that killed many people. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Book Review: ‘God and the Pandemic’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiMany of you heard about the standoff that took place at Mark and Patricia McCloskey’s mansion in St. Louis. The couple claimed that the BLM group yelled obscenities and threats of harm and since many of the protesters were armed, they decided to arm themselves. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Were the McCloskeys right to brandish weapons? Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USAThe Talmud has always been a champion of free speech. It is a unique document of human history where rabbis engage philosophers, wise women, emperors, Roman centurions, and a host of other people as they debate the meaning of life and the message of Judaism. Rabbinical discourse is dialectical. It presents a no-hold-bars approach to virtually any topic, from war and peace to the laws governing sexual relations. But be forewarned: the Talmud is not for the faint of heart. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Why the great Talmudists valued contrary opinions Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USAGiven the assault on “whiteness” that we see today, some people of the ultra-left claim that chess is a racist game since it pits the “whites” vs. the “blacks.” To certain individuals, this game accentuates the problems some see in race relations. To make matters further complicated, the white pieces go before the black pieces. This is perceived by those who consider themselves “woke” (people who are super-sensitive to racism) as a “racially biased.” [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
White moves first; is chess racist? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA